Blog - Page 15 of 17 - Health Bridges International

Making a Shift

June 23, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

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

We Can’t Forget

June 15, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog, COVID-19 /by Wayne Centrone

What now feels like a lifetime ago, January to be precise, I met a man in a small community in the high mountains outside of the Sacred Valley of Cusco. His case and life circumstances are complicated. I wrote a blog post about our encounter in February that captures a bit of the detail.
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The New Normal

June 11, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

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

Unsettled

June 4, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

Unsettled.

Everything feels unsettled.

Deeply unsettled.

The world is going through so much pain. The COVID pandemic has pushed our already exhausted stress hormones to the max. The terrible crimes of injustice brought against people of color have forced every one of us to name our bias, prejudice and complicity.
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Celebrating the Connections

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

It’s been a long strange trip, to borrow from the famous lyrics of the Grateful Dead. The strangest part, we’re not sure when this long trip will end.

This is particularly true for Latin America. As North America and the European Union (including our friends in the U.K.) move from the initial “shock and awe” phase of the pandemic – our colleagues, partners, friends, loved ones, and families in Latin America are feeling the full brunt of SARS-COv-2 and Covid-19. Perú has extended the state of emergency and obligatory quarantine until June 30 – and Brazil, Venezuela and Chile struggle to contain the pandemic and the devastating economic impacts.

Growing with the Changes

May 15, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

We have a ten year old. This morning we were talking about shows we watched when she was much younger. We reminisced about characters and stories. I half expected her to ask me to get my phone to check out some of the programs. Instead she said, “Papa those are fun memories. I liked those shows, but now I see things a little differently. I’m older. I like different shows that challenge me differently.” And, just like that she taught me an incredibly important lesson.

One thing is clear – whenever we come through the tunnel of the pandemic, things won’t be the same for HBI. We’ll be different. We’ll have a different focus. It may be only slightly different, but it will be different. Read more

We are on the way, the permanent way. By Dr. Roberto Tarazona, Senior Health Advisor

May 9, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog, COVID-19 /by Admin

Very early, almost at dawn, the Peruvian television news showed us an unimaginable scene: hundreds and hundreds of people sleeping on the streets of Lima, faces tired from the cold, hunger and despair. Women carrying their children in their arms, sleeping on cardboard. The elderly, young people, adults: people like us and like our families sleeping on the streets in the damp and the cold. Bodies sheltering other bodies. All hoping that in the new day, the desire to return to their cities of origin, to the small homeland, where friends and family live, where they feel part of a community, of a shared history, in the land of their parents and their ancestors.

Putting the Pieces Together

April 28, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone

Fractals are amazing. They represent a core concept in nature. They summarize all that is complex and poetic about life and the world we live. From the whole are the pieces and from the pieces is the whole.

The concept of fractals struck me today. We have a small neighborhood restaurant just down the block from our home in Portland. The restaurant wasn’t open for more than 2 months when the pandemic hit. Within a matter of days, the windows were papered, their neon sign shut off, and an announcement was prominently placed on the front door – “Closed by order of the Governor. We’ll be back. Until then, follow-us on Instagram.” Just like that – a single handwritten sign brought to an end what was assuredly months of preparation and a lifetime of savings. Read more

Building Bridges

April 22, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog, COVID-19 /by Wayne Centrone

Gedeon, one of the boys in our Casa Girasoles program, paints amazing works of culture and inspiration. He was recently accepted to one of Perú’s most acclaimed art schools.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it really hard to stay focused on all the immediate and urgent needs – and plan for the bigger future. This is particularly important when it comes to building opportunities for the older boys who ‘graduate’ from the Casa Girasoles program. They are getting older – in-spite of the social isolation and mandatory quarantine, and we need to help them build bridges to the next phase of their lives.

Ideally, every boy in our Casa Girasoles Program would apply and be granted a government supported scholarship to study at university. The challenge – not all the boys are best matched to a university education; and, the program is extremely competitive. As such, we face a daunting challenge of building our own graduation program.

We’re fortunate to be in partnership with Paths of Hope and their amazing team of Kate and Billy Greenman. Together we’re working on a plan for the older boys – but everything has been stalled with COVID-19. So, without a lot of formal programs – we’re taking it case-by-case, boy-by-boy.

Yesterday I had a call with a faith-based NGO that runs a program in Cusco. They accept young adults transitioning from orphanages or homes. In addition to helping with school enrollment – university, technical or trade school – they also provide housing, case support, psychological therapy and life skills development. It’s a great program. They’ve graciously accepted three boys from our Casa Girasoles in the Sacred Valley. Read more

It is not suppose to be easy

April 12, 2020/0 Comments/in Blog, COVID-19 /by Wayne Centrone

Boys at the Casa Girasoles participating in school lessons during COVID-19.

Things are really tough. I am convinced this is true for all 7.5 billion people on the planet. The challenges are, however, more profound and impactful for the poor of this world. This is especially true for the people we serve in Perú. The families living in extreme poverty with children living with disabilities and medically fragile conditions are really struggling. They are hard pressed to figure out how to make each day manageable.

The boys in our Casa Girasoles homes are safe, well fed and protected, but the challenges of social isolation are starting to weigh heavy on them. For a child who has lived so much of their life on constant hyper-vigilance, always ready to protect themself from injury our harm – the current state of the world can be too much. There are more outbursts. More temper-tantrums for the little ones. More strong words from the older boys. Things are tough. Read more

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