West Ridge Academy
West Jordan, UT

One of our foundational principles at West Ridge Academy is service. We try in many different ways to teach the students we work with to give of themselves, whether that is by doing another's chore, work projects around campus, or going into the community and being involved to give back.

We had a unique opportunity presented to us to be able to do a pilot program and team up with Ascend Humanitarian Alliance, to go and help a community in Peru with construction on a school. Three young men, who were about to or had graduated from the program, and myself teamed up with about twenty other individuals from the area to participate in the expedition. The group had two main goals in mind: 1. to educate the Peruvian's on the importance of proper hygiene, dental and hand washing. 2. To help build an additional room on to their school to help ease the overcrowding in the classrooms.

The first part of our trip was devoted to the Humanitarian project. In the community San Sabastian, just outside of Cusco, we were greeted by the young children that attended the school and their community leaders. They welcomed us but were a little hesitant on what we were there for. We spent four days with them helping on the projects they indentified to make improvements. The Expedition group added a fresh coat of paint, replaced light fixtures and windows to help with energy saving, mixed and poured cement for the footings for a new building, and helped them with the general upkeep of the school. We put on classes on how to brush your teeth and wash your hands and the importance of doing so. We educated volunteers and the teachers and left materials and supplies so they could show others in the community and help them to be self sufficient. There were many times that each of us said we wished we had a specific tool that would have made the job easier. Back at home we would have just run to Home Depot to pick something up. They unfortunately do not have the luxuries that we realized we took for granted. The young men were amazing and worked so hard to complete the projects that were assigned to us. We also had time to interact with the young children and teach them some of the American games we grew up with. The time they spent with the children chasing them or playing soccer with the adults was the highlight of the trip.

We were able to spend some time sightseeing and becoming more familiar with Peru and the culture. We learned more about the Inca people and visited some of the magnificent ruins such as Sacsayhuaman, Santa Catalina and Machu Picchu. We stayed close to Plaza de Armas and spent the evenings walking around the square interacting with the Peruvians and admiring their hand crafts and trying new foods. The boys even found a McDonalds for when they needed something familiar or a little reminder of home.

This was a great opportunity for all of us to be able to be a part of serving a community in need. It was a very rewarding trip that will have a lasting impact on all of our lives.