This week, I was at the Casa Girasoles. We brought 11 brave souls to participate in a gravel camp in the Sacred Valley. The camp went great. The daily rides were not only oxygen-deprived but also offered some of the most unique vantage points in the valley. The camp was a chance for HBI stakeholders to share their passion for cycling with the Girasoles and provide them with companionship and connections.

One afternoon, following a group ride, I was sitting in the home’s front room when a couple of the boys approached. They asked if they could use my phone. While I sat next to them, they carefully studied Google Maps. They went back and forth with a variety of different views. I asked them what they were looking for. The answer reminded me of what we are trying to accomplish in our work.

What were they looking for so carefully? They were searching for their homes—the homes of their biological families. They both had a general idea of where they were from, the province, and even the region, but they had difficulty recalling the exact location of their family homes. At one point, a boy I will call Carlos zeroed in on a home in the high jungle. He was confident the house was where his uncle lived and even identified a motorcycle he said belonged to him.

Observing the boys scroll through layers of maps reminded me that our work is about helping the children we serve find wholeness. This includes rebuilding healthy relationships with their biological families. Our vision is a world where every child can access a life built on health, hope, home, and purpose. A big part of this vision is helping the children in our care define how they want to engage with their families and helping them venture back into these connections with a deep awareness and an unbridled connection to their needs and desires.

I don’t think there is a person in this work of child welfare and empowerment who doesn’t think every child deserves to be in a healthy, supportive, nurturing home with a family. However, when children can’t safely stay in their families of origin, we help them build secure, healthy attachments so they can reengage with their biological families and repair the wounds of their past.

The first step in helping the children in our care is to give them the space and place to explore their past while receiving compassionate support and unconditional love. In the long run, it always starts with the little things.

Thank you to the fantastic gravel camp participants. Learning with and from you this past week was a true pleasure and honor.