For the second week of our project we dived further into the Design Thinking methodology and began to look at defining the problem we would be tackling with Comunidad Peru. With approximately 60% of the children living in Cantagallo suffering from anaemia and malnutrition, we had been previously tasked with coming up with possible ingredient substitutions and novel approaches to meal preparation. 

Excited to begin gathering first-hand information on the scope and nature of the problem, we visited the Comunidad team in Cantagallo for the first time this week. We were immediately thrust into the fray of preparing and serving breakfast to over 40 children, noting what they liked and didn't like about the food, as well as how much they ate and whether they planned on bringing some back to their siblings who could not attend the session. After breakfast had been cleared up, the amazing team of volunteers that make up Comunidad Peru - Edgar, Guillermo, Angie, Mariel, Colores, Juancho, Vanessa, and so many more wonderful people - gave us a tour of Cantagallo, pointing out various buildings that had been constructed by the NGO including several family homes, a medical clinic, and a classroom. It was great to finally interact with the team and to begin the project proper by meeting the children and interacting with them. We were also introduced to Flor and her team of mothers who run the community soup kitchen in Cantagallo. We were able to ask questions about how many people use the kitchen's services and what the process is for preparing the food, sharpening our understanding of the level of need within the community and highlighting potential spaces for creative solutions that could generate both direct and indirect positive impacts on the issue of child malnutrition. 

While visiting Cantagallo laid bare the enormity of the structural issues we were facing, it really drove home the resilience, commitment, and joy felt and practiced by all of the Comunidad volunteers and the children who participate in their programmes. It was hugely inspiring and I am sure it will serve as a powerful motivator for us as we look to get our project up and running.