Greetings from Lima. I arrived to the sticky humid air of early Autumn in the city this morning.
We’ve been getting many requests for updates on the “happenings” in Perú. As such, here is a blog update on the happenings as we see them.
Undoubtedly you have heard the story about the frog in boiling water. The slower the temperature rises, the more the frog has lured into a sense that everything is normal—unfortunately, this false sense of security leads to the frog’s demise.
Perú is in a strange political space. Outside of a couple of focal areas in the country’s southern portion, the protests that paralyzed the country in early 2023 have stopped. The demonstrations that shocked the international community and nearly shut down the country’s economy have quelled. Many Peruvians are just tired of the frustrations of the roadblocks and supply chain disruptions.
What does this mean for the average Peruvian? Well, since there is no such thing as an average Peruvian – it means something different for everyone. However, one thing seems clear – politics, as usual, will reign. The social unrest that led to mass protests with the mandate for early elections and constitutional reform seems to have disappeared. The current administrator of President Dina Boluarte appears to be headed toward a full term – with elections not happening until 2026.
With such a polarizing political system, President Boluarte will likely have little to no beneficial impact over the next three years. The proverbial tea leaf readers of Peruvian politics anticipate little to no action on the part of the current administration; and, unfortunately, this means all of the challenges that impacted the country over the pandemic and the protracted recovery of the economy due to the political and social unrest will weigh heavily on the backs of underserved Peruvians – an estimated 60+% of the population!
This political stasis means the crippling inflation and escalating social disparity seems likely to continue . . . if not escalate. Whatever lens one chooses to look at the situation, one thing is clear: life for the underserved, undereducated, marginalized citizens of Perú – the temperature is rising and getting dangerous. The frog is boiling and does not even know it, or it is fully aware of its fate – but has no other option than to simmer in the boiling waters of its current situation.
Look, I am not implying the people of Perú are pre-destined for continued political and social strife. I certainly hope not. I am, however, saying that the situation – political distrust, social discontent, economic polarization – is becoming normalized . . . and this normalization will not be to the betterment of people living in the experience of economic poverty of social exclusion.
So, what’s next? That is hard to say. Prices for basic foodstuffs and daily staples continue to rise. Wages remain stagnant. The enormous percentage of the Peruvian workforce locked into informal employment is not abating. The water is slowly boiling.
All of this brings me to a solution. Let’s figure out a way to get the frog out of the boiling pot, and if that’s not possible, let’s find a way to turn down the heat. In practical terms, for HBI, this means working to fully prepare the families, youth, and young adults we work with to have the skills they need to navigate the complex world around them. It means continuing in our work to create models that can be used in various contexts to help people gain access to the futures they deserve. And it means continually focusing on the current and pressing, as well as the future and uncertain. For us, it means staying the course.
Building Support – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneI have a plastic box of screws, bolts, fasteners, and odds-and-ends I have collected for years. I pull out the box and rummage for a match whenever I have a missing bolt.
I add to the collection whenever I find an aberrant item. It is a collection of treasured finds, incorrect purchases, and failed projects. I love the box. The articles are a reassurance that I have a backup plan. Sometimes I am lucky and find what I need. Other times I merely confirm a suspicion and need to head to the local hardware store.
This past weekend we had our first A Bridge to Change event in Hartford, Connecticut. We sold 63 tickets and had almost 50 attendees. We also raised close to $30,000 to support the Casa Girasoles Program. It was a great success.
In addition to the financial support, the event connected HBI to a whole new group of stakeholders. We built bridges with people who had just learned about our work. We also were blessed to have the support of a large group of ex-pat Peruvians from the area, including the Consular General from the Peruvian Consulate to the United States.
The event was like my box of screws and bolts – it added to our resources and expanded our bridges. This work – transforming the lives of children who have lived through tremendous trauma – takes a team of people. No person has all the knowledge and skills needed to be “everything to everyone,” so we have a group of supporters and stakeholders.
This past weekend we built more support for our movement. Together, we can continue to work toward a world where every child has access to health, hope, home, and purpose.
Living Our Why – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWhat is our why? I remember discussing Health Bridges’s “why ” and our work with a core group of supporters many years back. We were building on the lessons we gained from the now-famous Simon Sinek TEDx talk of 2014. The “why” we crafted back then has shifted a bit over the years, but the core, the essence of our “why” remains – we exist to champion children and the communities that care for them.
This guiding force leads all our work – from our train-the-trainer program to bring newborn resuscitation skills to all healthcare professionals in Perú to our Comunidad Girasoles work and the goal of ensuring every child has access to health, hope, home, and purpose. Everything we do is about making the world a better place for children. We know our “why.”
However, more than simply knowing why we exist is required. To this end, we have spent many hours structuring our methodology – defining the mechanisms we use to bring the “why” of our vision to reality. We’ve developed our Centers of Excellence work to get our “why” into action. Our efforts focus on developing precise, easily accessible, scalable models that can be adopted and adapted by child-welfare serving organizations to enhance the care they bring to children who have lived through the experience of trauma, neglect, violence, and abandonment.
We have a significant lift before us. While we continue to care for over 50 children in our Comunidad and Casa Girasoles, we are also building models that we hope will be useful in transforming child welfare services everywhere. It’s a lot like building a plane and flying it simultaneously – it all sounds great until the wheels get off the ground. The challenges come from the simple fact that we need financing to feed, clothe, nurture, and prepare all the youth in the Girasoles Program – and we need the money to develop the Center of Excellence models and evaluate their effectiveness and efficacy.
It seems like a lot at times . . . and then I remember our “why.” Then I remind myself why we have dedicated our lives to this work. That is when I settle in and live our “why” daily!
Spring Newsletter
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneHow is it already May?! This year feels like it is flying past at breakneck speed. We did, however, want to give you an update on our work.
We are in full swing with Phase II of the Center of Excellence training and research project with child welfare programs in Perú. In collaboration with our partners – the Peruvian NGO Paths of Hope and Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, USA), and Universidad Catolica Santa Maria (Arequipa, Perú) – we have expanded our project to include a new pilot testing site for the Center of Excellence curriculum. We are also refining the tools we developed under Phase I of the study in the two Casa Girasoles homes.
What is the Center of Excellence project? Great question. The CoE is a 5-years research and training project to understand better how to train staff and service providers in Perú working with children living outside of parental care. That includes children living in orphanages, state-run homes, foster care, and institutional care settings. Rather than re-developing a training curriculum or re-formulating an evidence-based practice, the CoE seeks to help programs create “cultures of excellence” to support staff and child development and empowerment. The CoE is a model for making lasting connections and awareness – among the providers working in child welfare and the youth receiving services. The data from our Phase I research is under review – but so far shows some powerful connections between provider awareness and mindfulness and the creation of “cultures of excellence. We feel confident the Center of Excellence model will become the standard for supporting child welfare care systems and children living outside of parental care throughout Latin America.
We’re also excited to share the progress made by the Newborn Resuscitation Training Program (NRTP) team in Perú. Under the direction of Dr. Bob Gehringer, HBI Medical Director, the NRTP team is advancing training for healthcare professionals nationwide.Dr. Bob and Dra. Mary Boyer has been working closely with our partners, the Peruvian College of Midwives and the Peruvian College of Nurses, to establish training teams and implement the program. Over the course of 3-weeks, Dr. Bob and Dra. Mary visited 5 cities, 12 organizations, provided the equivalent of 32 workshops for 496 participants including 36 new nurse trainers. They are making tentative plans for returning to conduct trainings for a few days in Cajamarca where the regional College of Midwives wants a training for 10-12 new trainers, one for each provincia. They will also train more nurse trainers in Lima at the College of Nurses, followed by 10-12 days of separate visits to several new regional colleges of nursing programs of the National College of Nursings choosing.
Through their efforts, Peru’s healthcare professionals receive the training they need to provide life-saving care to newborns.We’re proud to support the NRTP and the vital work to improve healthcare outcomes for mothers and infants in Perú. With continued effort and dedication, we’re confident that the program will continue to make a significant impact in the years to come.
Thew new clinic – our Center of Excellence in Community Healthcare – has finally opened in Alto Cayma. Father Alex Busuttil and the Missionary Society of St. Paul have worked tirelessly over the past 18-months to build a state-of-the-art community health center. Check out this video for an update: https://youtu.be/Rh6ysVxOMpk
We resigned our historic Memorandum of Agreement with Catholic University (Universidad Catolica Santa Maria) in Arequipa. Our agreements are a first of there kind, in that the MOA includes collaboration with all faculty at the university and offers a platform for research, cultural and professional exchange, and inter-professional development. We are super proud of of our partnership with UCSM and look forward to doing a lot of really wonderful things together over the coming years.
Our final update is on the boys and staff of the Casa Girasoles homes. The past three years have been rough is a terrible understatement. With COVID and the social and political unrest, Perú has been through a lot. This “double pandemic” impacted the boys and staff of our homes. However, things are finally moving back to normal. Thanks to the generous and ongoing support of BicycleAttorney.com and the team – we have a fleet of new bikes for the boys. They love the freedom and connection of getting out and about on their new bikes. We have some new staff, and they are all integrating wonderfully. Dr. Roberto Tarazona has been promoted to the role of the Director of the Comunidad Girasoles program and is now responsible for helping to ensure all aspects of our work with the boys are at the highest level. The Communidad Girasoles includes the work of our mentorship and youth development program. Under the leadership of Lic. Mg. Billy Greenman from Paths of Hope and Lic. Jocabeth Oscátegui Pérez, HBI, now has a scholarship and technical training program for young men who have aged out of the Casa Girasoles. The program includes helping connect young men with screened and vetted mentors and supporting former Girasoles as they transition to independent living. This is a considerable addition to our work and is already making a difference in the lives of many of the Girasol.
Needless to say, we’ve been busy. Please feel free to send us a message or call – we love hearing from you – the HBI family of supporters. Thank you for all your ongoing dedication to HBI and the people of Perú.
An Update from Perú – Dr. Bob Gehringer
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneIn Cajamarca again, lovely old central city, cathedrals with stone gingerbread facades, robust shoulders of green mountains all around. It’s May 1, International Worker’s Day, a federal holiday in Perú and in much of the world. Dr. Mary Boyer and I are on an extensive training trip to check out the trainers we’ve trained in newborn resuscitation.
Our hotel is on the corner of the Plaza de Armas, the site of the assassination of Atahuallpa, the last Incan king, at the hands of Francisco Pizarro and friends in 1533. After obtaining a huge ransom, the invaders plan was to have Atahuallpa draw and quartered anyway. Body part separation portending bad karma in the afterlife, the “merciful” Spaniards strangled him instead, extremities intact. Francisco never was nominated for the Mister Congeniality award, and he himself was assassinated in Lima eight years later.
After almost 500-years, this morning the Plaza is full of young families chasing toddlers, couples with love puppy eyes snuggling on park benches, and older ladies from the countryside in their skirts and leggings and tall wide-brimmed straw hats, looking vaguely uncomfortable in the city.
After two very busy weeks, first in Lima training 36 neonatal nurse specialists from all over the country to teach the basics of newborn resuscitation and to create local training programs, we traveled to Arequipa to do multiple workshops for a total of 300 participants, mostly final year nursing and midwifery university students. Here in Cajamarca, we’ll have a day with the regional College of Nurses and another with the College of Midwives. We’re then off to Tumbes and Piura.
Stay connected to our on-going efforts to ensure every healthcare provider in Perú is trained in newborn resuscitation and capable of saving a babies life. We are excited to know our efforts are making a difference.
An Update from Perú – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneGreetings from Lima. I arrived to the sticky humid air of early Autumn in the city this morning.
We’ve been getting many requests for updates on the “happenings” in Perú. As such, here is a blog update on the happenings as we see them.
Undoubtedly you have heard the story about the frog in boiling water. The slower the temperature rises, the more the frog has lured into a sense that everything is normal—unfortunately, this false sense of security leads to the frog’s demise.
Perú is in a strange political space. Outside of a couple of focal areas in the country’s southern portion, the protests that paralyzed the country in early 2023 have stopped. The demonstrations that shocked the international community and nearly shut down the country’s economy have quelled. Many Peruvians are just tired of the frustrations of the roadblocks and supply chain disruptions.
What does this mean for the average Peruvian? Well, since there is no such thing as an average Peruvian – it means something different for everyone. However, one thing seems clear – politics, as usual, will reign. The social unrest that led to mass protests with the mandate for early elections and constitutional reform seems to have disappeared. The current administrator of President Dina Boluarte appears to be headed toward a full term – with elections not happening until 2026.
With such a polarizing political system, President Boluarte will likely have little to no beneficial impact over the next three years. The proverbial tea leaf readers of Peruvian politics anticipate little to no action on the part of the current administration; and, unfortunately, this means all of the challenges that impacted the country over the pandemic and the protracted recovery of the economy due to the political and social unrest will weigh heavily on the backs of underserved Peruvians – an estimated 60+% of the population!
This political stasis means the crippling inflation and escalating social disparity seems likely to continue . . . if not escalate. Whatever lens one chooses to look at the situation, one thing is clear: life for the underserved, undereducated, marginalized citizens of Perú – the temperature is rising and getting dangerous. The frog is boiling and does not even know it, or it is fully aware of its fate – but has no other option than to simmer in the boiling waters of its current situation.
Look, I am not implying the people of Perú are pre-destined for continued political and social strife. I certainly hope not. I am, however, saying that the situation – political distrust, social discontent, economic polarization – is becoming normalized . . . and this normalization will not be to the betterment of people living in the experience of economic poverty of social exclusion.
So, what’s next? That is hard to say. Prices for basic foodstuffs and daily staples continue to rise. Wages remain stagnant. The enormous percentage of the Peruvian workforce locked into informal employment is not abating. The water is slowly boiling.
All of this brings me to a solution. Let’s figure out a way to get the frog out of the boiling pot, and if that’s not possible, let’s find a way to turn down the heat. In practical terms, for HBI, this means working to fully prepare the families, youth, and young adults we work with to have the skills they need to navigate the complex world around them. It means continuing in our work to create models that can be used in various contexts to help people gain access to the futures they deserve. And it means continually focusing on the current and pressing, as well as the future and uncertain. For us, it means staying the course.
Finding Serenity – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneI have this picture in my head. It is a high mountain meadow filled with flowers in the early spring. The vision is of a place that instantly brings me a sense of comfort.
As much as my memory can confirm, I visited such a place as a young boy. While on a camping trip with my father, I wandered into this idyllic mountain oasis. It was a true paradise for my soul.
I think about this experience when I feel overwhelmed or uncertain. The memory grounds me. It reminds me that out there is a place of serenity.
There are a lot of uncertainties in the work we do with HBI. There are the uncertain futures of the children we support. The uncertain funds that we need to keep our programs and projects running. The uncertain nature of holding a vision for a place that may or may not ever materialize. Its okay for so much of our work to be uncertain . . . as long as we hold to the certainty that our work is about building toward a place of serenity.
One thing is sure – our work is about holding on to hope. In challenging times, we keep reminding ourselves where we are heading – a world where every child can access a life built on health, hope, home, and purpose.
When things feel a bit overwhelming . . . when the stress of trying to figure out how we will pay for the additional boys that need a safe home and a supportive place to build the lives they deserve . . . I remind myself that waiting to be discovered is a place of serenity – and my work is to help bring that reality to everyone we serve.
Lasting Change – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWhat constitutes change? True lasting change. The kind of change that creates a paradigm shift or social revolution.
It does not seem that lasting change can be made strictly at the level of the physical. Simply changing physical conditions does not confer long-term, sustainable change. Think of the act of digging a hole. With a shovel in hand, you dig. Over the course of an hour, your hole reaches a depth of 0.5 meters. You prepare the margins to prevent cave-in, you pack the dirt inside your cavitation carefully to ensure integrity. Then you walk away. Will your hole be there in 20-years? Chances are the natural conditions of the wind, rain, snow, and time will gradually shift the soil and refill your hole. It will take time but make no bones about it – nature will eventually reclaim what is hers.
This same scenario is true for our efforts at social change. Simply creating a hole through actions alone will not lead to lasting change. No, we need to affect change at the level of our feelings, thoughts, and perceptions. We need to fortify our physical efforts for change with profound reorientations of our affect and emotions. This is a lot harder work than simply digging at the layers of social and cultural strata with the hope that our agitation will lead to constitutional change.
I have been in Amsterdam this week. One of the things that stands out most when I travel is how different cultures act differently. This may sound like a overstatement of the obvious . . . it is. However, identifying the differences, understanding the subtle influences of culture, requires one to look a bit differently – deeper – at life around us. We must change the way we are in the world.
There is a famous bronze statue in the center of Amsterdam near the Central train station. The statue, titled Homeless Jesus, is a striking reminder that to create change – I need to look at the world differently. I need to behave differently. The statue, inconspicuously rendered on a bench in a small park, is often misinterpreted as a person living in the experience of homelessness with a thick brown blanket. The life-like features of the figure trick the viewer into assuming it is a person. This is powerful. I sat affixed on the statue for several minutes. I watched as people walked past without even glancing. Every so often a person would stop, realize the figure they assumed was a man sleeping off a drunken binge, and stare in puzzlement. I did not see anyone approach the plaque on the wall, read the inscription, and delve further into the figure. Instead, once they recognized the bronze art, the giggled and walked off.
So much of the complex challenge we are facing in this world is melded into our every day lives. We walk past the suffering, the sick, the homeless – not because we don’t care, but because we don’t truly see what is begging for our attention. We can change this. We can. But it starts with changing ourselves. We need to grant our heart and mind permission to stop and see things differently. We need to dig deeper with our shovels of curiosity and inquiry and seek to understand the why behind the world all around us. It is when we move past the perception of what we see, to the reality of why we see – that true change is possible.
Points of Light – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneI was recently going through some old files on my desk. I found a folder with newspaper articles and clippings related to my mother. My mother, Lynn, is a fantastic person. She is a true humanitarian . . . and, in my digging through old articles, I found documented proof. She was named a Thousand Points of Light by President George H. Bush. She received a Jefferson Leadership Award – a national award given to outstanding community volunteers. She was named the Florida State University Humanitarian of the Year in 1993 and . . . well, the list of accolades goes on and on. I am so proud of her. Perhaps more than pride, I am genuinely appreciative of her guiding light. She taught me that we could all make a difference. She taught me we can all be points of light. We just need to try.
Speaking of trying, a couple of exciting things happened over the past few weeks. Nothing profoundly earth-shattering per se – but vital to the work of HBI. One thing – our team of leaders in the Comunidad Girasoles Program (the name of all our work with formerly abandoned children – from the Casa Girasoles homes to the mentorship program to help young adults living outside of parental care) had a retreat in Lima. The directors of the Casa Girasoles in Ica and Urubamba, our team from Arequipa, and our administrative team came to Lima and met for two days. It was awesome. What made it even more remarkable was that our local leaders led the retreat. I only attended over Zoom. Why is this so important? It is a significant movement for HBI away from programs led by a North American team – and truly into programs directed and administered by the Peruvian staff. We’ve been building towards such a formative transition for over a decade.
I heard from one of our supporters this week. Mike Colbach is a prestigious Portland lawyer who has made an enormous difference by representing bicyclists injured in motor vehicle accidents. He is a passionate supporter of the Girasoles Sanos Cycling Team. Mike and a fantastic friend of HBI, Hugh Givens, committed this week to support HBI’s Casa Girasoles boys with a new bike or a donation every time he wins a case. We have received four new bikes already! Mike and Hugh are genuine points of light.
Also, this week, I learned that one of HBI’s first international interns, an amazingly gifted young person named Liz, matched with the family medicine residency program of her dreams. Not only was Liz instrumental in helping HBI restructure our school-based outreach program, but she has also been helping with the Center of Excellence Research Study throughout her busy time in medical school. What is so crucial about Liz matching for a residency program? Aside from the evident impact of such a move on her professional career, it is a massive endorsement of HBI. Liz gave so much of herself to helping HBI – and now, her efforts are paying back in some small ways. All the volunteer effort she put into our little NGO has given her the knowledge, skills, and courage to be a true leader and game changer.
Talking of game changers, Dr. Bob, HBI’s Medical Director and leader of the Newborn Resuscitation Program, is visiting for a few days. Bob has been a part of HBI from the very beginning. His leadership and mentorship have helped to shape HBI into the organization we are today. Over the next couple of days, we will meet with Karen, HBI’s Director of Operations (she’ll join over Zoom), to brainstorm and strategize about the next chapter of our organization and our impact. We’ll talk about programs – but we will also speak about vision and mission. We’ve known one another for many years. We’ve grown up professionally together. We have shared each other’s light and helped to shape one another. We are a family.
I feel that way about the work of HBI. We are a movement more than a not-for-profit. We are a big family. One thing we have always focused on is the people that are a part of the HBI family. We invest in people more than we develop programs or projects. That mindset has led us to become a lighthouse.
Our work is about sparking a light in others and uniting our actions to create a better world. Sure, HBIs efforts are very narrow in their focus and have not had a world-changing impact, but that isn’t what is important in many ways. It is essential to bring more light to the world and encourage more people to shine.
Connections – An HBI Gravel Adventure Bike Camp Testimonial by Mike Vail
/0 Comments/in Blog /by AdminI was excited to receive the Gravel Adventure Bike Camp invite from my close childhood friend, Dr. Wayne Centrone. I had last seen him nearly 30 years ago when I assisted with his move from Tallahassee to Panama City, Florida. Wayne and I had virtually linked up a few years ago through our mutual friend, Brian. The Camp provided an opportunity for the three of us to reconnect, while also supporting HBI’s Casa Girasoles Sanos group homes. These are residences where a Peruvian team of professionals provide formerly abandoned boys a stable home environment.
I shared the news of the Camp with my family, and was pleasantly surprised when my college student son, Nate, expressed interest in joining the adventure. Nate and I have a pretty good relationship, but past military requirements have caused me to miss some of his special childhood to early adulthood moments. We bond through our mutual love of soccer, and we planned on sharing our love of the sport with the Casa Girasoles boys. I was hoping (and perhaps he, too) that this adventure would be a nice bonding experience for both of us.
Karen greeted us at the Lima airport early morning of November 2 and took us to the HBI headquarters to decompress and meet Wayne. Memories flooded my thoughts as I heard his voice and laughter. He’s still my only friend who calls me by my full name! We shared memories and inside jokes over the course of the Camp, and we agreed to visit Brian in New Orleans (alas, a bad back kept him from this adventure).
The Camp was a great way to bond with my son Nate, and my childhood friend, Wayne.
Nate and I are not avid cyclists – certainly not in the same realm as our other camp adventurers. My wife and I bike once or twice a week, with the primary goal of caloric expenditure equal to the pizza or beer we consume after the ride! Fortunately, there was minimal pressure and what mattered was the effort we gave throughout the ride.
The beautiful mountainside healed the soul, adding to the boys’ positive experience at the Camp.
But it was the connections we made with the Casa Girasoles boys that were most memorable. Nate and I purchased five soccer balls for the boys to use in their games. We also gave them cool World Cup sticker books and wall posters for them to track the matches and their favorite players. Nate’s age and easy demeanor made it easy to relate with the boys, as he cycled and played soccer (the international common language!) with them on a daily basis.
United by a love of sports, Nate easily connected with the boys of Casa Girasoles.
Fellow campers were eager to share their cycling and life experience as they conducted bike maintenance workshops.
At the end of each day, Nate and I would discuss our experiences. We were both very inspired that the boys were so well-mannered, well-spoken, and well-adjusted, considering the many hardships they have experienced. It’s clear that the Casa Girasoles program is a Center of Excellence with the way it encourages communities to offer services that help youth access the quality caregiving they deserve. That’s only a small part of the equation, though. The Casa Girasoles program is successful mainly because of the boys who continue to eagerly work toward learning and self-development, and the dedicated, loving, and caring Casa Girasoles team.
You can join us and #BeTheBridge between Peruvian youth and the services and support they need by donating here.
Settling In – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThe Girasoles Sanos Cycling Team competed in their first race of the season today!
Thanks for all the messages. Many of you have expressed concern about what is happening in Peru. You have also been incredibly generous with your contributions. Thank you.
It is hard to name the current political and social climate in Peru. The unrest and civil dissent have settled into an almost routine. While much of the country’s roadways are clear of blockades, protestors still disrupt daily life in the southern regions, and the impact of the COVID pandemic, rising inflation, and political unrest are pushing thousands of people deeper into poverty. Peru is now the most “food insecure” country in Latin America – with more than half the population finding themselves “without regular access to enough safe and nutritious food.”
Things are far from “business as usual” – as the economic forecast continues to look grim and the country enters yet another month of record inflation with no end in sight. Many believe the only way forward for Peru is a radical change in the lagging social gap most of the country experiences. But how?
How can Peru – a country that nearly went bankrupt during the economic stagnation of the Shinning Path 1980s – close the profound social and economic fissures that fracture the country? The real work is settling in and taking a long-range approach to change, which is what we are doing.
The work of Health Bridges is a long game. It is always more critical than short-term challenges. Since we started this journey nearly 30 years ago, we’ve known that we would work for future generations of change. That is not to say we have lost focus on the here and now. No – we are still very committed to helping bring health, hope, home, and purpose to children, youth, young adults, and families who have lived through trauma and adverse experiences.
We are committed to settling in – for Diego, who lives in the Casa Girasoles of today, and Juan, for whom we can help prevent ever living in a residential care facility by working with his family before he is abandoned. We are committed to developing best practices and evidence-supported training that help health professionals save babies’ lives at birth. Our commitment – our work – is for all the children of Peru, and we are settled in for the long haul.
Stay connected! #BetheBridge