I send a very welcome greeting from the desert city of Ica on the southern coast of Perú.
We arrived yesterday afternoon. The adventure started when I arrived in Lima yesterday around 8 am – I quickly changed bags, took a shower at the HBI office, and jumped in the van for the 5’ish hour drive to Ica.
I started writing this blog update while driving down the Pan American Highway in the van. As the world whizzed by the vehicle’s windows, I thought about a billboard I’d seen the night before in the Los Angeles airport. The billboard – a variation on a viral expression that seems to be born from the terrorist attacks of September 11th, stated something to the effect of “if you see something [unusual or out of the normal], say something [to initiate help].”
There is so much out of the ordinary. The massive differences in living standards or life experiences exist in our planet’s austere geographic locations. The seemingly passive approach we are now taking in the United States to combat the COVID-19 pandemic – with hundreds of people dying every day in the U.S. from a very preventable infectious disease. Preventable if we choose to take a “we’re in this together” approach to prevention.
However, like so many things – we’ve made prevention the individual’s responsibility. You do you, and I’ll do me. You wear a mask if you want to, and I will if I choose. We’ve lost sight of the notion that we are connected by so much more than our zip codes. We are all connected in this experience of life. That means so much!
In a little less than 24 hours, I flew from our home in Portland to one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, Los Angeles, and then on to the fantastic city of Lima – finally, driving down the Pan American Highway to the sprawling desert city of Ica. The contrast was – to be overly simplifying – tremendous.
The challenges of living in the experience of economic poverty are real. They impact – disproportionately – some communities over others. The impact, however, has a similar influence regardless of where we live. The damaging effect is especially true for children.
Our work with children living in residential care because of abandonment or homelessness has taught me that helping children identify the pathways to their desired futures requires a team approach. It takes an “all hands on deck” level of collaboration. A child who is unable to build the future they deserve impacts everyone. It has extending influence that lasts for generations.
We can, however, change the cycle. We can build a different future for the thousands of children in Perú living in state-run homes, orphanages, or residential care facilities. We can create a more inclusive and nourishing experience. It starts by calling out the injustices we see all around us. It begins by recognizing the inequities and inequalities – and then working together to change the structural imbalances.
We are not going to reshape the world by working independently. We need to collaborate. We need to build bridges of support. We must be in one another’s lives.
I have seen something, and I need to say something.
Lighting the Way – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneThe work – the actual day-to-day activities – of operating an NGO is a lot like running any business. There is a constant awareness of the bottom line. But it’s not all about money. As the saying goes, “no money equals no mission.” I must keep reminding myself of the more significant end-game goal that transcends the day-to-day financial challenges.
Although Health Bridges is an organization that runs two homes for formerly abandoned children and helps to facilitate the training of healthcare professionals in newborn resuscitation skills, we are also an organization with an eye toward the future. Our future goal is to become obsolete. Okay, I know that’s a bit dramatic – what I mean by that statement is that we are no longer solely involved in the direct delivery of services. Instead, our goal is to become a conduit for other organizations to deliver the best care possible to underserved children and for other organizations and guilds to develop training programs that train their constituents. Becoming an organization that helps others is our pathway to sustainable impact.
At the same time, we run two homes for over 60 formerly abandoned children, and we administer a training program that is helping to train hundreds of nurses and midwives. We can’t neglect our responsibility to keep these programs funded and operational. This both-and predicament means we are not only funding for the immediate impact but also building a model for the long-game solution.
This financial puzzle is why we desperately need stakeholders committed to supporting our day-to-day responsibilities – and more significant investment funders who will help us fortify our models and scale our impact. We need to light the way of the path we are on right here and now and illuminate a way forward.
We are having our first face-to-face fundraiser in over three years on October 08. Join us and help light the way as we chart our course to sustainable change for thousands of children and thousands of healthcare professionals. Please, join us and help us light the path for children who have lived through the experience of abandonment.
You can purchase your tickets online, and soon, we will open a web portal for you to participate virtually in the event, no matter where you are in the world. Join us – #BetheBridge
Stewardship – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWe have been vacationing in the summer for over a decade with our very closest friends. Our days are filled with a fantastic range of curated hikes (thanks, Lu), and we spend time relaxing in the evenings over glasses of wine and great conversation. Our time together is an important tradition.
This year we ventured into a couple of unique national forests in Oregon. Hiking in the pristine landscape of the Mt. Hood National Forst was inspiring. The experience of walking amongst old-growth trees and on trails cut into the sides of a mountain punctuated the work we are doing with our Centers of Excellence.
Forests require stewardship. They require careful attention to the natural balance of the ecosystems. The work we do with HBI is about being stewards in a child’s life. We are helping them to navigate challenges and consider options for their futures. Stewarding a child toward the future life they deserve is like hiking in nature – it requires continuous, careful attention to our surroundings.
We are responsible for helping to shape lives, and we need a team of the absolute best stewards and caretakers. One of our clear roles as stewards is to ensure that the programs we develop and the projects we facilitate have the resources they need to be successful. This stewardship is especially true in our work with children who have lived through the experiences of trauma, neglect, and abandonment.
Truthfully, transformative care does not happen through just one person – it takes a village. You are part of their village for the boys who call Casa Girasoles their home. You are caring for them by championing support on their behalf, while Casa Girasoles staff care for them by being present for these children every day as psychologists, houseparents, social workers, cooks, and more! That is why we are so excited to invite the entire Health Bridges community to join us in supporting the supporters.
For children residing in Casa Girasoles, having access to caring adults means a life of safety, healing, and new beginnings. And that’s why we’re starting #BeTheBridge, a campaign that puts the spotlight on the caring adults of Casa Girasoles (which includes people like you) who are the best bridges towards transformation. Are you ready to meet and support the people working behind the scenes at Casa Girasoles?
Learn more about how you can get involved and join us at our Fall Fundraiser on October 08. Join us, #Bethe Bridge!
Support – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneI was in Pittsburgh earlier this week speaking at Duquesne University. I spoke about the humble lessons I have learned from working with people living in the experience of economic poverty, homelessness, and marginalization. I talked about the life-changing and affirming opportunities of viewing the world through a different lens of understanding.
Before I jumped on the plane to fly back to Portland, I went for a run. My run took me from the toney streets of the Duquesne University campus – up to the Hill District neighborhoods and around through the University of Pittsburgh and South Oakland.
Even if you have never been to Pittsburgh or traversed a similar path, you know what I am talking about when referencing such diverse neighborhoods. The degree of stark separation that exists in how people make lives is almost unfathomable. In what amounted to nothing more than a few city blocks, the experiences of wealth and privilege – opportunity – merged with the challenges of poorly maintained infrastructure and crumbling dreams.
I am unsure how to contextualize what I am trying to say. The best word I can come up with is support. We all need support. There is no such thing as living independently. We are all interdependent. This need for interdependence is especially true when I think about my own life. I have been continuously blessed with support. Family, friends, teachers, coaches, mentors – I’ve been made whole through the support of others.
Our work, championing children and the communities that care for them, is about supporting the supporters. It is about envisioning a better world for all children in Perú and supporting the caregivers making a difference. This is the “behind the scenes” work of systems change – and I think it is the only effective mechanism we have to truly and sustainably build futures.
We’re kicking off ticket sales for our fall, A Bridge to Change fundraiser. The event will take place on Saturday, October 08; and will be our first in-person fundraiser in over 3-years. We’re excited to bring together the family of HBI – people passionate about ensuring health, hope, home, and purpose for the children of Perú. Join us and learn more about how your generosity is transforming lives.
Links in a Chain – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneLast week before leaving the Sacred Valley of Cusco and the Casa Girasoles, I was sitting in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The sky was filled with pillowy clouds and the voices of the children playing resonated all around me. I truly love that place.
One of the boys came over to sit down with me. He was very curious about what I was doing. I explained that I was communicating with the other Casa Girasoles in the city of Ica. He expressed genuine interest when I told him other boys like him lived in another house called Casa Girasoles. He wanted to know what the boys were like. We wanted to know what the home they lived in looked like. He asked about the games they played and the food they ate.
We talked for around 10 minutes, and he said, “I didn’t know there were other boys like me.” The thought of other homes and other children living in similar situations and circumstances as himself was difficult for him to comprehend. He wanted to know more about me and why I was involved in helping. He genuinely wanted to learn more about the world he lived in and around.
I got to thinking after our interaction. He was building links in his chain of understanding. He was connecting the story that is his life. He was making meaning.
The conversation with my friend got me thinking about what we are doing in our efforts. Our role is to help the boys find the space and place to make meaning of their lives. Our work is about assisting them in fitting the links into their chains. Our efforts are more extensive than helping one child . . . we are helping to build the bonds that will empower futures and advance care delivery. Our efforts are about systems change and shaping models that can impact generations and revolutionalize child welfare.
Wow, what a humbling role. What an important responsibility.
I’ve seen something, and I need to say something – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneI send a very welcome greeting from the desert city of Ica on the southern coast of Perú.
We arrived yesterday afternoon. The adventure started when I arrived in Lima yesterday around 8 am – I quickly changed bags, took a shower at the HBI office, and jumped in the van for the 5’ish hour drive to Ica.
I started writing this blog update while driving down the Pan American Highway in the van. As the world whizzed by the vehicle’s windows, I thought about a billboard I’d seen the night before in the Los Angeles airport. The billboard – a variation on a viral expression that seems to be born from the terrorist attacks of September 11th, stated something to the effect of “if you see something [unusual or out of the normal], say something [to initiate help].”
There is so much out of the ordinary. The massive differences in living standards or life experiences exist in our planet’s austere geographic locations. The seemingly passive approach we are now taking in the United States to combat the COVID-19 pandemic – with hundreds of people dying every day in the U.S. from a very preventable infectious disease. Preventable if we choose to take a “we’re in this together” approach to prevention.
However, like so many things – we’ve made prevention the individual’s responsibility. You do you, and I’ll do me. You wear a mask if you want to, and I will if I choose. We’ve lost sight of the notion that we are connected by so much more than our zip codes. We are all connected in this experience of life. That means so much!
In a little less than 24 hours, I flew from our home in Portland to one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, Los Angeles, and then on to the fantastic city of Lima – finally, driving down the Pan American Highway to the sprawling desert city of Ica. The contrast was – to be overly simplifying – tremendous.
The challenges of living in the experience of economic poverty are real. They impact – disproportionately – some communities over others. The impact, however, has a similar influence regardless of where we live. The damaging effect is especially true for children.
Our work with children living in residential care because of abandonment or homelessness has taught me that helping children identify the pathways to their desired futures requires a team approach. It takes an “all hands on deck” level of collaboration. A child who is unable to build the future they deserve impacts everyone. It has extending influence that lasts for generations.
We can, however, change the cycle. We can build a different future for the thousands of children in Perú living in state-run homes, orphanages, or residential care facilities. We can create a more inclusive and nourishing experience. It starts by calling out the injustices we see all around us. It begins by recognizing the inequities and inequalities – and then working together to change the structural imbalances.
We are not going to reshape the world by working independently. We need to collaborate. We need to build bridges of support. We must be in one another’s lives.
I have seen something, and I need to say something.
Combining Loves – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWe’re Back – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneIt’s been three years. Honestly, three long years.
Three years you ask. since what? It has been three years since we last held a face-to-face, in-person, all-in-one-physical-space event. Yup, the pandemic has reshaped everything – including how we connect to celebrate the work of Health Bridges.
Well, that is changing. We are holding our first in-person event in October – October 08 to be precise. It’s going to be an event of fun, friends, and fellowship. We’re partnering with one of Portland’s newest and most acclaimed Peruvian restaurants – Casa Zoraya – to bring the best of Perú to Portland.
In the past our A Bridge to Change event has been a super fancy, multi course, wine paired, sit-down meal and evening. In 2022, we’re shifting gears and taking the event to a new level. We’ll have all kinds of really fun hors’dvores, an event cocktail we are calling “The Bridge” (don’t worry, it’s a fun take on the Pisco Sour you all love), bespoken Peruvian desserts, and great wine pours. We are also continuing the tradition of our Silent Auction with one-of-a-kind items made by staff and boys from the Casa Girasoles.
Make your reservations today on the HBI website, or contact us if you need more information (info@HBInt.org). Don’t miss our first face-to-face event in over three years. Come and celebrate the great work you have helped to shape.
Taking a ‘both-and’ approach – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneOur work is a bit complicated.
Through our collaborative partnerships, we are helping to train teams of trainers who will train thousands of health care professionals in Perú. In one respect – we provide direct services to train healthcare providers in newborn resuscitation – and we are also helping to build the infrastructure and standards that will support training for many years . . . and save countless lives.
We take this same “both-and” approach with our work in our Casa Girasoles program. Our Casa Girasoles program provides holistic, integrated support for children who have experienced trauma, neglect, and abuse. We provide direct services to over 50 children. Our work with the children is about creating healing connections. It is healing by connecting with our hearts.
Taking care of children who have lived through the experience of homelessness and abandonment is amazingly gratifying work. However, providing a place for them to live, clothes to wear, and access to education is not enough. We need to support the full development continuum for children who have endured tremendous challenges. We need to build pathways to futures.
We are equally called to create models of care that can prevent childhood abandonment and endangerment – and prepare child welfare workers to bring the best evidence-based care delivery to millions of children worldwide.
I know this sounds like a really grandiose undertaking. It is. Helping to reshape an entire child welfare system and provide holistic support is something we are uniquely positioned and prepared to accomplish. We have learned that healing with your hearts and our heads makes all the difference.
Staying Connected to Our Work – wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneAnd the whilrwind continues . . . wayne centrone
/0 Comments/in Blog /by Wayne CentroneWe’re back in Lima. Our original plan of conducting an in-person Center of Excellence retreat with the staff at the Casa Girasoles in Ica got thwarted by a transportation strike. As such, we pivoted and shifted our schedule to conduct the retreat on Sunday and then race back to Lima on Sunday night to avoid the strike.
This afternoon we head to Cusco and then on to the Casa Girasoles in the Sacred Valley. We will holding a retreat with the staff all day tomorrow – and then heading off on our separate ways to travel back to the U.S. or move to another program and project here in Perú.
The main focus of this trip has been the completion of our phase I of the Center of Excellence research study. Along with our partners from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work and Thomas Jefferson University School of Nursing – we are collaborating with the NGO Paths of Hope and Universidad Catolica Santa Maria (Arequipa, Perú) to more fully understand what it means to develop a toolkit of training materials and resources for service providers working in residential child-welfare services. This is a five year study that has really only just started.
We are learning so much! I looking forward to sharing more details and photos from our retreat in Urubamba.