When I first heard about The People of Peru Project, I was amazed by the diversity of support it was providing for the people of Iquitos, Peru. Although I heard from many non-profits in my search for a place to serve that the goal is to selflessly aid others, I had a gut feeling that the work of this organization was genuinely that. I am forever grateful that I have had the opportunity to act upon my gut feeling.
     I am a volunteer at Poppys House, a place that provides both long-term and short-term care to girls from abusive backgrounds in need of a loving family structure. The age range varies from toddler to teenager, but they all get their plentiful three meals a day, a school education, and time to play around and just be kids. It seems like a given that kids should be kids, but you’d be surprised how foreign of a concept this was to the girls before living with us.
     As I said to our current newest girl when she arrived, “We aren’t a normal family, but we are a family.” I didn’t just say that because it sounded good, but because I mean it and I feel it. I have never been a mother, but I imagine the love I have for these girls resembles a motherly love. On the other hand, I have been a friend, and I know without a doubt that these girls are some of my closest friends. I do not feel like I am doing charity work by supporting these kids, because I feel so honored to know some people who are stronger than I could ever be. Although I do a variety of tasks here, my role is simply to give some love to my abnormal and abundantly deserving family. 
     In March of 2023, a group of students from The United States came to Poppys House to do some projects and get to know the girls. Just like when I first arrived, their attempts at Spanish were laughable. And I couldn’t help but wonder, was the presence of the volunteers (myself included) meaningful? The group was only here for ten days, and the girls were crying when they had to leave. They still ask me about them often. That answered my question pretty easily. 
     I realized from this experience that you don’t have to be doing every good deed in the book to be impactful; you just have to start with some goodness where other people haven’t. The People of Peru Project, without a question in my mind, does just that.