What it Means to be a Presence in a Developing Country

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

For Gina Low, it’s a birthday present that keeps on giving. Low, a California native attended Missionworks! in Cleveland in October, 2012. This is her story:

“My daughter thought a trip to the Galapagos Islands would be nice,” says Low, a 50-year UCC member, of her life-changing adventure that went a lot further when she turned 50 in 1993. “But I wanted to have an experience that was not just of the moment.”

For the past 20 years, Low and a diverse cast of compassionate companions have served residents of more than 30 remote villages in eastern Peru, not far from the banks of the Amazon River. “I wanted to get to the most remote area I could find and be in personal contact with indigenous groups,” Low says

Low bought a used river taxi, converted it into a floating first-aid clinic, and the seed for APECA – the Association Promoting Education and Conservation in Amazonia (www.apecaperu.org)– was planted. “I didn’t want to go into remote areas and not be able to address health issues,” she says.

“For the first two and a half years, I lived on the boat with a team of local people, a couple of natural healers, a shaman, a cook and someone to run the boat,” says Low, noting that the Pan American Health Organization ((PAHO) supplies and administers vaccines.

Training residents in health care, midwifery, leadership and conservation, APECA bases its non-profit operations at El Fundo, which provides staff living quarters and work areas for boat-building and maintenance. (The river taxi was retired several years ago; several boats are now used in its place.)

Low has spearheaded efforts to create demonstration fish ponds; vegetable gardens; clean drinking water systems; trash pits; reforested areas; natural medicines; plantings; and a tree nursery. Professionals train community-elected representatives to carry out the projects.

“I have the opportunity to have experiences and joys in my life that are tremendously rewarding,” says Low, who turns 70 next March. “I have to tell you, I am not ready to fold this up.”