What is the situation in the Sacred Valley in Peru?

[Guest]

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[professo]

Anyone knows if our Friends who live in the Sacred Valley in Peru have resumed their normal life after the February floods? Will they need additional lendings to "pick up the pieces"?
Joanne

[Peter S]

Hi Joanne

I think the best way to keep track on the latest news would be to look out for blog postings by Kiva Fellows, at http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/, and journal updates from Peruvian MFIs such as Asociación Arariwa, the Kiva Field Partner operating in and around Cusco.

The floods have been mentioned in loan write-ups for borrowers in the affected area, see this February post by Mona for example: http://www.kivafriends.org/index.php/topic,1579.msg74792.html#msg74792

Kiva posted its own blog update soon after the flooding, but I can't see any more recent reference than this from February 1st on the Kiva blog:
http://www.kiva.org/blog/2010/02/01/update-from-cusco-flooding-and-arariwa.html

I'd like to think that Kiva would be responsive if a Field Partner asked for its monthly funding limit to be raised to help fulfil increased demand for loans to help people get their lives back together, but I don't think we have specific information on that.

welcome to Kiva Friends by the way..


Peter

[professo]

Thank you Peter,
This is helpful.
Cheers,
Joanne

[Mona]

Fitting to this I got an update for one of my loans from Associacion Arrariwa. 

http://www.kiva.org/lend/178940
Juan is a 45 year-old married father with five kids. He belongs to the Amanecer Anteña banquito, located in the Anta Iscuchaka district of
Cusco, about 45 minutes away from the city. Juan's business, devastated by the floods in the beginning of the year, is steadily beginning to pick back up. He was unable to buy cows and sell cows because everything he owned was destroyed. With the help from a Kiva loan, he has been slowly able to begin buying cows again. Without the necessary capital from Kiva, he would have been unable to buy and sell las vacas. He is incredibly grateful to Kiva for providing him with this support during these trying times.