The Needs of the Community
A village of 700 people at 10,000 ft above sea level, Agallpampa is the regional center of a sprawling network of Andean villages. On the way to Agallpampa’s health center, volunteers will witness the area’s pastoral landscape sparsely populated with adobe houses. On Agallpampa’s horizon is the Andes mountain range, which many consider to be among the world’s most beautiful scenery.
Despite the surrounding beauty, the people of Agallpampa and surrounding communities live in extreme poverty. Most men and women work in the fields, performing jobs that require intense physical labor. Families tend to live off of a very basic diet, including food that is grown on the land, such as potatoes, and cook inside the home on a fire. Many health problems are a direct result of the difficult living conditions, such as malnutrition and respiratory infections.
