Interviews in the campo and Fulbright seminar!

The last few weeks have been very full, first with field interviews outside of Cusco (Anta and Espinar), and then a week-long convening with other Fulbrighters in the Andean region (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru). First off, after several months of planning and designing my surveys, it was really satisfying to finally get lots of in-depth interviews done. Vilma, a former participant in one of the matched savings programs here, accompanied me as a Quechua translator as well as neighborhood guide (introducing me to friends and fellow participants she knows in the communities of Anta). It was super interesting to learn about if and how people are still saving in Anta now that the matched savings program they were involved with ended (two years ago), as well as to see and experience an older, traditional way of life in an agricultural community:

This was one of the first women I interviewed myself in Anta...she spoke Spanish, although sometimes a unique hybrid of Spanish that included some Quechua. Luckily my cab driver chipped in and helped when needed. One of the things that surprised me was the cab drivers who would accompany us on our site visits -- they all spoke Quechua and were very interested in helping out with interviews! Which made it easier for Vilma and I to get more interviews done at the same time.....

Women in the communities never let an idle minute pass them by: they are always busy with their hands, either peeling vegetables or knitting or taking care of multiple children. Almost every person we approached agreed to a 45-60 minute interview, with no compensation other than a small change purse and some dark chocolate (maybe it was the dark chocolate?) Particpants were overall very willing to take the time to talk about saving and finances with us -- pretty amazing!


When we arrived in Espinar (a small rural town about 5 hours outside of Cusco), we set out to find the office for the Department of Agriculture (which runs the financial education trainings for the Juntos Conditional Cash Transfer program). Apparently the office had moved from the last time we had visited, and we were tasked with finding the new office location. Can you spot the street address from this photo? Took us awhile, too. Pretty much all the street addresses in Espinar are like this, or simply don't exist.

Financial education class in the countryside outside of Espinar. Women in this class are recipients of CCTs and are learning that they can save a portion of their money securely in the state bank (Banco de la Nacion) as well as use other financial services. Women who have positive savings in their accounts are automatically entered into a bi-monthly lottery as part of this pilot program to encourage participation--a much smaller incentive than some other matching programs, but people around here are very into lotteries.... We took an afternoon excursion to Tres Canones (although from this vista we could just see the two canyons)...there are many pre-Inca ruins in this part of the countryside as well that are worth checking out.

Vilma with one of the interviewees who we found working in the fields. Women were in the fields from early morning until late afternoon, so if we couldn't catch them at the financial education clases we searched for them in the fields. Many of the women we talked with insisted that they did not work or have jobs, despite being in the middle of hoeing the field and tending to several children. Interesting how people define "work," eh?
Right after getting back from Espinar, I headed off to Quito, Ecuador to meet with other Fulbrighers from across the region! It was lots of fun to meet and get to know the other 30-some grantees and hear about what they're researching, while doing some good sightseeing as well. The highlight of the trip was an excursion to the rainforest:
Playing in the waterfall at the end of our hike. Amazing!

On Thursday, I left the seminar to head back to Cusco in order to attend a meeting on the work of Proyecto Capital (the group I am working with to pilot savings-linked CCTs). The meeting was attended by program implementors and the President and Board of the Ford Foundation. The project was very well received, and it was very exciting to see the promise of expanding savings and financial access strategies to CCT programs all across the globe!

Now that I'm back in Cusco, I'm looking forward to analyzing all the data I've collected over the last couple weeks and writing it up into a final report. For all of my photos from the last few weeks, check out my Picasa page at: http://picasaweb.google.com/barbrosen. More to come!

Travels with Russ and savers meeting!

This past week was full of exciting events: Russell came to visit on his spring break, and the first matched savings program in South America (Corredor Puno Cusco Project) had its first-ever meeting of alumni! The meeting was held about an hour south of Cusco, and more than 250 former participants showed up (over 100 more than were expected!) Some women traveled several hours in order to spend a full day meeting and sharing tips with other savers about financial education, budgeting, saving, financial services, and starting businesses....pretty impressive, especially considering that the majority of women have been done with the savings program for two years. Each group of women came dressed to represent their particular region - some wore flowers in their hats, others had corn husks, and many wore the traditional dresses and weavings of their region. Needless to say, it was unlike any other meeting I had ever been to in the U.S.!
Jam-packed room of Corredor alumni and current savers from across the Southern Highlands

Vilma, a former participant in the Corredor Puno Cusco Project (and now helping me to translate interviews in Quechua!) speaks with a current saver from Espinar

The next day, Russ and I headed out from Cusco to the Sacred Valley, a breathtaking region outside of Cusco surrounded by high Andes peaks and ancient Incan ruins. On the first day in the valley, we checked out Moray, a circular agricultural terrace built by the Incas:

Some of the flowers and vegetation at our hotel in Urubamba:

Checking out the salt flats in Maras at sunset:
After a few days of exploring Cusco and the Sacred Valley, we descended to Lima to enjoy some warm weather and ridiculous ceviche. We checked out Astrid y Gaston, one of the famous restaurants of celebrity restauranteur and Lima native, Gaston Acurio:


Candied Aguaymanto berries (native to the Andes) completed our very delicious dinner of pisco sours, classic white fish ceviche, Pekinese style Guinea Pig pancakes, and grilled fish with quinoa and vegetables:

Saturday morning we walked on the Malecon (boardwalk overlooking the ocean), enjoyed the sculptures and sea breezes at the Parque de Amor in Miraflores, and wandered through the bohemian neighborhood of Barranco. What a fun trip! Check out all of my photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/barbrosen. Enjoy!

Storms and Sunshine in Cusco

The last couple months have been a really interesting time to be in Cusco: the week that I moved here at the end of January, there were torrential rains for several days....having been warned that January and February are the wettest months here, I figured this was normal and that I'd just have to get used to it. Except, of course, when I heard later that week that the amount of rain had been unprecedented, causing flooding and damage to bridges, train tracks, and thousands of homes (many of which are made of mud bricks) in the Sacred Valley outside of Cusco, while stranding tourists at Machu Picchu. In Cusco things were fine for the most part, since the infrastructure is better and the city is not situated as close to the flooded rivers, but Machu Picchu will be closed until April 1 because the train tracks are still being repaired, and the train is the only form of land transport to the town nearest the ruins.

In Cusco, the departure point for all travelers heading to Machu Picchu, it has been uncharacteristically slow -- the lack of tourism has clearly been hurting the local economy, while also bringing a measure of peace and quiet to a normally bustling hub for foreign travelers. On a visit to interview a lending group outside of Cusco in February, I was able to take some photos of the damage to some of the bridges that were completely swept away by the floods:
On a brighter note, though, the local community in Cusco has made a big effort to collect donations and support rebuilding efforts in the Sacred Valley, although from the looks of it there is still much to be done to help people who have lost their homes and belongings. Some links to local charities that are helping those affected by the flooding and landslides:

http://www.livingheartperu.org/help.htm

http://www.deseaperu.org/

http://www.kusikawsay.org/

http://www.waykitrek.net/

http://www.spiritsoftheearth.com/foundation.html

And while Cusco has been experiencing a slump in tourism, my friends have helped contribute to the economy by coming to visit me on their spring breaks -- this month has brought visits from my lovely friends Bess, Gabe, Lauren, Diane and Mike. Despite some minor challenges with dirt roads, broken mountain bikes, and bad alpaca meat, they were able to see Cusco as well as some of the amazing Inca ruins that are a little bit off the beaten track, while experiencing the beauty that is the Sacred Valley:

Sacred Valley of the Incas

Gabe in a Square: Saqsawayman ruins

Lauren, Me, and Bess: Courtyard of my building

Peruvian chicken/Oscar viewing at my apartment. Classy!

Mike, Me, and Diane at the big Jesus statue overlooking Cusco!

Next week, not only is Russell coming to visit!, but on Tuesday we are going to a big convening of former and current participants in the savings programs I am studying. It's been challenging getting out to the countryside the last few weeks because of the rainy season, roads, and my Quechua translator getting the flu, so I'm very excited to interview participants and schedule many visits to the countryside in the next few months! Will take photos! --B

For photos from the past few months, check out my Picasa page at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/barbrosen

Moving to Cusco!

This last week has been a bit crazy: I moved from Lima to Cusco on Monday, found an apartment, and moved in! I had been warned that it is now the rainy season in Cusco, but since my lease was running out in Lima and I needed to go back to the highlands to do field interviews anyways, I decided to go for it! Plus, I really like the laid-back mountain atmosphere of Cusco, and was getting tired of the pollution and traffic in Lima (not to mention the summer humidity!) However, I will miss my Lima friends, the lovely nearby beaches, and coming in to the office at the fantastic Instituto de Estudios Peruanos (IEP):

South coast of Peru outside of Lima, near Asia Beach

Courtyard at IEP

Finding a place to rent was an interesting process....after looking at a few different rooms in peoples' homes, which were often advertised to be much closer to the center of town than they actually were, I was a bit disillusioned -- you could rent a room, but then you'd be sharing a kitchen with some 6 other people, and feeling awkward about using it because it wouldn’t be like a traditional “home stay” where you’d be invited to share meals with the family. As one woman told me about sharing the kitchen with her family and four other boarders-- "My family doesn't use the kitchen all the time, only for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Hmmm. Maybe I could cook at 10:30 am and 4 pm?

I had heard that there weren’t too many traditional apartments to rent, but I asked around and my friend Gillian (who had previously lived in Cusco for a year) told me to talk to this woman who owns a local café in a cute and central part of town. She advised me as follows: “There are two woman who may be renting – one works at a jungle fabric store up the street, somewhere either before or after the plaza. It may be closed right now. Her apartments are not in a very good part of town. The other is to the right of the plaza down several blocks, past a corner shop, there should be a door-buzzer somewhere that says “Hernandez”…ring that bell and talk to the woman.”

Hmmmm. So, to my surprise, I eventually found the Hernandez buzzer, and a little boy came out to greet me. He got his aunt, who told me that a two-bedroom on the third floor had just opened up. She showed me around and it was surprisingly nice (scenic views of the city, spacious, lots of natural light, nice kitchen) and affordable ($380 a month, same price I paid for a room in Lima, although apparently in Cusco that’s considered expensive). I was so excited to find a good place in a nice part of town, I agreed to take it that evening!

Some photos of the Cusco apartment:

My bedroom

View from the bedrooms

Extra bedroom/office/yoga space/guest room!

Interior Courtyard/Other apartments in building

Living room/kitchen area

Since a few friends are coming to visit in the next two months, I think I’ll keep the apartment for myself, then may get a roommate for my last few months in Cusco. So if you’re thinking about visiting, you have a place to stay! And while it is quite rainy here until about March, at least it rains hard for awhile, stops, and then the sun comes out and it is really beautiful. There are some amazing hikes and ruins I am excited to check out right in and outside of Cusco -- more to come!

Playing a scintillating game of Jenga, or "Magic" in Peru, at a bar in Cusco with some friends who work for Kiva and Innovations for Poverty Action

Fotos de mis viajes!

Dear Readers,

My apologies for the lack of recent posts, I will try to be a more upstanding blogger in the new year! Below, photos from recent holiday travels with family and friends. For hundreds more, check out my Picasa page at: http://picasaweb.google.com/barbrosen

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

La Peliroja

Lizzy and VJ: All aboard to see the mysterious Nazca Lines!

The Hummingbird!

Me and Lizzy at sand dunes outside of Ica; southern coast of Peru

Rosens made it to Machu Picchu!

The whole grupo of Feinbergs and Rosens at the Saqsawayman ruins in Cusco

Siblings: Me, Ads, Jonny

Hot ceviche in Cusco!

Giant, ancient tortoises (100+ years old) in Galapagos, Ecuador

Lazing with baby sea lions in Galapagos

Ridiculously adorable

"Travels with Vilma" or "What happens when the remote Andes town you are visiting goes on strike..."

Last week I traveled to the town of Espinar (approx. 13,000 ft altitude), to conduct a series of interviews with the people who are running the pilot conditional cash-transfer savings program there. I decided to focus my research project on the women who live in this region, because it is the only location where savings incentives (through the Sierra Sur program) and conditional cash transfers (through the Juntos program) are BOTH being offerred to people who are eligible, in addition to financial education. Whew, that was a mouthful. Anyways, I think there may be some interesting insights that will come out of the experience of these women -- what incentives are most compelling to them, whether or not they save a portion of their Juntos money, etc.

Which is how I found myself in Espinar on Monday afternoon, with my Quechua translator - a sweet woman named Vilma, who is from outside of Cusco and was formerly a participant in the Puno-Cusco Corredor program (the matched savings program that just ended in Peru). We arrived to find the town basically deserted, everything was closed and the streets were empty of any cars. We heard at the bus station on the way down that a strike had just started in Espinar, but strikes are pretty common in Peru so I wasn't entirely sure what this would mean for our weeklong visit. We got off the bus, and I stepped directly into a pile of poop while trying to get my bag. It was not an auspicious start. The bus dropped us off outside the city, so we walked through the streets with all our luggage, searching for the hotel.

The streets of Espinar. Note the rocks in the road, to prevent any taxis or buses from driving during the strike. Not entirely effective.

A cell phone shop underneath our hotel. Almost all the stores and restaurants in the town were closed on the outside, but occasionally people would come out from these little doors, or let you in if you knocked....it all felt very secretive.

After finding our hotel, I wandered around the town, and found out where all the people were: gathered in the main plaza for a rally. From what I could understand from the blend of Espanol and Quechua that was being spoken, the town was on strike because they want better control of the local water source (Apurimac River). Now they only have access to running water a few hours a day, and they are unhappy with how water is being distributed between Espinar and Arequipa, another region and much larger city to the south. It was interesting to see an entire town basically shut down and rally around a common cause (the word for strike in Spanish is "paro," literally "stop").

Vilma and I walking through Espinar at dusk, looking for the Sierra Sur project office

Even though transportation was hard to come by, Tuesday morning there were still some buses leaving for the countryside early in the morning, so we were able to get out of Espinar with some of the staff from the Sierra Sur program to attend a financial education class

We visited the community of Huayhuahuasi (a name I cannot pronounce), about an hour outside of Espinar and about as remote a place as I have ever been. Tuesday was market day, so there were some tents set up selling produce and some basic goods. There was very little infrastructure, save some cinder block and wooden homes, a school, and an outhouse. Everyone gave me a good stare.

Vilma and I interviewed the president of the local savings club (for the Sierra Sur project), who was also busy selling bags of coca leaves. She is also in the Juntos program, and is saving some of her Juntos money (from Banco de la Nacion) in her incentivized savings account (held at the microfinance insitution, Credinka). A good sign for efforts to link these two types of programs!

Women coming inside for the financial education class. Someone forgot to tell me that the red paint on the floors had not yet dried completely, which was an unhappy surprise when I sat on the ground shortly after taking this photo. Below, a woman's savings journal with a picture of the bank.

We had some interesting interviews with participants on Tuesday, and for the rest of the week stayed in Espinar to meet with program staff (and also bc there were no more buses leaving town). Since the people we were interviewing in Espinar worked for government social programs and banks, they were still working, so luckily we were able to meet with everyone. The rest of the town, however, was out in the streets marching and protesting. Apparently the strike had caused enough unrest to spur some local leaders to meet in Lima to discuss the water issues, but it didn't look the confilct was going to be resolved anytime soon. Even the ladies selling produce at the market had stopped working, meaning that restaurants were making due with what was available. So if you went to one of the three restaurants secretly "open" (after knocking on the door), you'd usually have the option of between one or two dishes.

One morning, we had fried orange trout for breakfast (over rice and potatoes and some cabbage-- this was the standard base for everything we ate in Espinar). Was actually quite tasty, sort of like salmon! I was craving some veggies and fruit after a week of this, though....

On Thursday, after finishing our interviews, we wanted to head back to Cusco. Everyone told us to leave on a late night bus, when less people would be in the streets (at that point, crowds of people were running after cars, yelling, throwing rocks, forcing stores to remain closed, etc). The only problem: the bus terminal was closed, and there was nowhere to buy tickets. We tried to call and reserve them, but this was impossible without actually paying for them.

As Vilma and I were plotting in the lobby about how to get out of Espinar, the cleaning lady at the front desk overheard our conversation and mentioned that she had gotten a bus out of town the night before, and knew where to catch them. She called the bus company for us but all the seats were "full." She then casually mentioned that the reason she had gotten on the bus was bc her mom is friends with the woman who sells the tickets. Now that got our attention. With some pleading and begging, we got her to come with us that night to show us where the buses were meeting (a closed gas station at the edge of town) and talk her family friend into letting us on the bus. There were too many people gathered for the two buses leaving that night, but the cleaning lady did her magic and convinced the ticket lady to let us on. The bus was able to get out and off to Cusco despite the piles of rocks strewn about the roads on the way out of town....

Hanging out with some friends who work for IPA (Innovations for Poverty Action), a U.S. based research organization, back in Cusco

It was such a relief to get out of strike-ridden Espinar....people told me I should just "wait it out" but apparently these types of strikes can go on for months. Since I'm going home for Thanksgiving on Thursday, I didn't consider that an option! However, I'll probably head back to Espinar this spring to do more interviews with participants -- hopefully by then the water rights issue will be somewhat resolved. Despite the challenges, it was a really interesting week of learning for me, and also forced me to step back and really appreciate all the small things I take for granted -- clean and plentiful drinking water, fresh produce, freedom to travel, to have a quality education, to experience other parts of the world. And mostly, my wonderful family and friends. I'll be thinking about all these things and more when Thanksgiving comes around this year.

Check out all of my photos of Espinar at my Picasa page: http://picasaweb.google.com/barbrosen/EspinarSiteVisitAndStrike#

and of Cusco!:

http://picasaweb.google.com/barbrosen/CuscoWeekendsNovember2009#