Friends of the Orphans - Martina Wasmayr

Our Stories: Volunteers

Marina Wasmayr
Nurse, NPH Peru
Volunteer from Austria
Enduring an Earthquake
August 29, 2007

Martina at NPH Peru

My name is Martina and I’m 23 years old. I’m a nurse from Austria and the first volunteer at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), Spanish for Our Little Brothers and Sisters, in Peru. I arrived in June at the home of NPH in Lunahuana. The first two months passed without any problems, I looked through the medical histories of the children and in the afternoon I helped them do their homework in English and mathematics.

One week ago, when we were portioning out the soup for dinner, suddenly the earth started moving; ten seconds later the lights went out and the children started crying. We couldn’t see anything, but we ran in front of our dining room, because there we were safe. We held hands, started praying and together we were strong and survived the earthquake.

Luckily, nobody was hurt, but it changed our lives. For two days we didn’t have electricity. The first night was difficult as we had one flash light and no candles. We took our mattresses and blankets to the dining room because there we were safe from animals but were able to leave quickly if there was another earthquake.

We are still sleeping in the dining room and we still don’t have running water inside the house. We have borrowed a tank which we put on our car so we can get water from the next village. This water we use for washing the dishes, having a shower, and flushing the toilet. It is strange to bathe with a couple of small bins, but we must conserve water. We also use the river that is five minutes away from our home for washing our clothes and bathing too, but it depends on the weather. Now it’s wintertime in Peru.

The children are well, as they don’t have to go to school and enjoy their free time and help whenever it is necessary.

For me, the experience has made a strong impression: I'm amazed by the faith that made the children strong, and adjusting to the different living circumstances. It shows me what it means to live without water readily available, to live with the fear that the earth could start moving again any second and to recognize which things are really important in life.

Find out more about the International Volunteer Program.

Related Information:
• International Volunteer Program Fact Sheet
• NPH Peru Fact Sheet/Visitor's Guide

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