| Some time in July I was watching our local TV | | | | barriers. |
| station, CityTV, and I caught a part of a report | | | | 5. Through your studies in social work at Ryerson |
| about a Toronto couple that had remortgaged | | | | University you spent some time in Peru, |
| their home to start a non-profit community | | | | completing the placement for your degree |
| development organization in a small town on the | | | | requirements. Where did you go and what did you |
| Pacific Coast in Peru. I didn't catch their name or | | | | do there? What places did you travel to in Peru |
| their contact information, only the website: I used | | | | and what did you learn about the culture? |
| the contact email on the website to try to locate | | | | As my third year placement, I decided I wanted |
| this couple and to ask them for an interview. | | | | another international travel experience, and made |
| I got a response back and met Danielle Lafond, | | | | plans to travel with a close friend. I knew that the |
| the female member of the couple and co-creator | | | | experience of doing social work in South America |
| of the project, in a restaurant in Toronto's | | | | was going to be challenging and emotionally trying, |
| Greektown and was struck by her youthful | | | | so I was glad my friend agreed to do this |
| energy, idealism and commitment to improving | | | | together. We spent the first part of our time in |
| this world. The decision to put their own finances | | | | Peru travelling, along with my partner Josh. The |
| at risk and invest at least a year of their lives in | | | | three of us were amazed by the diversity of the |
| this Peruvian community had a strong impact on | | | | country. |
| me and I am delighted to be able to introduce to | | | | We started in Lima, a city of over 11 million |
| you this delightful young woman: Danielle Lafond. | | | | people, with distinct neighbourhoods and cultural |
| 1. Please tell us about yourself. Where are you | | | | practices, then traveled to Arequipa and Cusco, |
| from, what is your educational background? | | | | Macchu Picchu, Puno, and Lake Titicaca, which |
| I am in my mid twenties, and I just completed a | | | | each had completely different cultural groups, |
| 4 year social work degree at Ryerson University. | | | | languages and food. Many of the people we met |
| Before that, I studied music and also worked and | | | | were Indigenous Peruvians who spoke various |
| traveled for several years as a tour guide in | | | | dialects of Quechua. Many of them spoke no |
| Canada. | | | | Spanish at all. The more we traveled, the more I |
| 2. You have a very strong social conscience. | | | | felt in awe of the strength, resilience and |
| What life experiences have shaped your belief | | | | resourcefulness of thepeople we met, who had |
| system? | | | | been struggling for many hundreds of years, but |
| As a woman of color, I've always been conscious | | | | who are also rich in cultural traditions, food, music, |
| of issues relating to racism and sexism, but I | | | | art, history and languages. |
| became more politically active after moving to | | | | 6. This time in South America convinced you to |
| Toronto and connecting with others who had | | | | stay involved on a more lasting level with the |
| similar experiences. I also had many personal | | | | people of Peru. In particular you wanted to do |
| struggles in my teens which influenced my desire | | | | something for a fishing town called Mancora. |
| to help others. | | | | Please tell us how you got the idea to create a |
| 3. When you were young you hitch-hiked across | | | | non-profit international development organization. |
| Canada. Please tell us about that trip and what | | | | After our travels, my friend and I ended up in a |
| you learned from it. | | | | small fishing community in Northern Peru, 19 hours |
| I left high school to travel when I was 16. My trip | | | | north of Lima by bus, and about an hour south of |
| took me across most of the country, and I met | | | | the border to Ecuador. Again, we were |
| many interesting people who were leading very | | | | completely surprised to see another part of Peru |
| interesting lives, making their living in non-traditional | | | | so different from all we'd seen thus far. Mancora |
| ways. It inspired me to follow my dream of | | | | is in a desert climate, so it is very dry and sunny, |
| making a life, not just making a living. Also, my | | | | and the town has little infrastructure. Many people |
| faith in humanity, in people, was completely | | | | don't have running water, and most who do only |
| restored. I met many people from many walks of | | | | have it a few hours every other day or so. The |
| life, and almost everyone was willing to share, | | | | power cuts out unexpectedly, and safe clean |
| laugh, talk and open their hearts and homes to | | | | drinking water is not readily available or affordable. |
| me. Theexperience left me with a sense that all | | | | Also, there were no social services and very |
| people share an essential goodness. | | | | limited access to health care, unless one could |
| 4. Some time ago you also went to Cuba and | | | | afford to pay for it. |
| taught ESL classes in exchange for room and | | | | The town's dependance on a once-booming fishing |
| board. Please tell us about that experience. | | | | industry is rapidly changing to a dependance on |
| A few years ago, I went to Cuba with no plans, | | | | tourism. A big El Nino in 1989 caused much grief |
| and very little understanding of the sociopolitical | | | | for the town, which was isolated for 15 days, but |
| situation in Cuba. To me, it was just another island | | | | it also created a beautiful beach which is now |
| in the Caribbean. I knew I didn't want to do | | | | popular with surfers year-round. |
| anything typically tourist-oriented, so I ended up | | | | As social work students, we were mostly |
| at the University of Habana in the summer | | | | working with women in the community, and we |
| months, where I worked out deal with someone | | | | met an amazing couple who had started a small |
| working there to give me room and meal tickets | | | | NGO (Non-governmental Organization, or |
| in exchange for teaching English a few hours a | | | | not-for-profit organization) to try and help the |
| day. I had $500 dollars in the bank, and a return | | | | people in the community in various ways. My |
| ticket, and Imanaged to last a few months this | | | | friend and I spent the rest of our time in Peru |
| way. It was an incredibly humbling experience, | | | | living and working with them, working and |
| because I saw for the first time how people | | | | researching what the most pressing needs in the |
| outside North America live, and I was able to | | | | community were. What we discovered from |
| meet and learn from Cuban people. I learned a | | | | interviewing Mancorians was thatthe people in |
| little Spanish, and fell in love with Afro-Cuban and | | | | town were concerned about the lack of |
| Latin music. I had been a musician my whole life, | | | | affordable/accessible health care, unemployment, |
| but this trip showed me how music could be used | | | | alcohol and drug addiction and domestic violence. |
| to connect with people across languageand cultural | | | | |