ABOUT US

Facilitating sustainable, high-impact projects involves:

1. Being learners first.
2. Forming relationships with the people we serve.
3. Collaborating with and empowering community members.
4. Employing available indigenous resources and appropriate external resources.
5. Serving the whole person.

That's how CUDA operates!

Christlikeness

As a Christian organization, CUDA strives to imitate the love and service of Jesus. His vision of good news to the poor and his humble, relational style frame our work. CUDA projects are no-strings-attached, but field workers share their faith openly, and all clients are aware of what motivates us.

Holism

Because we see the person as an integrated whole, CUDA promotes total wellbeing. While it is impossible to be comprehensive, CUDA projects aim at addressing multiple factors in human development and quality-of-life.

Empowerment

The poor have their own resources and abilities. Therefore, CUDA seeks to collaborate with the poor in ways that respect and unlock their potential.

Sustainability

The simple need for funds in order to carry out projects can often create dependency in developmental work. CUDA is committed to managing assets and projects in ways that promote independence and sustainability. We want our work to continue as long at it is beneficial, and we want development to continue in our absence whenever possible.

Arequipa, Peru

Quick Look
Nickname:	The White City
Population:	836,859
Languages:	Spanish (primary), Quechua

Nestled at the foot of Volcán Misty, Arequipa is situated among the Andes in the southernmost region of Peru. Thus, the rather barren, mountainous terrain leading southward to the world's driest desert surrounds it. When flying into Arequipa, one tends to wonder just how inhospitable the environment will be. After arriving however, visitors quickly leave such impressions behind. The climate is wonderfully temperate year-round, and irrigated fields and crops are scattered throughout the city, creating a much less urban feel.

View Larger Map

Arequipa was probably called "the White City" originally because of the predominance of Europeans at one point in the city's history. Now it is common to hear that the name derives from the the white volcanic rock that at one time comprised most of the building material in the city.  The buildings surrounding the Plaza de Armas (down-town square) and various other older edifices are still constructed of this rock, creating a beautiful and truly unique architecture. But because Arequipa is in a seismically active area, none of the original buildings still stand.

Arequipa is also known as the Second City of Peru. According to 2011 projections, 836,859 inhabitants populate the metropolitan area. While it is likely that the official numbers are low, the capital, Lima, nonetheless dwarfs Arequipa with its approximate 7 million inhabitants. Despite the vast difference in size, the importance and prominence of Arequipa is undiminished, especially in the minds of Arequipeños.

Arequipeños are in fact known throughout the country for pride in their city. One Arequipeño likened his fellow city dwellers to Texans! They believe everything in Arequipa is bigger and better. A shirt commonly sold in the tourist markets simply says, "I'm not Peruvian, I'm Arequipeño." Although many peoples throughout Latin America are patriotic and proud of their country or city, the sentiment is particularly evident in Arequipa. It is a defining characteristic that influences many other aspects of the city.

Politically, Arequipa is Lima's counterpart. "Conservative" politics are known to be at home in Arequipa, whereas "liberal" politics are associated with the capital. There is a definite spirit of outspokenness among Arequipeños, and many political demonstrations in the country begin with them.

Marginal Communities

The mass influx of poor and dispossessed people into Latin American cities in recent decades has resulted in a process of settlement common to a variety of countries, and Arequipa is a textbook case.  Someone will assume a role of leadership in the endeavor to claim a plot of land on the fringe of the city.  This person’s job is to find enough families to occupy an area and enlist them.  The group of squatters will descend upon their target en masse on a designated night and set up residence with what scavenged resources they can find—scrap material, sheets of plastic, and the like.  This process, as well as the new neighborhood it creates, is called an "invasion." Each family’s plot is marked off with a perimeter of stones.  If the squatters can evade the police and hold the land for a certain amount of time, it becomes theirs. 

The process typically then takes on a long-term trajectory:

Eventually, the government may buy the land from its owner and, with the cooperation of the squatters’ committee, lay out orderly streets.  But it may take years for the barrio to get legitimate electricity, running water, pavement for its muddy streets, a sewage system, or regular bus service.  Once the squatters have some assurance that they will not be evicted, concrete block gradually begins to replace the corrugated iron siding, window frames are added.  Across the years the block gets plastered and the plaster gets painted.  Reinforcing rods may stick out of the roof pointing to the sky—signs of hope that perhaps a second floor may yet be added (Mike Berg and Paul Peritz, “Five Waves of Protestant Evangelization,” in New Face of the Church in Latin America, ed. Guillermo Cook [Maryknoll: Orbis, 1994], 66).

In Arequipa, reused blocks of the white volcanic rock unique to the city’s nearby quarry make the first structures: one room dwellings, roughly 10’x10’, in which lives an entire family of four or five. Neighborhoods created in this way are referred to as pueblos jovenes (young towns).

As these neighborhoods mature, they become a sort of "middle class." Families grow and add onto their houses little by little, and eventually the older children begin to contribute to the family income. It is common for various married children to continue living under their parents' roof, pooling economic resources. Yet, the vast majority of these families remain economically vulnerable even decades after their "invasion." Government infrastructure, including schools and basic services, is slow to mature. Communities progress painstakingly over time, but opportunities to break out of the systems of poverty that encompass their lives are few.

In sum, CUDA works in two basic kinds of communities in Arequipa: new invasions (pueblos jovenes) and mature invasions. Though each looks and feels different from the other, both are filled with marginal, vulnerable, and under-resourced families of working poor.

Who are "the poor" in urban Peru?

The Region of Arequipa has roughly 916,508 working-age residents.

91% of the regional population lives in the city itself (836,859) (Source >>)

The "economically active" population 635,996 (69% of 916,508) (Source >>)

• 250,268 (27% of 635,996) are underemployed 
• 36,978 (4% of 635,996) are "unemployed" . . . not to mention the 280,512 (30%) working-age residents who are not "economically active." 

Many of the "employed" are the working poor.

• Poverty Line: S/. 1292 per month = approx. $475 per month or $5700 per year (Source>>)
• Minimum wage: S/. 750 per month = approx. $276 per month or $3312 per year 

In other words, if only one parent in a household makes the legal minimum wage in Peru, they earn 58% of what a family should spend for the most basic necessities.

• GDP Per Capita: $372 per month or $4469 per year (Source >>)
• Real Income (urban highlands: S/.516 per month or $2276 per year (Source>>)
• First-time CUDA Borrower Income Range: approx. S/.300 - 1000 ($110 - 368) per month or $1320 - 4416 per year
• Real Basic Cost of Living: S/.2112 per month or $9317 per year (Source>>)

Inaccessible or Expensive Capital

This is major facet of the poverty system in urban Peru, which we attempt to address through CUDA Microfinance.

Inaccessible Capital: 

No or Low Income + No Collateral + No History = No Credit

Expensive Capital: 

Microfinance Institutions might lend to a poor person . . . for a price.

Average interest rate at Peruvian MFIs: 36% annually . . . over 2-3 years = 72 - 108%. (Source >>)

MFIs also use repayment plans rather than interest rates.  For example, "Get a S/. 1000 loan for 12 easy payments of S/.187.50."  In this case, the borrower pays back a total of 225% of the loan.  

Staff

Alfredo Oporto

Executive Director

View Alfredo's CV >>

Paty Montoya

Director of Finance
(Volunteer)

View Paty's CV >> 

Abraham Olivera

Director of Community Development
(Volunteer)

View Abraham's CV >>

Board

Kyle Smith

Chairman of the Board

Greg McKinzie

Secretary

The CUDA NGO

Is CUDA a non-profit?

CUDA is a recognized 501(c)(3) organization organized in the State of Tennessee.

Link to IRS status letter pdf >> 
Formerly El Instituto Cristiano de Desarrollo Urbano (filed for name change 5 Sept 2011)

Link to Tennessee status letter pdf >>

Link to Guidestar >>

Where does my donation go?

Transparency is important to CUDA.  See the documentation below for an overview of our finances:

Year-to-date 3rd Quarter 2011 Report >>

How is CUDA Organized?

Link to Charter pdf >>

Who recommends CUDA?

The Church of Christ at Cedar Lane >>

The Shiloh Road Church of Christ >>

El Club Rotario Kallpa Suyay >>

Want to be listed as a reference?  Let us know >>

CUDA MICROFINANCE

What is CUDA Microfinance?

CUDA Microfinance is one of our development programs, designed to empower poor entrepreneurs for sustainable transformation.  We combine personal relationships, micro-lending, savings, social capital, business equipping, and Christian ethics into a holistic approach to financial wellbeing.

How does it work?

See the full explanation graphic >>

What makes CUDA Microfinance different from other micro-lending groups?

CUDA  Microfinance stands out because of our personal involvement with borrowers.  Other terrific programs provide you the opportunity to make a global-personal impact, but they funnel your funds to a third party lender whose approach to lending might not be all that it could.  CUDA strives not only to provide the global-personal interface you want but also manages the lending process to ensure that your loan is making the greatest possible impact.  Specifically:

CUDA’s approach to development is faith-based.  We serve the poor because that is Jesus’ way.  Christian micro-lenders can be sure that, while CUDA Microfinance makes no religious demands of clients, field workers carry out CUDA services in Jesus’ name.  

CUDA loans are guaranteed to be either no-interest or low-interest.  Many microfinance institutions give poor borrowers access to capital that they would not otherwise have, but the do so at the cost of high interest, sometimes as much as 100%.  But CUDA’s first-time borrowers and most vulnerable borrowers receive no-interest loans.  Successful entrepreneurs can be approved for larger, low-interest loans, but CUDA low-interest rates are reviewed annually to ensure that they are roughly one-half of other local institutions’ average rates.  We really want the poor to get out of poverty!  Making money off of their vulnerability is not our aim.

CUDA Microfinance is more than just a lending mechanism.  Our holistic approach seeks to empower entrepreneurship in a more complete way.  

1. During the course of the loan cycle, borrowers are required to pay into a savings account, so that when their loan repayment is finished they not only have the benefit of their loan-financed capital improvement, but they also have savings to invest in their business.  
2. CUDA uses Global Financial Education Program curriculum to improve borrowers’ business practices.  
3. Borrowers also participate in a course of Christian business ethics seminars.  Borrowers who take these insights seriously and run their businesses ethically can make a major contribution to their whole community’s quality of life, because systems of poverty also include unjust and corrupt business practices.  
4. CUDA lends to solidarity groups, which meet together during the course of the loan cycle for payments, classes, and mutual support.  Studies have shown that these kinds of groups create what is known as social capital--basically, a support system that can provide when other sources of help are unavailable or insufficient.  

What are CUDA Microfinance's results?

As of Third Quarter 2011

Finished loan cycles: 4

Ongoing loan cycles: 19

Total micro-lender investment: $19,425

Total lent with re-lending: $24,820

How can I help?

Lend

As little as $25 or as much as you want. Your micro-loan is of life-changing significance.  
Lend Now >>

Give

Aside from the loans themselves, CUDA has overhead that must be covered in order for the programs to continue functioning.  Your donation goes toward everything from staff salaries to stationary, so that we can do first-class development work.  
Give Now >>

Connect

One of the most important things you can do for the poor CUDA serves is to help us spread the word.  Connect us with your social networks so that your friends and family can become micro-lenders too!  
Connect Now >>

LIVING LIBRARIES

What is a Living Library?

Living Libraries are small libraries that CUDA installs in under-resourced neighborhoods and schools.

How do they function?

The majority of Living Libraries are found in public schools.  CUDA provides a small library of books, teachers attend staff development meetings on developing reading comprehension strategies for the classroom, and CUDA volunteers facilitate modeling the various strategies and acting as support base for the public school teachers. 

What is their purpose/goal?

The fundamental purpose of Living Libraries is to make books accessible to communities, and especially children, that would not otherwise have books.  There are very few public libraries in all of Peru, including the schools.  Most of those are inaccessible to children from distant neighborhoods.  Poor families certainly cannot afford the luxury of purchasing books.  Thus, most children in Arequipa do not have the chance to read. 

One goal of Living Libraries is to create a love for reading among Peruvian children.  Quantitatively, the Peruvian literacy rate is 89.6% (Source >>).  Qualitatively, however, CUDA considers two factors to be important in the analysis of the situation.  One, Peru has no "culture of reading" to speak of.  This means that few Peruvians read habitually for pleasure.  Two, "functional illiteracy" is higher than 10.4%.  This refers to reading comprehension.  In the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment, Peru ranks 62nd of 65 in reading proficiency and 63rd of 65 in reading performance (Source >>).  Thus, Living Libraries create the opportunity to practice reading, which CUDA hopes will in turn foster a culture of reading as well as increase functional literacy.

Our second goal is to increase reading comprehension among Peruvian children.  CUDA staff partners with the teachers to perform initial, mid-year, and end-of-year assessments in order to keep track of the progress being made in the program.  Throughout the school year, teachers share a list of strategies to implement into their lesson plans to boost the area of comprehension in all subject areas.

The third goal is to support Peruvian teachers in their endeavor to improve teaching literacy.  The teachers are part of a staff development meeting group throughout the year where they are "coached" by CUDA staff in the various strategies and teaching methods, and they are also able to share knowledge and get feedback from each other.  In addition to staff development, the teachers are allotted a small budget to spend on resources for their personal school library or for creating a classroom climate conducive to literacy.

How many Living Libraries are there?  

As of 1st Quarter 2012

There are currently four Living Library locations.  Three of those libraries are in public school settings and one is in a pueblo joven, the community of Naranjal.

Read Living Library stories >>

How can I help?

Donate for chairs, tables, shelves, and overhead.

Donate Now >>

Buy books on Amazon.com that CUDA cannot purchase in Peru, then ship them to our stateside support team.

Go to Amazon.com wishlist >>

Support team address: 

The Christian Urban Development Association

c/o Greg Muse

1200 Cedar Lane

Tullahoma, TN 37388

Volunteer.  Interns, apprentices, and visitors can make a difference.

Contact us for more information >>

PURE LIFE PROJECTS

What are Pure Life Projects?

Pure Life Projects consist of three different development strategies aimed at addressing quality-of-life issues in the most underdeveloped urban communities of Arequipa.  They include Pure Life Water, Pure Life Latrines, and Pure Life Power.

How does the Pure Life Water project work?

Pure Life Water is a straightforward first-step relief program in which CUDA purchases water tanks for a community.  Communities do have access to relatively affordable water delivered by tank trucks, but many cannot afford the initial investment of building or buying the water storage facilities into which a tank truck would pump purchased water.  CUDA collaborates with the neighborhood association in the construction of a slab and purchases tanks, plumbing, and fixtures.  

This is not merely a relief project, however, because potable water is a basic building block for the development of human life.  Clean water is necessary to ensure the health of community members, who are then able to engage in other aspects of development.  

How does the Pure Life Latrines project work?

Another basic need is waste management.  It can take years for a community to get tied into the public sewage system.  The areas surrounding most of Arequipa's periphery, where new neighborhoods spring up, are rocky terrain.  This means that human waste in such communities remains aboveground and can easily become a health risk.  

ACDU is currently working with two communities to install a variant of the World Health Organization's double-pit offset pour-flush latrine (Source >>).

In combination with the latrine, each family also receives guinea pigs (a local domestic food source) to breed.  They return a quantity of the offspring to ACDU, which in turn become the animals of another family.  The rest become their property, to eat or sell.  In this way, the families themselves provide the service of raising guinea pigs for other families and also create a source of income or food for themselves.  

How does the Pure Life Power project work?

In 2012, CUDA will initiate a solar panel installation project.  A team of American engineers has designed a cost-effective solar panel solution to be implemented in Arequipa, which has a very high solar radiation level.  That is Arequipa in the dark red "6.0" zone west of Lake Titicaca (Source >>).  



As with water and waste management, marginal neighborhoods also lack electricity.  In addition to addressing that need (especially light for reading in Living Libraries), the project will promote sustainable alternative energy among these communities.