Rosa* was four months pregnant, working full time, and caring for her almost 2-year-old son, Dario*, who was diagnosed with anemia. Unfortunately, Dario didn’t like the taste of the iron sulfate he had to take. He would spit it out and lose his appetite during meals.
When Rosa saw a local church announcement about an anemia project for pregnant women and children under 3, she was thrilled. The project included follow-up visits arranged according to her schedule and the opportunity to ask health care professionals about her specific situation. Rosa and Dario were not only tested, but they also received iron supplementation and nutritional educational training based on foods available in her local market.
Rosa learned iron-rich recipes and the importance of micronutrients in the absorption of iron. After one year in the project, Rosa and Dario had normal hemoglobin levels and, most importantly, her new baby girl was born without anemia.
*Names changed to maintain privacy
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Adventures in Healing
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWe just dropped a new video. Check out Adventures in Healing and see how we are using cycling, running and hiking to better connect with the boys in the Casa Girasoles program.
Meet Rosa and Dario.
/0 Comments/in Impact Stories /by Wayne CentroneRosa* was four months pregnant, working full time, and caring for her almost 2-year-old son, Dario*, who was diagnosed with anemia. Unfortunately, Dario didn’t like the taste of the iron sulfate he had to take. He would spit it out and lose his appetite during meals.
When Rosa saw a local church announcement about an anemia project for pregnant women and children under 3, she was thrilled. The project included follow-up visits arranged according to her schedule and the opportunity to ask health care professionals about her specific situation. Rosa and Dario were not only tested, but they also received iron supplementation and nutritional educational training based on foods available in her local market.
Rosa learned iron-rich recipes and the importance of micronutrients in the absorption of iron. After one year in the project, Rosa and Dario had normal hemoglobin levels and, most importantly, her new baby girl was born without anemia.
*Names changed to maintain privacy
Meet Catherine.
/0 Comments/in Impact Stories /by Wayne CentroneAs a midwife in Cerro de Pasco, Perú, Catherine’s proudest moments are the minutes after successfully resuscitating newborns. Infant fatalities are a grim reality in the delivery room, but she has saved many newborns and is determined to save more.
“Neonatal resuscitation is a precise and time-pressured practice. Without the highest standards of training, the consequences are irreversible. That’s why I enrolled in HBI’s Neonatal Resuscitation Training Program. It helped me systematically approach the proper steps to infant CPR, and equipped me to save more babies,” she shares.
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Meet Elizabeth.
/0 Comments/in Impact Stories /by Wayne CentroneAt 24, Elizabeth* gave birth to her third child prematurely. Her baby was diagnosed with a rare, inborn metabolic disorder that causes weak muscular development and failure to thrive. Her quick-thinking doctors worked out a plan to transport Elizabeth to Lima, where her baby can receive life-saving support.
Coming from a rural area, Elizabeth had no family or friends in Lima, but she was able to rent a small hut atop a motor shop by working as a clothes cleaner and selling food on the streets. Although working tirelessly to support herself and her children, she couldn’t meet all her family’s needs, including her youngest’s urgent medical care. Eventually, her efforts brought her to the attention of an HBI Ines Project Health Ambassador, and she enrolled in the program.
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Meet Juancito.
/0 Comments/in Impact Stories /by Wayne CentroneJuancito* is a playful boy who likes helping others. The Casa Girasoles staff love his infectious energy and eagerness to help sweep, mop, and clean the home, even if it takes him a little longer than the older boys.
But this wasn’t always the case. When Juancito was introduced to HBI by child protective services, he was in crisis. He had left his mother and grandmother, who could not feed or take care of him on top of their other young children. At age 8, Juancito was wandering the city’s outskirts, where child protective services found him.
In December 2019, Juancito was welcomed into Casa Girasoles for temporary shelter.
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Meet Manny.
/0 Comments/in Impact Stories /by Wayne CentroneContent warning: The following story discusses the challenging realities of our work among children, youth, and young adults in Perú.
Tuberculosis is 100% treatable, which makes Manny’s death doubly tragic. For months, we saw Manny struggle and fight to get the care he needed. We used every public health incentive we could think of to keep him consistent with his treatment week after week, but it didn’t work. At some point, the side effects of antibiotics, the challenges of getting medication, and the uncertainty of his future became too much and he left the care of Comunidad Girasoles without permission.
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Neonatal Resuscitation Training: A Chance at Life for Every Newborn
/0 Comments/in Blog, Impact Stories /by Wayne CentroneIt was November 2019 when Lic. Catherine Tejada Aguirre was in Pasco, holding a newborn in her arms. The baby was in a poor state, with an Apgar score* of only 4 out of 10. Baby Luz* had a limp body with a bluish appearance, a low pulse rate, and barely any response to simulation. Her situation is similar to 10% of babies born in homes and health centers across the country.
While progress has been made and neonatal mortality rate in Perú has fallen from 16 deaths per 1,000 live births (2000) to only 6 (2019), the rate in rural and underserved regions still lag behind. In these areas — home to almost half the country’s entire population — around 75% of women give birth at home alone or in small clinics with only a single healthcare professional because they do not have the same access to health services as those in urban areas.
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What a gift – Wayne Centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneBeing back with our team and visiting with the staff and boys at the Casa Girasoles – this whole experience is a huge gift. Today we took the boys for a 4 hour hike. It was hard. They did awesome.
This afternoon we continued our discussion with the program directors. We’ve been meeting in a sort of “re-set” manner and talking about our work, changes that may be coming in child-welfare in Perú, and how we can continue to support one another in this work.
Check out a few photos from our hike and activities at the Casa Girasoles. Thanks for all the ongoing support.
Back in Perú – Wayne Centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThe Girasoles Cycling Team out for a training ride.
I am back in Lima. I arrived late last night.
In all my years of travel in the many trips I’ve taken to-and-from Perú, the excitement and energy I feel when I arrive are the same. I am giddy. Perhaps even more so – given the months of uncertainty and travel restrictions in the face of the pandemic.
We have a busy trip planned. We will be traveling to the Casa Girasoles in Urubamba and Ica – and make a brief visit to Arequipa for a day of meetings.
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Who said this is supposed to be easy? Wayne Centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThe kitchen in the home where Gabriela lives.
Who said this work is supposed to be easy? There is nothing easy about working with communities, local change agents, and on-the-ground providers to build the pathways to the futures they desire . . . and deserve. There is nothing easy – but it is so vital.
This work, walking alongside local leaders – it’s hard. The “success” stories are far fewer than the challenges. NGOs have a way of making it seem like everything always works out. Visit a website, and you are dazzled by the numbers – thousands of lives impacted, thousands of hours invested, and hundreds of thousands of dollars provided. Every story seems to end with a happy outcome. Many websites don’t disclose the challenging outcomes that contrast to the pretty picture-perfect results of our work.
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