The Casa Girasoles Urubamba team have a bonfire on a clear early winter night.
“Nothing good in life comes easy. All the best things are hard. If they weren’t – everyone who have them and no one would want them.”
My father repeated this statement to me throughout my childhood. It became a mantra. I built my entire life around the pursuit of this message. Sometimes, with limited success.
Now, in this time of great uncertainty and many unknows – it’s become a sort of meditation. It has helped me to recognize the importance of the work we are doing and the power of staying the course – in spite of the challenges or complexity.
We have daily Zoom meetings with our team on the ground in Perú. The meetings range from updates and reports on projects and programs to informal mental health support. Over the past weeks the tone of the meetings has shifted. Everyone is tired. The strain of the past 100+ days is weighing heavy. And, it is becoming more and more evident – the hardest part of our work is getting harder. We know this. We expect this. It does not, however, make it any less challenging.
One thing does help to ease the burden and strain – working in collaboration. It’s knowing our work is connected to partnerships and a network of collaborative organizations. It’s knowing we are building upon one another’s efforts. This is a great comfort to our team. There are times on our Zoom meetings when we feel the strain – and then remember the folks who are in the trenches of this work with us. We remember, we’re not alone.
We help to teach a Global Health course for American College of Education (Indianapolis, IN), that brings together nursing students from the U.S. and Perú in a virtual learning space. Last night we brought together a group of nursing students from a university in the city of Arequipa. They’re bright, passionate people who participate in the course to expand their knowledge and connect with colleagues from different countries. All the students are currently working in hospitals or clinics. They’re on the front lines of delivering care in one of the worst COVID hotspots in Latin America. They’re courageous young people who are doing amazing things. Hard things.
Last night while on the Hollywood Squares of our Zoom meeting, I realized what a profound privilege it is to be in partnership with these amazing people. Here they are – literally caring for people dying from the complications of the virus, and they seek the connection.
Yes, nothing good in life is easy . . . however, it is so much more fulfilling to be doing this incredibly hard work with a team of dedicated, passionate people. “Nothing good in life comes easy. All the best things are hard. If they weren’t – everyone who have them and no one would want them.”
My father repeated this statement to me throughout my childhood. It became a mantra. I built my entire life around the pursuit of this message. Sometimes, with limited success.
Now, in this time of great uncertainty and many unknows – it’s become a sort of meditation. It has helped me to recognize the importance of the work we are doing and the power of staying the course – in spite of the challenges or complexity.
We have daily Zoom meetings with our team on the ground in Perú. The meetings range from updates and reports on projects and programs to informal mental health support. Over the past weeks the tone of the meetings has shifted. Everyone is tired. The strain of the past 100+ days is weighing heavy. And, it is becoming more and more evident – the hardest part of our work is getting harder. We know this. We expect this. It does not, however, make it any less challenging.
One thing does help to ease the burden and strain – working in collaboration. It’s knowing our work is connected to partnerships and a network of collaborative organizations. It’s knowing we are building upon one another’s efforts. This is a great comfort to our team. There are times on our Zoom meetings when we feel the strain – and then remember the folks who are in the trenches of this work with us. We remember, we’re not alone.
We help to teach a Global Health course for American College of Education (Indianapolis, IN), that brings together nursing students from the U.S. and Perú in a virtual learning space. Last night we brought together a group of nursing students from a university in the city of Arequipa. They’re bright, passionate people who participate in the course to expand their knowledge and connect with colleagues from different countries. All the students are currently working in hospitals or clinics. They’re on the front lines of delivering care in one of the worst COVID hotspots in Latin America. They’re courageous young people who are doing amazing things. Hard things.
Last night while on the Hollywood Squares of our Zoom meeting, I realized what a profound privilege it is to be in partnership with these amazing people. Here they are – literally caring for people dying from the complications of the virus, and they seek the connection.
Yes, nothing good in life is easy . . . however, it is so much more fulfilling to be doing this incredibly hard work with a team of dedicated, passionate people. “Nothing good in life comes easy. All the best things are hard. If they weren’t – everyone who have them and no one would want them.”
My father repeated this statement to me throughout my childhood. It became a mantra. I built my entire life around the pursuit of this message. Sometimes, with limited success.
Now, in this time of great uncertainty and many unknows – it’s become a sort of meditation. It has helped me to recognize the importance of the work we are doing and the power of staying the course – in spite of the challenges or complexity.
We have daily Zoom meetings with our team on the ground in Perú. The meetings range from updates and reports on projects and programs to informal mental health support. Over the past weeks the tone of the meetings has shifted. Everyone is tired. The strain of the past 100+ days is weighing heavy. And, it is becoming more and more evident – the hardest part of our work is getting harder. We know this. We expect this. It does not, however, make it any less challenging.
One thing does help to ease the burden and strain – working in collaboration. It’s knowing our work is connected to partnerships and a network of collaborative organizations. It’s knowing we are building upon one another’s efforts. This is a great comfort to our team. There are times on our Zoom meetings when we feel the strain – and then remember the folks who are in the trenches of this work with us. We remember, we’re not alone.
We help to teach a Global Health course for American College of Education (Indianapolis, IN), that brings together nursing students from the U.S. and Perú in a virtual learning space. Last night we brought together a group of nursing students from a university in the city of Arequipa. They’re bright, passionate people who participate in the course to expand their knowledge and connect with colleagues from different countries. All the students are currently working in hospitals or clinics. They’re on the front lines of delivering care in one of the worst COVID hotspots in Latin America. They’re courageous young people who are doing amazing things. Hard things.
Last night while on the Hollywood Squares of our Zoom meeting, I realized what a profound privilege it is to be in partnership with these amazing people. Here they are – literally caring for people dying from the complications of the virus, and they seek the connection.
Yes, nothing good in life is easy . . . however, it is so much more fulfilling to be doing this incredibly hard work with a team of dedicated, passionate people.
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A Deep Breath
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneOverstating the obvious a bit here – things have been stressful lately. No one is immune to that stress. Some are just better at working with, and through, the stressful events that mark our day-to-day life in the time of COVID.
We’ve been receiving messages from around the world asking how we are doing in the Portland area? Thank you for your kind consideration. As I am sure you are now aware, things are otherworldly in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The wildfires are creating pure havoc. We, the HBI staff that live in the Portland-area, live in the downtown area of the city – so we are pretty safe. However, so many people in our area are suffering. The thick sepia-toned smoke that fills the sky frames an eerily end-of-times feeling.
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Fall Fundraiser Campaign
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneYesterday 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
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneFrom 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.
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The Long Winding Road
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThis 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.
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Suffering in the Shadows
/0 Comments/in Blog, COVID-19 /by Wayne CentroneI’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.
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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Celebrations
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneToday is Peru’s Independence Day, Fiestas Patrias. It’s a big deal. In any other time, under “normal” circumstances – the entire country is a celebration. A celebration that lasts for days. It’s awesome.
Times are tough enough without having a little celebration. That is why we had a Fiestas Patrias celebration – virtual – for the Casa Girasoles yesterday. It was a chance to celebrate the culture and passion of the boys – and allow them to connect with one another in a fun, safe manner. Through the power of Zoom (how many of us thought Zoom would be so important in our lives and work just 6-months ago?) we set up cameras at the homes in Urubamba and Ica and held friendly competitions for dance and games. We invited a few of our supporters and staff to join and had our own Fiestas Patrias – COVID-style. It was great. Check it out at: Fiestas Patrias Casa Girasoles
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The Songs Remain the Same
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThis process has been really good. A bit on the painful side – but incredibly helpful to the quality of our efforts. Prior to the global challenge – we were an organization with a number of different moving parts. In fact, it was sometimes hard for people to fully understand the “who” and “what” of Health Bridges. Now, more than at any other time in our history – it feels like the “who, what and why” of HBI are fully aligned.
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Perspectives
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneBoys at the Casa Girasoles Ica enjoying chocolates they made as a group activity.
Sometimes it just takes a little perspective.
A few weeks back, in response to a pressing need we were witnessing in the older boys who graduated from the Casa Girasoles Program, and were struggling in the pandemic, we started the Tigre Program. The program works with young men transitioning from adolescence and early adulthood into a new phase of their life. Sometimes this is a transition from prison, sometimes it is a transition from a life filled with poor decisions – for most it is a challenging time in their life. One of the young men in the program asked if we could help him connect with books. He asked for the classics. He wanted, more than anything else, to learn and grow.
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This is Really Hard
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThe Casa Girasoles Urubamba team have a bonfire on a clear early winter night.
“Nothing good in life comes easy. All the best things are hard. If they weren’t – everyone who have them and no one would want them.”
My father repeated this statement to me throughout my childhood. It became a mantra. I built my entire life around the pursuit of this message. Sometimes, with limited success.
Now, in this time of great uncertainty and many unknows – it’s become a sort of meditation. It has helped me to recognize the importance of the work we are doing and the power of staying the course – in spite of the challenges or complexity.
We have daily Zoom meetings with our team on the ground in Perú. The meetings range from updates and reports on projects and programs to informal mental health support. Over the past weeks the tone of the meetings has shifted. Everyone is tired. The strain of the past 100+ days is weighing heavy. And, it is becoming more and more evident – the hardest part of our work is getting harder. We know this. We expect this. It does not, however, make it any less challenging.
One thing does help to ease the burden and strain – working in collaboration. It’s knowing our work is connected to partnerships and a network of collaborative organizations. It’s knowing we are building upon one another’s efforts. This is a great comfort to our team. There are times on our Zoom meetings when we feel the strain – and then remember the folks who are in the trenches of this work with us. We remember, we’re not alone.
We help to teach a Global Health course for American College of Education (Indianapolis, IN), that brings together nursing students from the U.S. and Perú in a virtual learning space. Last night we brought together a group of nursing students from a university in the city of Arequipa. They’re bright, passionate people who participate in the course to expand their knowledge and connect with colleagues from different countries. All the students are currently working in hospitals or clinics. They’re on the front lines of delivering care in one of the worst COVID hotspots in Latin America. They’re courageous young people who are doing amazing things. Hard things.
Last night while on the Hollywood Squares of our Zoom meeting, I realized what a profound privilege it is to be in partnership with these amazing people. Here they are – literally caring for people dying from the complications of the virus, and they seek the connection.
Yes, nothing good in life is easy . . . however, it is so much more fulfilling to be doing this incredibly hard work with a team of dedicated, passionate people. “Nothing good in life comes easy. All the best things are hard. If they weren’t – everyone who have them and no one would want them.”
My father repeated this statement to me throughout my childhood. It became a mantra. I built my entire life around the pursuit of this message. Sometimes, with limited success.
Now, in this time of great uncertainty and many unknows – it’s become a sort of meditation. It has helped me to recognize the importance of the work we are doing and the power of staying the course – in spite of the challenges or complexity.
We have daily Zoom meetings with our team on the ground in Perú. The meetings range from updates and reports on projects and programs to informal mental health support. Over the past weeks the tone of the meetings has shifted. Everyone is tired. The strain of the past 100+ days is weighing heavy. And, it is becoming more and more evident – the hardest part of our work is getting harder. We know this. We expect this. It does not, however, make it any less challenging.
One thing does help to ease the burden and strain – working in collaboration. It’s knowing our work is connected to partnerships and a network of collaborative organizations. It’s knowing we are building upon one another’s efforts. This is a great comfort to our team. There are times on our Zoom meetings when we feel the strain – and then remember the folks who are in the trenches of this work with us. We remember, we’re not alone.
We help to teach a Global Health course for American College of Education (Indianapolis, IN), that brings together nursing students from the U.S. and Perú in a virtual learning space. Last night we brought together a group of nursing students from a university in the city of Arequipa. They’re bright, passionate people who participate in the course to expand their knowledge and connect with colleagues from different countries. All the students are currently working in hospitals or clinics. They’re on the front lines of delivering care in one of the worst COVID hotspots in Latin America. They’re courageous young people who are doing amazing things. Hard things.
Last night while on the Hollywood Squares of our Zoom meeting, I realized what a profound privilege it is to be in partnership with these amazing people. Here they are – literally caring for people dying from the complications of the virus, and they seek the connection.
Yes, nothing good in life is easy . . . however, it is so much more fulfilling to be doing this incredibly hard work with a team of dedicated, passionate people. “Nothing good in life comes easy. All the best things are hard. If they weren’t – everyone who have them and no one would want them.”
My father repeated this statement to me throughout my childhood. It became a mantra. I built my entire life around the pursuit of this message. Sometimes, with limited success.
Now, in this time of great uncertainty and many unknows – it’s become a sort of meditation. It has helped me to recognize the importance of the work we are doing and the power of staying the course – in spite of the challenges or complexity.
We have daily Zoom meetings with our team on the ground in Perú. The meetings range from updates and reports on projects and programs to informal mental health support. Over the past weeks the tone of the meetings has shifted. Everyone is tired. The strain of the past 100+ days is weighing heavy. And, it is becoming more and more evident – the hardest part of our work is getting harder. We know this. We expect this. It does not, however, make it any less challenging.
One thing does help to ease the burden and strain – working in collaboration. It’s knowing our work is connected to partnerships and a network of collaborative organizations. It’s knowing we are building upon one another’s efforts. This is a great comfort to our team. There are times on our Zoom meetings when we feel the strain – and then remember the folks who are in the trenches of this work with us. We remember, we’re not alone.
We help to teach a Global Health course for American College of Education (Indianapolis, IN), that brings together nursing students from the U.S. and Perú in a virtual learning space. Last night we brought together a group of nursing students from a university in the city of Arequipa. They’re bright, passionate people who participate in the course to expand their knowledge and connect with colleagues from different countries. All the students are currently working in hospitals or clinics. They’re on the front lines of delivering care in one of the worst COVID hotspots in Latin America. They’re courageous young people who are doing amazing things. Hard things.
Last night while on the Hollywood Squares of our Zoom meeting, I realized what a profound privilege it is to be in partnership with these amazing people. Here they are – literally caring for people dying from the complications of the virus, and they seek the connection.
Yes, nothing good in life is easy . . . however, it is so much more fulfilling to be doing this incredibly hard work with a team of dedicated, passionate people.
We Build Bridges
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneYesterday we received a WhatsApp message from a partner in the city of Ica. She was working at the local hospital and noticed a man living in a tent on the grounds. She asked about the situation and found out the man is from Venezuela He was recently diagnosed with a terminal cancer. He’s been living in the experience of homelessness since the pandemic started. A few weeks back, the hospital allowed him to set-up a tent on their property. They’ve been helping with food.
He told our partner he wants to go back to Venezuela to die. She reached out to us to see if we could help. Immediately our team connected with partners in immigration advocacy, Venezuelan rights and support groups. We also provided the money to help rent an apartment and link the gentlemen into care.
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