EcoSwell

My name is Jorge Schwalb, I’m from Lima, Peru, and studied Business Administration at the University of Lima. I was 2 weeks in Lobitos as a volunteer with EcoSwell, I met them through a talk held at the University of Lima and it caught my attention because I always wanted to be able to help a community doing something that has a positive impact. The main aim of my project was to find a sustainable use for Fishermen’s Guild Community Hall, which has a solar panel and a biodigester that are not being used at full capacity. For that I began exploratory research which sought to define how fish commerce in Lobitos works as well as the whole process of artisanal fishing. I did interviews with owners of hotels, restaurants, several fishermen, traders and people related to the fishing industry, and I found it amazing how open they are all to hear ideas and give their opinion, there was not a single person with who refused to do so, much of this thanks to the EcoSwell team who have made strong ties with the community and have earned the confidence of all. With these interviews came up proposals that now need to be analyzed for viability. I also had the opportunity to support other projects of EcoSwell as “Lobitos Verde” helping to plant, check the plants of families that were involved in the project and delivering fertilizer so they can develop well. Another project was the “Wilipipes” which are the tide tables used by fishermen to determine which days are best to go fishing or make tours for visitors. These tide tables are placed in three points in Lobitos, the Community Hall, the fishing pier and the docks. Apart from the projects I also had time to enjoy the beach, climate and people. The Lobitos beach is very good for surfing, most of the tourists visit for that reason, the water is a little cold but it complements well with the Piuran sun. On one of the weekends we went to the beach “El Ñuro” which is 40 minutes north from Lobitos, it’s a popular beach because you can swim with turtles that go there to eat next to the pier, there’s also good waves and few people go there, so it’s a perfect place to relax and have a good time. The last day at Lobitos we went fishing with Tullio, an artisanal fisherman, his son Antonio and Selcuk, another volunteer from EcoSwell. We arrived at the pier at 5:45am and sailed out for an hour out to sea, where we fished for about two and a half hours. On the way back Tullio made Ceviche with the fish we had caught, then we stopped to watch the sea lions at the oil platforms, and when we were returning to the dock we saw two whales very close to us, an amazing experience! People at the EcoSwell house treated me unbelievably well, they have an incredible positive attitude, a passion for helping the community of Lobitos and have supported me in all stages of my project. It’s amazing what they have accomplished in Lobitos despite all the adversity at the community, like the little support they have from the Government and the problems that exist between some residents and the Municipality. It has been a very good experience and I hope to return soon!

My name is Joshua Hinton and I have just graduated with a medical degree from the University of Bristol. As part of our degree, we are given a two month period to undertake a clinical placement either at home or abroad. It was always my ambition to use this opportunity to travel to South America to experience medicine in a Spanish speaking country and so I started my elective journey searching for placements matching that description. As part of EcoSwell’s Medical Elective Programme, I was aiming to travel to Lobitos to assess the health needs of the town in order to provide a platform for future health professionals to build on. I was also hoping to work closely with the Health Post to treat common conditions. However, in the days running up to my departure the goal posts shifted. The North-West of Peru was hit by ‘el Niño’, a weather front that brings a devastating amount of rain to Peru’s coast and with it, severe flooding. The two empty river beds that sit either side of Lobitos had flooded, leaving the town cut off from the mainland. Lobitos usually relies on water to be delivered by a lorry tanker. However, none of the water trucks could pass the floods to reach Lobitos and so the town had to rely on rain-water as their source of water for drinking, cleaning and cooking. As I arrived, EcoSwell carried out house-to-house visits in the most vulnerable to analyse what support was badly needed. It was obvious that access to clean water had to be the priority. The team sourced water filters from Lima and distributed them throughout the town. They also established a refuge centre at the Fisherman’s Guild, a building that EcoSwell previously fitted with solar power. Here, people could come and filter rain water and discuss any health issues. As the rain subsided and the temperature increased, there was also a looming threat of various waterborne diseases. EcoSwell has organised donations of medication and insect repellent and we distributed these, along with information to prevent an outbreak dengue, chikungunya, malaria, cholera and further gastrointestinal infections. Unfortunately, there were a number of cases of diarrhoea accompanied with stomach cramps, as well as suspected Dengue. However, I’m sure that the supply of clean water helped to prevent anyone from having to be transferred to the local hospital which is a 20 minutes’ drive away in dry weather. As well as been extremely exciting, this elective placement was hugely enriching. It was fun, stimulating, challenging and rewarding. It demands a hands-on approach, but EcoSwell and the health post provide a supportive environment in which students can work, learn and thrive. Everyone is very friendly as the town is extremely grateful for any outside help, especially as the Ministry of Health only places a doctor in Lobitos for 6 months of the year. During the other 6 months, the town relies on a wonderful midwife and a nurse. Therefore, elective students can offer essential medical assistance for half of the year. I can’t speak highly enough of this elective placement. I’ve learnt so much and I’ve made so many friends. The EcoSwell experience is an extraordinary one.

My three months at EcoSwell were some of if not the best I have ever had. One of my favorite parts was the location and atmosphere of the town and that EcoSwell had within their house. My room I found clean when I arrived and it was my responsibility to keep it clean which I did. I think they could have been a little more organized in terms of explaining what we were doing. Sometimes we'd go somewhere as a group and just follow the directors around without knowing what we were going to do, but that's any easy thing to improve or change. They communicated with me well before my internship, however, which was very consistent. I never once felt like I was in danger as Lobitos is very safe. I felt mostly well utilized. At first I had a lot of translations and financial work given to me. I felt like I had too much at some points but I got it done, and for the majority of the time I was very happy with how much work I had and the type of work that I was doing. I was the one of the only volunteers who could speak Spanish fluently so most of my work was to do with that. Communicating with locals and translating. Great experience, overall amazing job by EcoSwell taking me in and helping me make the most out of my time there!