August 2020 - Health Bridges International

Fall Fundraiser Campaign

August 27, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

Yesterday we officially launched our fall fundraiser campaign Our goal is to raise $100,000 by October 30. Certainly, this is an ambitious campaign – we get it. We also know we’ve got some of the best supporters. We have so many dedicated people that have helped us grow our impact from periodic short-term outreach campaigns, to a full fledged NGO with almost 50 staff and a number of ongoing programs and projects.

It is with the memory of the hundreds of people who have supported our work with donations of time, energy and money over these past 20-plus years – that I feel confident in our goal of reaching $100K by October 30. I don’t think anyone would have imagined we’d be where we are today when we started almost three decades ago.

Check out our campaign, and consider getting involved in one of our simple activities. If you’ve got a few minutes or a few hours, we’ve got options on how you can help HBI. Thank you. Thank you for all the ongoing support and trust.

A Great Family of Servants

August 21, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

I am a bit out of commission. Nothing catastrophic, just a back injury that keeps me from sitting for more than a few minutes. It means I’ve been missing a lot of our meetings and less involved in the day-to-day activities of HBI. This is a big shift – as COIVD has ramp up our work exponentially and our whole team has been meeting in program related Zoom calls, multiple times per day.

From our program directors to our coordinators to the staff working directly in the Ines Project and Casa Girasoles homes, everyone – I mean that – everyone is going above and beyond to ensure we are doing everything we can to support the people and communities we serve. This has meant delivering food and medication to a families in the Ines Project. Its meant spending hours upon hours fielding calls from concerned families and helping them sort through their fears around COVID-19 and the safety of their children. Its meant coordinating online trainings for hundreds of participants – and delicately completing a research study from a computer screen thousands of miles away.

The Long Winding Road

August 13, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

Yesterday, President Martin Vizcarra announced a return to quarantine and mandatory social immobilization for a number of regions in Perú, including Arequipa, parts of Lima, and Ica. President Vizcarra noted the increasing cases and the challenges the health system is having containing the pandemic. He said, “It is preferable to go back a step to generate the responsibility of all.”

This is a sound public health decision. It is a decision that puts the health and welfare of the Peruvian people above politics. It is, however, a decision that will have continued devastating impacts in the lives of people living in the experience of poverty.

It has been over four months since the first declaration of a national state of emergency and corresponding lockdown measures. The pandemic has had profound impacts in the developing and middle-income world. This is especially true in the Peruvian economy and society. People who were vulnerable before the pandemic, are literally falling through the cracks of the social safety nets in Latin America.

Suffering in the Shadows

August 5, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog, COVID-19 /by Wayne Centrone

I’ve been wrestling with writing this blog post. Wrestling because the last thing I ever want to do is misrepresent a child or harm their dignity. I am very sensitive to objectifying the lives of the children we are called to serve. This, however, is a story that must be told.

In many parts of the developing and middle income world, the impact from the pandemic has been completely devastating. It has prematurely ended lives, disrupted economies and forever altered societies. This is particularly true for families who – even before the great challenges of COVID – were barely finding the services and supports they needed.

Families living in the experience of poverty with a substance use disorder or mental health condition. Families living day-to-day with limited access to opportunity. Families without support. Many of these families now find themselves thrust into home schooling, scrapping together a meager income through day labor work, and struggling to feed and care for their children.

Through this breakdown – we are witnessing an increase in the number of abandoned children. We’re receiving increased requests to place children in our two Casa Girasoles homes. We’re seeing an increase in children experiencing abuse and violence. We are witnessing an unraveling of the social safety nets.

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