Dream One World...a nonprofit to change the world...one by one by one.

PERUVIAN PROJECTS

From Kathy Ozzard Chism, Founder/Director of DREAM ONE WORLD:  As mentioned on our HOME page, this is an all volunteer organization, myself included.  I hold a couple of other jobs to earn a living, and one of them is as a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist.  One day I was working with a regular client and dear friend, when I was given a vision that I was supposed to contact his son, whom I had never met.  At the end of the session I mentioned it to Ray, and without a moment's hesitation he gave me his son Dana's email address... I sent an email to Dana, asking if there was anything we could do to help.  His response and subsequent actions are all still amazing to me...  :)

 

 

The winter in the mountains of Peru in 2007 was the coldest in decades.  Volunteer Dreamworkers Dana Parnay and Autumn Phipps, who were teaching in the remote village of Cushunga for three years, (about 12,000 feet in elevation), had just learned that 19 children in villages near there died in recent months - simply from the lack of proper clothing and blankets. 

 

We decided to do something about it.

 

Dana began emailing us from a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Cajamarca named "Warmayllu," which is a Quechua word meaning "community of children."

 

Warmayllu was very kind in allowing Dana and Autumn to use their facilities, like their computers and Internet.  In Cushunga, where Dana and Autumn teach, there are no roads, no water, and no electricity.

 

 

A high quality alpaca blanket normally costs $8.00 U.S. in Peru. Dana was able to purchase them for $6.00.  DREAM ONE WORLD raised emergency funding to purchase as many blankets as possible.  As the money came in from our generous donors, Dana bought blankets and hired taxis to take the blankets to the children, the elderly, and the ill in surrounding villages.

 

We are very pleased to report that thanks to our donors and the extraordinary efforts of Dana, Autumn, and their local volunteers, we were able to give 508 blankets to a total of 493 families by the time Dana and Autumn left Peru four months after we started this project!  (Families with four or more children received two blankets.)

 

Eight villages in total were served:

October:     50 blankets to Sexemayo

November:  69 blankets to Maqui Maqui

December:  34 blankets to Pedreal Chamcas

                   63 blankets to Jesus Maria

                   51 blankets to El Valle

                   41 blankets to Guagayoc

                   60 blankets to 54 families in Jamcate

                 140 blankets to 131 families in Cushunga

 

We are grateful to Dana and Autumn for this unique opportunity to directly help save lives and/or help prevent pneumonia and bronchitis, which was quite prevalent that year.

 

 

 

Dana also saw a need to help local children with facial cancer, and with some local volunteers created a unique way to help them earn money for chemotherapy treatments.

 

Please visit the pages at left titled "The Blanket Project" and Facial Cancer Children" for wonderful photos and additional information on all the amazing work Dana and Autumn did for the people of Peru with help from DREAM ONE WORLD.

 

Dana and Autumn have since moved to Canada, and we wish them all the best!