Getting ready to launch!

As some of you have heard, Julia and I are heading on what we think will be the adventure of a lifetime: we're heading to Peru with UNICEF USA this Saturday, 8/12 on a field visit, then following that with a tour of some of the major tourist destinations there with very good friends who are meeting us!

As a member of UNICEF USA's Midwest Board for just over a year, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to witness UNICEF's work in the field first hand. And, to have the chance to share this with our daughter is just an extraordinary opportunity we could not pass up!

This trip came about fairly last minute. Two slots opened when another family cancelled, so we've only had this trip on the books since mid-June. Julia and I are bummed Matt can't be a part of the trip due to work stuff but hopefully we can document this as much as possible to share it as we go!

We've been busy with reading up on the country, UNICEF's objectives there, studying the itinerary, getting our vaccinations (yellow fever, typhoid) and prescriptions in order (Malarone to prevent malaria, Diamox for altitude sickness, Cipro for the dreaded traveler's stomach issues), boning up on our Spanish with the Duolingo app (thanks, Wendy!) and trying to figure out what to pack...😮

As seen on our dining room table, 8/7/17

Where we'll be with UNICEF: Lima, Iquitos (San Juan Bautista, Nuevo Campion,  Mazan District, Urco Marano,  Belen)

Julia and I arrive in Lima late Saturday night. We will spend the day Sunday exploring the city, then will meet up with fellow friends and supporters of UNICEF for a briefing. Monday afternoon, we'll fly from Lima to the Peruvian Amazon where we will take boats in to various villages and have the opportunity to meet families and children who have been touched by UNICEF's work there. We'll see  WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) interventions, Zika prevention programs, early childhood and pregnancy programs, supportive educational programs for rural teens, and more.

We'll fly back Thursday evening, debrief Friday morning, the 17th, then meet up with our friends Friday for the next part of our adventure: Cusco/Sacred Valley, Macchu Picchu, and the salt mines at Moray, Maras. 

I've never blogged before, but I wanted to share this experience with family and friends. We'll do our best to update from the trip, largely depending on internet access. You can subscribe at the top of the blog here and receive an email each time we update. Thanks for following us! 😊