For many years, HBI led a group of volunteers to visit our programs and projects. We called the annual trip – Team Perú. So many volunteers participated in the trips. So many people made a huge difference.
We 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!
A Month of Thanks: Day 13 – Volunteers
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneFor many years, HBI led a group of volunteers to visit our programs and projects. We called the annual trip – Team Perú. So many volunteers participated in the trips. So many people made a huge difference.
We 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!
A Month of Thanks – Day 12: Clean Water
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneOne thing is certain, the more we do this work – the more connections we need.
A great deal of our efforts are centered around the formation of partnerships. One very important partnership is with the team from Living Waters for the World (LWW). The team, made up of dedicated member of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN, have helped to place over 20 clean water filtration units around Perú.
A number of years ago, LWW placed water filtration systems in the Casa Girasoles in Ica and Urubamba. The sophisticated multi-stage systems have the capacity to filter 300 gallons of clean water per hour. However, the systems require a level of ongoing maintenance. Our partnership with the LWW team ensures the systems at the Casa Girasoles are operating at their highest capacity and providing clean, safe water.
Filtering clean water for use in the homes is fantastic. We know the value of providing access to perishable water to the boys in our homes. The systems are, however, having an impact beyond just the four walls of our programs. The filtration units also provide clean water for the staff to take home and use with their families; and for partners and collaborators in the communities close to the Casa Girasoles. In many ways – the LWW units are a bridge to clean water for entire communities.
We are really thankful for all the partners that help to make a big difference in the communities we serve. We are especially thankful for clean water.
A Month of Thanks – Day 11: Lifetime of Serving
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThere is a big difference between serving and providing services. Serving is about people connecting with people. Serving requires a commitment of the heart.
We are so thankful to have a true servant leader at HBI, Dr. Roberto Tarazona Ponte. Roberto, or Tito as he is affectionately known by the team, is a rare mix of incredible intellect and boundless compassion.
As the Director of Comunidad Girasoles, Tito is responsible for assuring the highest continuity and best practices for all HBI’s work in child-welfare and youth empowerment. This includes the Casa Girasoles homes for formerly abandonded children, the Adolescent Mentorship program for young adults formerly from residential care, and the Center of Excellence project – our evidence-backed model for empowering change in child-protective services in Perú.
Roberto is an avid reader who posses an encyclopedic memory. He is found of quoting the great philosophers, and ancient prophets. He is, however, most of all an amazing person. If you’ve ever joined HBI in Perú, you have undoubtedly experienced first-hand the servant heart of Tito. He is the first person to get up at all hours of the night to answer a call from the Casa Girasoles directors about a sick boy, and the person who helps to clear dishes from the table and then washes plates in the sink. Perhaps the coolest thing about Tito – he is on a first name basis with The Holy See (Pope Francis)! But he’d never tell you that because he is just so dang humble.
We are incredibly thankful to have Dr. Tito on the HBI team!
A Month of Thanks – Day 10: Ripple Effects
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWhere do the ripples end?
We’ve been searching for a psychologist to work at the Casa Girasoles home for formerly abandoned children in Ica. This is not an easy task. Many professionals in the city of Ica work for government agencies, and it can be difficult to find anyone available to work for what we can pay.
A few weeks back we had an interview with a psychologist who the house parents met through a mutual friend. They spoke highly of her and mentioned that she told them she knew about Health Bridges. They both brushed this off, telling me they assumed she made the statement to build a bigger connection.
The psychologist came into the meeting and said – “Dr. Wayne. I haven’t seen you in over 15 years.” It turns out she worked at the clinic in Alto Cayma run by Father Alex Busuttil. She went on to tell me she has always considered herself a “member of the HBI team” and when Sr. Sabino told her I was coming to Ica, she said “I love HBI, I am a part of their team.”
It’s amazing how the ripples of an initial impact have such lasting effects. I haven’t seen Dra. Marisol in years. And yet, over a decade after our last interaction – and a whole city away from where we initially worked together – she was still a Health Bridges team member. It looks like we have found our psychologist. We are so thankful for the Ripple Effects of our work!
A Month of Thanks: Day 9 – Smiles
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneIt is hard not to smile when riding a bike.
Marco (not his real name) always loved bicycles. Growing up, there was never money for a bike. Growing up, there was never enough money for anything. Eventually, because of abuse and deep poverty – Marco left his home. When he came to our Casa Girasoles home in the desert city of Ica, he was uncertain and scared. He had a hard time engaging the caregivers and isolated himself from the other boys. One thing that stands out so strongly for that time of Marco’s life – he rarely smiled. Then he found cycling.
With a small number of pieced together bikes and a patchwork of equipment, we started a cycling team. Riding a bike became a way for us to more deeply connect with Marco. Quickly, he became the best rider on our team. He rides every chance he gets. He has become a mentor for the other boys – helping to show them how to maintain the bikes and offer his ideas on training and riding. He is even winning races.
Cycling is a way for Marco to more deeply connect with the wounds of his past. Cycling is a path to healing. Our goal is to support Marco to get involved in more competitive cycling events – events that offer prizes like academic scholarships. Our goal is to help other boys in the Casa Girasoles program find pathways to healing through cycling and sports participation.
We are thankful for the smiles that a bike can bring to the face of a formerly abandoned child.
Make a donation today and support our efforts to bring more smiles to the lives of children and young adults in Peru.
A Month of Thanks: Day 8 – Resilience
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneA Month of Thanks: Day 7 – Mobile Phones
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneTechnology is amazing.
Who would have thought – just a few short years ago – that we would be meeting with people all around the world through video conferencing? Wow!
When you put the appropriate technology in the hands of change agents – it is a portal to a new life. That is exactly what we are doing with our Accompanying Adolescents Program. The Accompanying Adolescents Program, works with the siblings of children who were previously enrolled in the Ines Program – adolescents at great risk of high school dropout.
For many of the young people in the program, life is filled with the normal adolescent daily struggles of finding your place in the world . . . but their challenges are compounded by living in the experience of extreme poverty and having a sibling who lives with a chronic medical condition or disability.
The program, facilitated through web-based video meetings – is administered by a licensed adolescent psychologist and includes life planning workshops, career guidance and dropout prevention. The groups meet weekly over a 6-month period with separate one-on-one sessions available as adolescents desire.
Under the direction of Lic. Barbara Salas Achahuanco the program creates a virtual safety-net for extremely vulnerable young adults. Through mentoring and life skills development, adolescents are provided a meaningful relationship to help them navigate the challenges of early adulthood and the struggles of living in the experience of extreme poverty.
Through your support, we have purchased mobile phones for the program participants. This is a true lifeline for many of the young people enrolled in the program. It is their pathway to a new life. For a little under $8 per person, per month – the program helps build resilience through meaningful connection and peer support. The program helps to build futures.
We are so thankful for mobile phones and the ability they provide to change the lives of adolescents living in extreme poverty.
A Month of Thanks: Day 6 – Partnerships
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneCollaboration is our superpower. We are experts at creating alliances to advance the work of championing children and the communities that care for them. The impact of our collaborations is only as good as the partnerships we create. That is why we are so thankful for some amazing partnerships.
We have a convenio – a memorandum of agreement – with the NGO Paths of Hope to work together on our child welfare projects. This is more than a simple business agreement, or a collaborative acknowledgement – the partnership we have with Paths of Hope is about expanding our impact and advancing our efforts through working together around a common focus. Paths of Hope is an organization with a rich history of work in child and family mental health and an unflappable commitment to the children of Peru.
Through our partnership we have been able to expand the reach of our Comunidad Girasoles program – under the guidance and direction of Mg. Lic. Billy Greenman and Srta. Jocabeth Oscátegui Pérez. Through their efforts, we are developing a model mentorship program to work with young adults who have left residential child-welfare services and need support to find their paths to a solid future.
Our collaboration with Paths of Hope is not only a partnership to share our collective resources, we also share staff. This means we have a “two-for-one” impact in our work. It means we can do more for the children and families of Peru.
When you make a contribution to our efforts, you are not only investing in Health Bridges – your donation goes so much further because of our partnerships. We are thankful for our partners. We’re thankful for your support so that we can continue to expand our partnerships and grow your impact.
A Month of Thanks: Day 5 – Our People
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWe have always known as an organization that doing good in the world is important. It drives us to be the best. However, what makes doing good even more impactful is doing good with great people. Health Bridges is an organization of amazing people.
HBI is a team of committed professionals with big strategic minds and even bigger hearts. We know that the work of changing child welfare service in Peru is a massive undertaking. That is why we have some of the brightest and best on our team. Srta. Jocabeth Oscátegui Pérez is one of the newest members of the Health Bridges team and she brings years of direct care, advocacy and professional development to our Comunidad Girasoles work. For nearly two decades, Srta. Jocabeth has been championing child welfare change in Peru.
Srta. Joca, as she is know by the team, works tirelessly behind the scenes working with youth in the Casa Girasoles program and young adults who have left residential child-welfare care. She works with the young people to identify their passions, actualize their dreams and create concrete plans to build the lives they deserve. Joca helps to align youth into government benefits programs like scholarships and job training, and then walks side-by-side with them as they build their futures.
We are so thankful to have Srta. Jocabeth Oscátegui Pérez on the Health Bridges team. She is a rare mix of gifted intellect and enormous compassion. She is a true change agent for Peru and the children of Peru.
A Month of Thanks: Day 4 – Collaboration
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWhen we work together and share our resources and talents, we get a sum of the parts’ impact. This is the superpower of Health Bridges. We believe strongly in collaboration. We seek out partnerships that will allow us to share our gifts and talents for cumulative impact.
We have known for a very long time that no organization can be everything to everyone. With our partnership, we bring together our passions to make a collective impact. One of our recent partnerships has been around helping to bring more bicycles and support to the boys in the Casa Girasoles.
Mike Colbach and BicycleAttorney.com have over a two-decade commitment to promoting cycling and healthy living. The BicyleAttorney.com team, started by a Portland based lawyer and social justice advocate – Mike Colbach – is a vehicle for bringing together people from different walks of life and experiences to share their love of exercise.
The partnership between Health Bridges and BicycleAttorney.com is a bridge for us to work together and share our passions. We are thankful for collaborations – and we’re especially thankful for all the generosity and support of Mike Colbach and BicycleAttroney.com