So, lets get to the research!

So, today (saturday) was the first day in which we actually did some work! we left for Via Libre (http://www.vialibre.org.pe/), the NGO in which our advisers work on issues relating to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in Peru. We met the members of the Via Libre team that works in indigenous health issues and then took off for Canta Gallo, basically a slum that is located next to national government buildings and houses a couple hundred members of the Shipibo indigenous population.

It was an amazing visit. we met the president of the community, a woman named Karina (which is amazing!!! the whole community was completely well organized and the women were running the show!) and the other members of the committee. We discussed doing health and human-rights-related workshops weekly in the community (Karina indicated that domestic violence and the rights of women, the environment, hygiene, and discussing the responsibility of parents were the most important subjects about which to do workshops) but since we really have no real knowledge of or connection with the community, we'll probably start off pretty slow and see what kinds of things we should really do within this community in terms of health education. The nice thing about the workshops is that we will be able to build some rapport in the community before we begin asking questions related to our studies.

as of now, there is still a major strike going on the amazon...here's some links to pictures and more balanced details about what is going on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/diogenesampam/sets/72157618828518022/
Peruvian Police Accused of Massacring Indigenous Protesters in Amazon Jungle
As Tensions Flare in Peruvian Amazon, Award-Winning Actor Q'orianka Kilcher Heads to Peru to Support Indigenous Rights

Basically indigenous groups in the amazon are blocking roads and rivers in protest against the new rules being pushed by the peruvian government in its Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Through the Free trade agreement the government has decided to open up the amazon to foreign investment and development and ignore the rights of indigenous peoples in the area. There is an amazing amount of support for the indigenous groups from mestizos outside of the amazon, and protests against the murder of indigenous people by state police. This is very interesting to me as an activist, but it will probably affect our research on indigenous health and erin and I might have to change the locations of our studies. We'll see what happens, but until then, long live the struggle!

anyways, we walked around Canta Gallo and met a bunch of the Shipibo community members and then we went out to lunch/dinner (basically the biggest meal i've had in ages) at a restaurant in miraflores and then went back to the hostal and crashed (i.e. slept and took ex-lax, you know how us global health people like to discuss our bowel movements...). we'll see what happens tomorrow!

pictures: from the top! erin's advisor Isaac looking at a book about a Shipibo artist, my advisor Magaly walking with little lira in the Shipibo community, group picture of Shipibo community members and us!, our meeting with the shipibo community members.