Today we share the story we are thankful for on many levels. The story is from a nurse midwife in the mountains of Perú and the incredible impact of dedication.
“On the April 29, 2019, at approximately 5:00 pm, I was called by a local health center to inform me that a teenage patient was in active labor, with 9 cm dilation. I immediately went to the clinic to help. When I arrived, I was met by a a very anxious 17-year old pregnant patient without any prenatal controls. The patient was in active labor, and a single fetus of more or less 36 weeks was visible. The challenging part – the baby did not want to come out.
A team attended the delivery, including myself and another midwife in her internship year. The delivery was rapid, with very little amniotic fluid; and, at birth, the baby is flaccid, cyanotic, and dyspneic. In other words, the baby was dying.
Thank God, the clinic had a self-inflating resuscitation bag. With the help of my colleague, we proceeded to resuscitate. After a minute with the self-inflating resuscitation bag, the baby began breathing alone, her heart rate improved and cyanosis decreased. But, after 30 seconds – she stopped breathing again. I immediately verified that she had also stopped breathing, and restarting my NRP training. I used the self-inflating bag again, with positive results: in 30 seconds, the baby was breathing alone again. We stabilized the baby and arranged for transport to the largest regional hospital where she could be admitted in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Three weeks after the event, I met the teenage the mother in the small local health post. She had her baby in her arms and she was awaiting to be seen for a check-up. She thanked me for the attention I gave to her and her baby. She thanked me for saving her baby’s life. Without a doubt, the training I received from Health Bridges and Dr. Robert Gehringer prepared me to act in such a competent way. Thanks to HBI, I was able to save this child’s life. I am forever thankful to Dr. Gehringer and HBI.”
We are incredibly thankful for the dedication of Dr. Bob Gehringer. He is a true life saver.
A Month of Thanks – Day 22: Perseverance
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneAt nine years old, he came to live at the Casa Girasoles. Nothing came easy for José. Formal school was a great challenge due to his learning difficulties. He struggled with the rules. He had a difficult time making friends with the other boys.
One thing stood out about Jose from the very beginning – his perseverance. He was never a boy to give up. If things got hard, he would work harder and figure out a way. When he left the Casa Girasoles program, José quickly got involved with the perils of life on the streets of Lima. He spent most of his early adult years in prison.
At 29 years old, we reconnected with José through our Comunidad Girasoles program. After spending seven years behind bars, he had just been released from jail and had nowhere to go. Through our case manager, he was set up with a place to live, a food stipend, and computer and phone access.
Still – things were not easy for Jose. He had a complicated relationship with his ex-partner, the mother of his daughter, and he was having difficulty finding work. He struggled with substance use.
Slowly, he began to find a foundation for his life. He engaged with a mental health therapist and worked to understand the impact of trauma and adverse experiences. He built a purpose around his daughter.
Things aren’t easy for Jose. He struggles with relapse. He finds it hard to navigate the daily challenges of rebuilding his life. Yet, José perseveres. The team supporting him perseveres.
We are thankful for the support you provide to Jose. He is made whole by your generosity.
A Month of Thanks – Day 21: Connection
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWe value connection above everything. For HBI, the relationship is central to running our programs and projects and the culture we instill in our team. The power of connection is essential for the boys in the Casa Girasoles program.
To help the boys better connect with themselves, one another, and their wider community – each Holiday Season, the Casa Girasoles programs participate in a community outreach project. The staff and boys work together to identify a community of need, build a relationship with that community, and then orchestrate a day-long activity.![](https://hbint.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IMG_0242-1-225x300.jpg)
The outreach projects often include some social benefit projects – one year; they helped to build a new fence for an impoverished school – and a Holiday component. The boys will pull toys, games, books, and clothes from the homes and bring them to the community for families with economic needs. In addition, they throw a Christmas party – complete with Santa Claus and a meal for the families.
The boys and staff do all the planning, organizing, and implementation. They are the bridges of connection. It is incredible to see the care the boys bring to these projects. It is powerful to watch them in the community, hear the stories after the activities, and know they take all the Holiday Outreach projects deeply personally.
We are thankful for the power of connection.
A Month of Thanks – Day 20: Hope
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneNeither boy spoke Spanish, and the first couple of weeks were marked by dramatic shifts in their moods and emotions as they tried to navigate a new world. At their first meal in the Casa Girasoles, they were utterly uncertain what to do or how to act – for they had never eaten with silverware or at a formal dinner table. Thankfully, the house directors spoke Quechuan and shared a deep commitment to the hope that the two brothers would find healing at their new home.
Within a month, both boys could navigate simple Spanish communication with the other children and staff at the Casa Girasoles home. Slowly, tentatively at first, the two brothers opened themselves up to the caregivers. As their feeling of safety grew, they leaned further and further into the hope of a new life. A life of purpose.
Today, the boys are like any other 7 and 9-year-old. They love soccer and Pokemon – and talk endlessly about their friends at school and their dreams of becoming a firefighter and a policeman.
We are thankful for the hope that comes from a caring, empathic connection. We’re grateful for your support in bringing hope to many children in the Casa Girasoles homes.
Make a contribution to our work – DONATE TODAY
A Month of Thanks – Day 19: Innovation
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWe started the anemia project because of one man. Well, thousands of children – and the man who brought the need to our attention. Sr. Hoover has worked as a nutritionist with the Peruvian Ministry of Health for years. Steadily, he’s watched anemia get worse and worse. Concerned there was no current program that could truly address the complexity of anemia in impoverished communities in Perú, he started looking for options.
He knew there was a need for a program that could address the concerns of the community and help to build an ongoing approach to prevention. He knew he needed partners. That’s where we came in. We’ve helped to build a model program that brings together unique partners to truly address the multitude of issues that lead to iron deficiency anemia.
Under the leadership of Karen Falkenstein, Director of Nursing and Evaluation, the program has grown to include three separate high-risk communities – helping hundreds of families. The program has also generated a great deal of attention. In November – Karen and Hoover, along with our Medical Director, Dr. Robert Gehringer were invited to participate in a scientific symposium in Arequipa sponsored by the food manufacturing company Gloria – where we received the top prize and a financial award for the innovative approach our teams developed.
By bringing together unique partners – we help to develop a collaborative model that has the potential to save the lives of children in communities around Latin America. And, to think, it all started with one man . . . and a few thousand children. That’s pretty cool. That is something to be truly thankful for.
A Month of Thanks – Day 18: Dedication
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne Centrone“On the April 29, 2019, at approximately 5:00 pm, I was called by a local health center to inform me that a teenage patient was in active labor, with 9 cm dilation. I immediately went to the clinic to help. When I arrived, I was met by a a very anxious 17-year old pregnant patient without any prenatal controls. The patient was in active labor, and a single fetus of more or less 36 weeks was visible. The challenging part – the baby did not want to come out.
A team attended the delivery, including myself and another midwife in her internship year. The delivery was rapid, with very little amniotic fluid; and, at birth, the baby is flaccid, cyanotic, and dyspneic. In other words, the baby was dying.
Thank God, the clinic had a self-inflating resuscitation bag. With the help of my colleague, we proceeded to resuscitate. After a minute with the self-inflating resuscitation bag, the baby began breathing alone, her heart rate improved and cyanosis decreased. But, after 30 seconds – she stopped breathing again. I immediately verified that she had also stopped breathing, and restarting my NRP training. I used the self-inflating bag again, with positive results: in 30 seconds, the baby was breathing alone again. We stabilized the baby and arranged for transport to the largest regional hospital where she could be admitted in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Three weeks after the event, I met the teenage the mother in the small local health post. She had her baby in her arms and she was awaiting to be seen for a check-up. She thanked me for the attention I gave to her and her baby. She thanked me for saving her baby’s life. Without a doubt, the training I received from Health Bridges and Dr. Robert Gehringer prepared me to act in such a competent way. Thanks to HBI, I was able to save this child’s life. I am forever thankful to Dr. Gehringer and HBI.”
We are incredibly thankful for the dedication of Dr. Bob Gehringer. He is a true life saver.
A Month of Thanks – Day 17: Hope, Optimism, and Connection
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneKaren has been gifted with an amazing ability to connect to people through her kindness and openness, and her reliability to get things done. From the elderly señoras of Alto Cayma to the dean of the university, Karen evokes trust and admiration.
As the
Director of Operations for HBI, Karen has loaded her plate with an array of challenging tasks and proceeds to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s. She is a master at keeping track of all the trains that are running in our work.
Today we are indeed thankful for Karen and her many skills as she keeps HBI moving forward and on track to support and empower the most vulnerable.
You can support Karen’s work and HBI through your donation today. You make a difference. Support our work – Make a Donation
A Month of Thanks – Day 16: Pizza
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneReal change – lasting, community-driven change – is sometimes more complex. It does; however, all come down to deciding to get involved . . . to take action.
Caring is about connection. People need to know you care before they know what you know. Pizza has a way of connecting.
Sharing pizza slices is a tangible way of showing we care.
A few years back, a donor asked if we could start a monthly pizza party for the staff and boys at the Casa Girasoles homes. The donor asked that their donation only be used to buy pizza and ice cream – “[it] is a concrete way for the boys to know people care. It’s more than just pizza. It’s about taking action.”
So we started the Pizza Party project. We don’t buy pizza every month. We can’t afford it. But when we do hold a Pizza Party, everyone gets so excited. The staff included. The Pizza Parties have become a space and place for everyone in the homes to connect.
We are thankful for pizza and the tangible action of caring.
A Month of Thanks – Day 15: Your Support
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneA Month of Thanks: Day 14 – Partnerships
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThe disability civil rights movement mantra is a powerful reminder to the importance of partnerships to our work. We take the mandate very seriously. Collaborating with local leaders and communities to co-create unique approaches to change. HBI’s role is to be the bridge.
This is especially important when we think about the longterm impact of our work. The kind of impact that has an eye on the generations to come. Our partnerships with universities is important way we bring a diverse group of voices together for change. Partnering with universities allows us to be the bridge for communities, diverse leaders, academic thinkers and future generations of change agents.
One of our longest university partnerships has been with Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria (UCSM) and Linfield University. UCSM is a large private Catholic university
in Arequipa, Perú. Linfield University is an over 150-year learning institution with campuses in McMinnville and Portland, Oregon. Both universities have a broad range of training programs – including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, engineering, and business. For nearly 15 years, we’ve collaborated with faculty, students, and administrators from the schools of nursing in a number of research, community development, international learning, and professional exchange programs and projects.
Throughout our collaboration, one thing has been ever present – assuring the inclusion of diverse voices, perspectives, and ideas in all our work. In January of 2023, we will be hosting a group of nursing students from both UCSM and Linfield University for an immersive learning experience in Perú. This is our first service learning trip in over three years. We’re excited to bring together the future leaders of healthcare from the U.S. and Perú.
We are very thankful for our longterm parternship with Linfield and UCSM! We are doing some pretty cool stuff together.
A Month of Thanks: Day 13 – Volunteers
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWe no longer run the Team Perú outreach trip – but we still have health profession students join us for immersive experiences. Today during our Month of Thanks campaign, we want to share the story of a nurse who joined HBI for a trip that changed her life:
“[A Couple of years back] I found myself stressed out looking for an organization to do my volunteer work as my RN-to-BSN program neared an end. I was given a very long list of organizations to choose from. As I started sorting through the list, HBI was pointed out by one of my awesome professors when I shared my concerns, hopes and dreams about what I wanted to get out of my volunteer service.
Once in touch with HBI, I met with a HBI team member who was so thoughtful (by bringing Peruvian stuffies for my then 7-year-old son), very informative, and very flexible about where and how to do my volunteer work. I was even allowed to bring my husband and my 7-year-old son with me, as I wanted them to be part of this learning experience. I knew right away after talking with HBI was the place for me.
Although I had an idea as to what my volunteer work would entail, nothing would prepare me for what I (along with my family) experienced. Everyone from HBI we had contact with was very friendly, knowledgeable, and welcoming. They all made us feel at home and always willing to teach us something new. The experience itself was very humbling and eye opening about how much need there is in Peru and what a great ally HBI is to the people they touch, both for the volunteers and the people who receive their help.
I am very thankful for Linfield College to make HBI part of their professional development program. I’m thankful to my professor, but most importantly I am very thankful to HBI for all I learned during my time with the team in Perú. It will be an experience that will live with me and my family as long as we live.”
We are very thankful for volunteers. We’re thankful for the support we receive from the many stakeholders who believe in our work. #BetheBridge – make a donation to HBI this Holiday Season!