This past weekend was Father’s Day. Father’s Day is a big deal in Perú.

There were big celebrations at the Casa Girasoles in Ica and Urubamba. The boys planned a full docket of events to celebrate the house fathers . . . and their own biological fathers. Although many of them have little contact with their fathers, they still celebrate the contribution a father made in their lives. It is a touching sentiment by children whose lives have been marked by such trauma and challenge. Read more

Every day seems to blend into the next. It’s been challenging to find the new normal.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had big implications all over the world. This is especially true in Latin America, now considered the hot bed of infections. In addition to the alarming rise in cases in countries like Brazil, Perú, and Venezuela – there has been a devastating impact from the pandemic on people living in the experience of poverty.

The economies of many Latin American nations, with formal and informal sectors, have been badly hit. This is especially true in Perú, where it is estimated 70% of the total population work in the informal economy. If you work – you get paid and eat. If you don’t – you have no money and you and your family go hungry.

When President Martin Vizcarra declared a national state of emergency on March 15, and the country closed their borders – and there was a collective sense that we’d be back to normal in a few weeks. I was in Urubamba in the Sacred Valley of Cusco at our Casa Girasoles, and I distinctly remember sitting down with our team and saying – “things are going to change. They’re going to change a lot. We’ve got to be prepared.” Little did I know. Read more