Something New

Something Different, Something Needed, Something New

Meet Erika

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Cusco, Peru, Women's Shelter
Erika (middle) with her sons, Fernando (left) and Gabriel (right), and her younger sister Nayda Luz (far right)

On any given day, you’ll find Erika trekking through the streets of Cusco, Peru toting a 50-pound cooler of papas rellenas. And when you do find her, do yourself a favor and buy that tater. Once you’ve tasted these traditional stuffed potatoes, just thinking of them is enough to make you salivate. Even though it’s harder, Erika would rather carry her cooler than push a cart because it gives her the mobility to find business instead of waiting for it.

Erika’s bright smile and gratitude reflect little of the history that landed her in the women’s shelter where we found her. She was raped at 16 and the resulting pregnancy forced her to drop out of high school. Though she couldn’t provide for the child, who lived with her parents, she longed to simply share a meal with him. Her second son has a heart defect and, like any mom, she worries about being able to provide for his medical needs.

Yes, Erika’s life has been difficult, but you won’t find her talking about her past much. She’s more interested in working toward her future. She once made and sold enough gelatin parfaits (at 30 cents a piece) to buy a piece of land for 3,000 soles. That’s 10,000 gelatin parfaits in just one year!

Erika’s two most dearly-held goals are to

  1. Live with and provide for both of her kids and her younger sister
  2. Build a home on that gelatin-funded land so her kids will always have a place to live

This mom-trepreneur, with her big heart and strong fight, represents the Nuevo Camino!

Go HERE to support Erika and the other mammas of Nuevo Camino!

Meet Mariela

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Something New, Nuevo Camino, New Path, Women's Shelter, Cusco, Peru
Mariela and her two sons at the Shelter

Mariela has a gift. She’s a survivor, and she’s stubborn. Being one of 10 siblings growing up in a rustic village high in the Andes mountains with no electricity and no running water and having to eke out a living by tending to 200 sheep will give a person that kind of gift.

Like so many women who end up in abusive relationships, Mariela clung to the love she thought she found at 18 years old. Her husband served 3 years in jail for beating her up.

During his absence, Mariela worked at a clothing store 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, walking an hour each way between her workplace and her mud-walled home high in the hills surrounding Cusco. She made the equivalent of $156.25 a month.

That wasn’t much money for Mariela and her son to live on. And due to her parents’ crippling poverty, Mariela is also the court-ordered guardian of three of her younger sisters, ages 13, 11 and 8.

Her husband came out of jail even more violent. Though he abandoned her shortly after the birth of their second child, he still threatens Mariela to this day.

Mariela has an astonishing capacity to see the silver lining in it all, and she will find a way to survive. She. Will. Find. A. Way.

Spend a little time with her and she’ll make you cry, then belly laugh, then stand up beside her and join her in saying, “hands to the work.” Mariela is going back to school to become an accountant. She dreams of creating a better life for not only her and her two sons, but her three younger sisters for whom she is responsible.

Go HERE to support Mariela and the other mammas of Nuevo Camino!

Meet Rosabel

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Something New, Nuevo Camino, New Path, Cusco, Peru, Women's Shelter
Rosabel and her sons at the Shelter

When your choice is between stability (at least in the food-on-the-table, roof-over-your-head sense) or uncertainty, you have to have some guts to choose the latter. Rosabel has guts.

Born in the rainforest to Quechuan parents, Rosabel suffered physical abuse from an early age. At 16, she found what looked like a way out in a man twice her age with a good job and plenty of money. Only two years short of a high school degree, Rosabel quit school and moved to another town to marry him. When he drank, fear gripped her stomach. Rosabel left her husband several times due to the abuse, but desperation to feed her children drove her back. After 10 years, it was a broken nose and another trip to the hospital that made Rosabel commit to leave.

She left because the cost of “stability” was her safety and it was too high a price to pay. She left financial comfort in search of a new way. Does she still feel fear? Yes. But for her, the new way (Nuevo Camino) means not letting that fear drive her decisions. Instead of dreading the next danger that could be around the corner, she’s looking for the next opportunity that awaits her.

She recently got a job working as a cashier at a local laundromat and is taking weekend classes to finish high school. Beyond that is a dream to become a paralegal.  Beyond that…who knows?

We can be a part of her finding out – Go HERE to support Rosabel and the other mammas of Nuevo Camino!

Meet Lee — Nuevo Camino Program Coordinator

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If ever there was a position custom made for someone, this is it. Lee Farnsworth, who has literally traveled the world, is fully bilingual, has worked with immigrants and refugees in the U.S., and absolutely LOVES people and Latin culture. She is the perfect candidate to be Something New’s on the ground American coordinator for our new program Nuevo Camino. Lee is leaving her job as a community liaison for a school system in the Atlanta, GA area to relocate to Cusco, Peru. But don’t worry, she is originally from Colorado, so the elevation will be fine!

Lee will be a vital asset to supporting the moms and their children directly (she is also a life coach) as well as continuing to build our network, coordinate volunteers and work with local people and programs to build this transition system and community that will allow moms a fresh start and opportunity to thrive.

Read the stories of Celestina, Erica, Mariela, Karina, and Rosabel to learn more about the first five moms who Lee will be working with in the program. We believe that they are just the beginning and as they get help they will be able to offer help to women behind them. We truly are building a community rooted in love.

That’s Lee on the left — along with Becca and a local volunteer in Cusco!

Something New — Peru!

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Cusco, Peru is a historic city high in the Andes mountains. A popular tourist destination, Cusco is also one of the poorest regions in Peru.

Something New is always looking for, well, something new.  A new niche that our organization and army of committed volunteers can fill.  A need just waiting to be met.  We have found just that and would like to introduce our newest NEW — Nuevo Camino (New Path)!

After some of our young volunteers spent a few months over the summer in Cusco, Peru learning Spanish, they convinced a group of our board members to visit the city to consider ways we may be able to help.  The young students were struck by the poverty and struggle of the people, and were also blown away by their tremendous kindness, hospitality and rich culture.  Early this year, the board members made that journey and after meeting a woman who runs a local shelter for women and children, the idea for the Nuevo Camino program was instantly born.   

Not because we love programs, but because we love people.  There are few, if any, options for these women who have been victims of domestic violence after they leave the shelters, which can only help them for around three months.  No program that we have found exists to help them transition, find jobs, find housing, develop skills and stay safe.  They need community and a little support!

“There are many around the world who need help and our team felt a deep connection with these women.  They are the ones that came into our path. These women are fighters. They have a strong work ethic and a desire to grow and do whatever it takes to provide a better life for their children,” said Jason Armstrong, the recently named CEO of Something New.

As an organization we are still learning a lot about the environment in Peru, and Cusco specifically.  We are partnering with many local volunteers who are excited to have some partners in helping these women.  The program will evolve over time, and we will certainly keep you posted!  But the needs are immediate and we are kicking off the program by supporting five families who will soon be transitioning out of the shelter. We have already interviewed each mom for the Nuevo Camino project and assessed her and her children’s needs, as well as started a plan for each of their transitions.  We will provide life coaching, help connect them to local resources, work alongside them to find work, and provide financial assistance as needed.  We don’t have to be experts to dive in, but we are excited to learn more and to offer what help we can.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa

If you would like to learn more or get involved, contact us.

Exciting Announcement — we have a new Chief!

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Jason, Becca, and their three kids — Noah, Eli and Naomi — during a community rally, standing together for unity!

We are very excited to announce a new position and a new member of our team.  Jason Armstrong, a long time volunteer and board member, has recently accepted a role as the Chief Executive Officer of Something New.  Jason has extensive experience in the medical field. He  started his career as an ER nurse in some of the poorest cities in America and has grown into a  top business development executive for a large national medical provider. His experience is vast, and while he has a knack for spreadsheets and numbers, his heart has always remained with the people.

He and his wife Becca (who has served as our Executive Director for the past two years), have always had hearts for adventure. They relocated from their home in Colorado over 10 years ago to help build our flagship program in Selma, Alabama and have since moved to Atlanta, Georgia as our focus shifted to work with refugees and immigrants.  Before that they both traveled extensively and have worked with people all over the world.  

That’s why when the Nuevo Camino program began to take shape, we felt Jason would be a huge asset to our leadership group.  He has a big vision and an even bigger heart, see his bio here!  He and his partner in life, Becca, will now partner to help take Something New into new territory once again.  And we can’t think of a better team to get us there!