Beneficence is the act of doing good through charitable kindness or gifts. It is a central component of medical practice and critical to caring for others. However, the practice of beneficence is not enough. We owe ourselves a broader way of connecting with others.

Miguel (not his real name) is an incredibly talented cyclist. He is always the ride leader for the Girasoles Sanos Team. Miguel is brilliant, kind, and blessed with a balance of keen intellect and profound emotional intelligence. He is an amazing young man with unlimited potential. He dreams of one day becoming an engineer and working in the agricultural businesses.

Miguel comes from a biological family of origin marked by violence, neglect, and substance abuse. He came to live at the Casa Girasoles after spending time in a state-run orphanage and living on the streets. Miguel has had contact with his family in the child welfare system. The pain of knowing his family could not take care of him – and having frequent contact with them has been very hard on him.

At 18, Miguel is ready to leave the Casa Girasoles Program. His family has been contacting him more and more. They want him to come and live at their home in Lima. They want him to work and support their aging mother. This is a typical scenario. At the time of emancipation from child-welfare services, families like Miguel’s seek to reunite with their sons – often not to heal wounds or build new relationships. Still, it is more important to have a young, healthy member of the family who can work and gain income. Time and time again, the family promises to help the adolescents finish their schooling or pursue a career. Time and time again, the young men who exit orphanages, state-run homes, or care facilities find themselves living as indentured servants . . . caught in a dysfunctional web as their futures become hostage to the same trauma that trapped them in their childhood.

Perú is going through a tremendous time of challenge. The social and political unrest quickly pushes the country into an economic spiral. The events that led to the current situation are not unprecedented. The struggles of Perú are deep-seated and multifactorial. One thing is, however, ever-present – people living in the experience of extreme poverty are disproportionately impacted in times of economic, political, and social upheaval. Families like Miguel’s, who were previously teetering on the edge – are now falling into the abyss.

Miguel has gained so much from his time at Casa Girasoles. Yet he faces many challenges and limited opportunities in a world of tremendous inequalities. The future of this bright, capable young man is now uncertain.

Our commitment to helping him build the resilience and connection that will support his future has led him to a place where he is ready to push the boundaries of what is possible. But is this enough? What will happen to Miguel if his family falls further and further into extreme poverty? Will kindness and beneficence help Miguel overcome his new challenges and find the life he deserves?

We must be pushing beyond simple acts of charity and kindness. There needs to be more than just providing food, shelter, education, and access to healthcare. We must push for structural changes, allowing the young adults transitioning from care homes to build on support and compassion and manifest their desired futures. Only when we can say there are pathways to success for all the children in the Casa Girasoles and child welfare in Perú – is our work finished.

Now, more than ever, your support is helping us build futures. Thank you.

Can we really change the world? I think about this question a lot.

I don’t wake up with an unbridled sense of pure optimism every morning—although I wish I did—instead, most mornings, I wake up feeling a bit stressed and overwhelmed. The one thing I don’t do is allow these feelings to paralyze me.  Instead of letting this overwhelm consume me, I start each day with a simple reminder to myself—a reminder of what is most important to me. I remember what an incredible privilege it is to be in the work of empowering people to the futures they deserve. I am reminded that the greatest gift I can offer is myself.  This reminder galvanizes me to take action. It keeps me going.

The key to all of this optimistic wishing is the reminder that we – the collective, the power of our combined efforts, are what will change the world. In my own efforts, I can change myself, but the impact will rarely cascade beyond my immediate efforts. But I know I am not alone. I know that when we work together and see the others in our lives as just people trying to do the best they can on this wild ride we call life, that is when anything and everything is possible.

It requires that we come together, share—of ourselves, our resources, our time, and our energies—and connect with one another. It is only in relationship with others that we can truly heal. So I guess that is it . . . This all starts with knowing we can change the world . . . with each other. So, let’s keep coming together. Let’s keep building bridges. Let’s not forget that a world where every child can access a life built on health, hope, home, and purpose is not only possible, it is entirely attainable . . . when we work together.

Can we really change the world? You bet we can. We already are.

We have long known that collaboration and building bridges are our most effective organizational methodologies. Creating and sustaining critical partnerships allows us to expand our impact significantly. In fact, collaboration is the foundation of everything we do. Whether we are building communities of practice to advance knowledge, as with our newborn resuscitation training program, or structuring key alliances to reimagine the child welfare system in Perú, we know that when we build on the sum of all parts, we are more effective. Our goal is simple: to create a compelling and dynamic continuum of services and support for children and families living in the experience of economic poverty and low-resource settings.

This week, we are excited to host a team from the University of Maryland School of Social Work and Artemis Consulting. This event is significant as we have received a small grant from the university to adapt an ecological screening tool for at-risk children and families. The Neurodevelopmental Ecological Screening Tool, or NEST, is the product of years of research and work by Dr. Carmela DeCandia and Dr. Katie Volk. Along with their colleague Dr. Jay Unick at the University of Maryland, Drs. DeCandia and Volk envisioned a resource that could be used to screen children and families in high-risk settings like homeless shelters to better access neurodevelopmentally appropriate care and resources.

Our focus is adapting the NEST tool for Perú, a huge task that we are just starting to imagine. Over the next week, we are meeting with key partners—the Universidad Catolica Santa Maria and the Peruvian College of Nurses—to chart a pathway for collaborating on the modification, translation, and cultural adaptation of NEST for use in Perú. This is a super exciting project that complements our work in child welfare settings by providing a mechanism to screen families before children are separated from their biological parents.

In this pilot research project, we are partnering with Peruvian nurses to consider how to implement the NEST screening instrument in the well-child examinations within the Ministry of Health (MINSA) health posts. Our goal is to embed an instrument that can be used to identify early children – aged 3 to 5 – who are at risk of developmental and social challenges. The scientific evidence is clear: early recognition and expedited intervention lead to much better life course outcomes for children and families living in the experience of poverty in low-resource settings.

We are committed to creating a world where every child can access a life built around health, hope, home, and purpose. Collaboration with key partners allows us to tap into the brightest and best’s skills, talents, and resources. We may not change the world for child welfare serving agencies and providers alone, but we certainly can through solid collaborations with key partners.

July 28th is Independence Day in Perú and a big celebration of culture, connection, and community.

There is something refreshingly powerful about coming together, not just on this day but every day, and uniting in a shared pride and a common heritage. Our unity is our strength.

We are proud to be an organization with a three-decade history of dedication to the people of Perú and honored to be led by Peruvians for Peruvians.

Join us in extending a heartfelt felices fiestas patrias to all Health Bridges International staff, family, friends, and partners.

¡Viva el Perú!

I am an unbashful, over-the-top, super-optimist. I always believe in what can be. Some people think this is unrealistic or irresponsible, but not holding onto hope in any situation is not an option. It is who I am.

I bring this same enthusiasm for what can and will be to the world of HBI. I know that some days will be easier than others, that money will flow, and that tomorrow is a new take on life. This is especially important for our work on systems change.

Building a model training program capable of training every healthcare professional in Peru who attends births in newborn resuscitation is not for the weak of the heart. The task requires a “slow and steady” commitment, which is only possible with a never-say-done philosophy. Our training model is going places. Yes, it is a slow grinding pace, but it is happening. Things are happening. Trainers are getting trained. They are, in turn, putting on trainings and providing their colleagues with the life-saving knowledge and skills of newborn resuscitation. Most of all, even if we can never empirically demonstrate such a sustained impact, we know babies’ lives are being saved.

Walking alongside a child who has lived through unspeakable trauma is a process that requires a daily if not hourly, commitment. It is the kind of work that puts the child as the focus and then creates opportunities to address that child’s unique needs. The job requires a daily recommitment – recognizing that life is complex in the best circumstances. There are millions of children living in violence, trauma, abuse, and neglect. Thousands of children in Peru do not have a loving, supportive home. Should we get overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the challenge we face? Or should we take a “we got this” attitude and keep moving forward? There is no option. I will always choose an unbashful, over-the-top, super-optimism.

This is our impact. We are committed to never giving up.