We have heard from many of our HBI stakeholders. Thank you for your concern.

Many of you have asked how things are going “on the ground” with the Casa Girasoles and our staff with the ongoing protests and political challenges in Perú. Well, here is a brief update:

All of our staff are safe and well. The protests have directly impacted some of our staff’s families, but no one has been hurt. The children in the Casa Girasoles programs are all equally safe and well. It is summer vacation in Perú, so the kids have been hanging around the homes and staying out of street protests.

The government has announced a plan to reopen all the blocked highways in the country with “firmness and in compliance with the law.” Congress is meeting to decide the constitutionality of moving the elections forward to December 2023. President Dina Boluarte continues to hold fast to her position. She has called on Congress to determine the legality of advancing the elections and clearing the way for reforms.

What does all of this mean for the protests and social unrest raging around the country? No one knows.

In the Sacred Valley at the Casa Girasoles Urubamba, road closures have meant an area shortage of gas, propane, and many basic foodstuffs. In Ica, the city has been almost completely cut off from commerce, with the Pan-American Highway suffering from blockades for over a month. Food prices have doubled over the protests in both locations, and budgets have been considerably impacted. We are working on a long-term plan to warehouse food and supplies. Our focus is making sure the children are taken care of and safe.

Nationwide, the situation is going from bad to worse. Reports from Arequipa demonstrate a drastic reduction in tourism – with only 1 out of every ten hotel beds occupied. According to the Lima Chamber of Commerce, over 1 million formally employed workers risk losing their jobs. This an alarming statistic when one considers that more than 70% of the workforce in Perú employed in the informal sector of the economy.

We will keep you posted as more information is available. Please keep all the people of Perú in your thoughts, prayers, meditations, and considerations.

Perhaps now, more than ever – we could use your support. Please consider donating the work of our Casa Girasoles. Thanks.

Violence has erupted around the country. Currently, ten regions report protests, roadblocks, and civic disruption.

Yesterday hundreds (perhaps thousands) of protestors from around the country converged on Lima. The marchers’ self-described intent was to “Take Lima.” The protestors took to the streets in the downtown area, setting fire to a historic building and leaving five families homeless and another 14 families unable to reenter their homes due to smoke damage.

Throughout the day-long marches – the city of Lima came to a standstill, with police and protestors clashing in several neighborhoods, including the predominant tourist area of Miraflores. As a result of the clashes – 38 people were injured, and one fatality was reported.

Throughout the country – from Madre de Dios to Cusco to Arequipa, clashes between protestors and police have resulted in tremendous property damage and over 50 casualties and hundreds of injuries since the demonstrations started in December. At this time, the demonstrators remain committed to their demands: Resignation of the current president, the closing of Congress, the release of former President Castillo and Constituent Assembly, and early elections. However, nearly all of their requests are difficult and, more accurately, impossible for the government to comply fully.

The HBI team is safe. Our Casa Girasoles programs continue to run smoothly, and all the boys and staff are safe and well. The most immediate impact of the protests has been the skyrocketing prices. The cost of most foodstuffs has doubled over the past month. The escalating cost of many goods and services has stretched our budget. Adding to the challenge, road blockades on the PanAmerican Highway north of Ica and to and from the Sacred Valley have made it very challenging for staff to travel.

The government has reported that over $150 million U.S. dollars have been lost in agricultural exports and that “90% of small farmers’ production was spoiled due to the latest road blockades.” Protestors have re-damaged the rail tracks connecting the Sacred Valley of Cusco with Machu Picchu – potentially further disrupting tourism for weeks to come.

What happens next and how the political and social turmoil ends are anyone’s guess. One thing is pretty straightforward – the longer the protests go on – the more long-term impact they will have on the people of Perú. We will keep you posted on all updates.

Thank you for your continued support and all your ongoing concern.

Yesterday the Congress of Perú passed a confidence vote in the new government. The Congressional vote granted the vote of confidence to the ministerial cabinet headed by Alberto Otárola. This seemingly insignificant act of Congress has already brought wide spread demonstrations and increased agitation amongst the protestors.

Whatever hope there was for a peaceful resolution to the political and social unrest that began after the inauguration of President Dina Boluarte in December following the failed coup d’état of former President Pedro Castillo, have left 46 deaths. Around the country protestors have taken to the streets – blocking roads and marching in solidarity. The police and military have been in hours long standoff with a group of protestors attempting to take control of the Cusco airport. Differing groups of protestors have erupted into violent clashes with one another in the Puerto Maldonado. The media in Perú are now referring to the social and political unrest as Perú en crisis.

The people suffering the most are those that have long-lived in extreme poverty. The Peruvian Ministry of Economy estimates the impact from the protests to exceed S/.300 million so far this year. Some of the poorest regions in the country are also areas with the most protests and the greatest disruption to their economies.

What happens next is impossible to know. One thing is clear, the situation has gone from bad to worse. Please keep Perú and the Peruvian people in your thoughts.

Happy 2023!

I arrived in Lima a couple of hours ago. Leaving the airport in the taxi, I expected to see a large police and military presence on the road. I expected to see visible signs of unrest. Instead, I found an eery calm.

International news outlets have talked about the widespread civil unrest around Perú – with the most significant confrontations occurring in Arequipa, Ayacucho, Apurimac, Cusco, Moquegua, Madre de Dios, and Puno. More than 25 people have died, and hundreds have been injured. There was a lot of speculation about what the city would be like now that the protesters have regrouped and taken to the streets in the new year.

The main instrument of the protestors are paros – or strikes. With the transportation strike being the most effective. It is working. The city is on holiday. I just went for a run, and the customarily congested streets of the city are all but mellow. It feels that way, at least.

Many businesses are closed without workers to attend to customers and manage shops. Tourism is all but on-hold, and the feeling is that of the visitor-less pandemic. Livelihoods are being upended. The protests will have devastating impact on the 70+% of the Peruvian population working in the informal sector and struggling from the effects of the pandemic.

What does all of this mean? In many ways, the current social and political situation in Perú points to significant change. Change in the old guard. Change in the status quo. Change in politics as usual.

I am still determining where this change will lead. It is too early to say. One thing seems clear . . . change is coming. We will keep you posted.

There is no such thing as work without challenges. The more significant, demanding, and harder the work – the more the challenges. That doesn’t mean it’s time to give up or roll over with defeat. Instead, it is an opportunity to dig in and work harder.

This push and pull, give and take, up and down, is especially evident when working with families and children who have lived through the experiences of generational poverty, traumatic stress, and social isolation. The following story is about the power of resilience and one little girl’s journey to healing.

Standing in Daisy’s home was overwhelming. The stench was powerful. Dirty clothes hung from a makeshift line in the middle of the one-room hut. There was no running water, no bathroom, and no electricity. Instead – a dirt floor, a single bed, and a small table covered with discarded papers and empty medication containers.

We first met Daisy (not her real name) in 2013. Her story is about extreme poverty, family violence, and social isolation. Daisy suffers from uncontrolled epilepsy. She literally seizes every day. Her mother told us that she often seized for up to an hour. The uncontrolled and prolonged seizures left Daisy mentally altered and suffering from several complications. Daisy, as we quickly determined, was in a critical situation. She was at risk of dying with her subsequent seizure. Late in 2013, we arranged a comprehensive care coordination plan for Daisy. Unfortunately, after a few weeks of care coordination – we lost contact with Daisy and her family. It was heartbreaking.

Apparently, Daisy and her family moved. Her father got into a physical altercation with the foreman at the mine where he worked and was fired. The family moved to the small town where Daisy’s father grew up. The city, a remote mountain community, offered minimal resources. Daisy’s mother quickly left. She moved in with a new man. He did not want Daisy. Daisy ended up on the streets.

It took almost ten months to reconnect with Daisy. Trip after trip to the high mountain town continually led us to dead ends. Finally, our outreach worker (Charito) connected with Daisy’s grandparents. Finding Daisy abandoned on the streets, her grandparents took her in, and she lived in their dirt floor home. She has not been on any medications for months, and her seizure disorder was uncontrolled. At six years old, Daisy was seizing up to five times daily.

Her grandparents took her to the local health post, but the nurse in charge referred them to a larger city, two hours bus drive away. They have yet to follow up on his referrals. Fearful that the cost of having Daisy seen would be more than they could afford on their meager income as farmers – they turned to traditional healers. Now, Daisy is getting worse, and her family doesn’t know what to do.

Our plan was simple . . . and entirely complicated. We needed to link Daisy into care through the Peruvian government programs. To do this, she needed a formal transfer of care from the clinic in her hometown to the Hospital for Children in Lima. This was a challenging task. Daisy’s father and grandparents were scared. They were scared of the unknown. They were afraid of going to the big city of Lima, where their style of dress, form of Spanish, and general way of living make it pronounced that they are from the mountains – and, thereby, a lower socioeconomic class.

Our next step was firmly based on advocacy. Charito traveled back to Daisy’s home. She took the family to the health post to complete the necessary paperwork and then loaded everyone into a bus for the 2-hour trip to Caraz. In Caraz, Charito helped advocate for the family by transferring Daisy’s care to the Hospital for Children in Lima. The challenge, all the advocacy, and planning needed to happen in the next two weeks – or the original transfer of care will expire, and the process would need to start over. In addition to the logistical challenges – every day Daisy continued to seize, she was losing more and more brain function, and she was more and more vulnerable to death.

After months of advocacy and support, Daisy was finally seen by a pediatric neurologist in Lima. Her medication was dialed in, and her seizures were controlled. The family moved in with an uncle in Callao to be closer to Lima and the Children’s Hospital. We lost contact we Daisy. However, the last time we saw her and the family – she was walking, starting to talk, and receiving comprehensive care at the Children’s Hospital. She was reclaiming the life she deserved.

Daisy’s resilience taught us that we needed to be resilient. We are thankful for the life of Daisy and her resilience.