Happy Holidays from HBI

To the Health Bridges International Community:

We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to all of you.  Our HBI team - Dr. Wayne Centrone, Ben Grass, Dr. Bob Gehringer, Dr. Daniel Bueno-Rojas, Karen Falkenstein, and our newest team member Carmen Zavala - experienced a level of support in 2012 that surpassed all previous years.  Thanks to your support - we have touched thousands of lives.  

Each and everyone of you comprise an ever growing, ever more intricate network of individuals and passions that bring fortitude, vision, and determination to the work of Health Bridges International.  You are our committed change agents, who generously share your passion for the work of HBI.  You are the quiet contributors, whose monthly donations keep our wheels on the ground.  And most of all you are the volunteers who stepped out of your daily lives to join us in service and in learning throughout this year.

Each one of you, in a very real and powerful way - make up the HBI Community. Together we work to create human-to-human connections and build powerful bridges of hope and support.  Together we work to build relationships that strive for sustainable changes in the health of communities and individuals. For those whom we have been privileged to serve this year are also those who teach us what it means to live to the fullest extent and possibility of our own humanity.

Together with all of you, we can proudly say that we are Health Bridges International . . . we are change agents . . . and we are the bridge.  So here's to you, for making the blessings of this year flow over.  Thank you.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year,

The Health Bridges International Team

What Next?

Now that all of the runners and staff are safely back in the U.S. and the Bridging the Divide 2012 events are over – there remains a lingering question . . . What next? What next for 2013 and what next to make this event a meaningful tool for social change?

Before we go there –  a huge thank you must go out to the team that made the 2012 event possible: Dr. Daniel Bueno Rojas for his amazing organizational skills and tireless efforts, Ms. Carmen Zavala for her “never-say-never” attitude and dedication to full-on service, Ms. Lilia Herrera for her help and support in the City of Arequipa, Mr. Benjamin Grass for his dedication and commitment to making the events happen, and Ms. Karen Falkenstein for her ever-present  smile and her unbelievable heart of service. Special thanks also goes out to the many sponsors and support staff in Lima, Piura and Arequipa who made the events a reality. Thank you!

Now, what about 2012 – well, the 2012 events received record press. We had articles in every major newspaper in Peru, were featured vignettes on a number of television and radio programs, and created a real buzz of conversation and interest in all three of the host cities. AND – what next? It is all well and good to create excitement and draw people into a conversation about social change – but do we really need to do? What will help take the Bridging the Divide experience to the next level?

Our responsibility is to define the necessary steps to build the Bridging the Divide events into a true movement. Over the last couple of days we have been talking about what that might look like. Our challenge is to take a set of 50-kilometer runs and make them more than just runs. Our challenge is to ensure that the messages of collaboration, partnerships, and social justice take center stage – fully outshining the physical efforts of running 150 kilometers.

This years event was a huge success. We had more people join us on the roads of Lima (close to 1,000) Arequipa (350) and Piura (counting the 300 school children who ran three blocks with us – we had over 450) than in 2011. We received press in every major newspaper and on multiple radio and television outlets. We connected with well over 25,000 people in the cities where we ran. We expanded our efforts and ran an additional 50-kilometer event in the City of Piura. We received valuable support from Peruvian Congresswoman Carla Schaffer Cucculiza. And, we had amazing support from local municipalities and community organizations. It was an incredible year . . . and, we built a number of bridges. Yet – there is more to be done.

Over the coming weeks we will be seriously asking ourselves “what next?” We know that the Bridging the Divide event has the potential to be a powerful tool for change – and our responsibility is to be ever mindful to the bigger picture of the project.

Thank you for all of the support to make this event successful. We raised over $12,000 and drew a number of people into the HBI family. As a parting note for the 2012 Bridging the Divide event, please check out the following videos developed by one of the runners (Martin Peters): http://vimeo.com/55306875 and http://vimeo.com/55445783

PIctures from the Run in Arequipa

Two Down and One to Go

We did it! Run number two in Arequipa is in the bag. We gained over 1,800 feet of elevation and expended over 6,400 calories. This was a great run. We had over 15 runners  from the Club Colca – a group of very fit runners who train at 12,000 feet above sea level.

A special thanks to our support team of Veronica, Father Alex, Carmenciata, Karencita, Danny, Lucho and Mariella. A fantastic team and a fantastic day of 7 hours of running. Our next run is in the City of Piura and we hope to have a full squadron of runners and “bridge builders” from all over Piura.

More Photos from Lima

A gallery of photos from our adventures in Lima -

Thank you for all of the support!

We Did It!

 We did it. One down . . . and two to go! 50 kilometers through ten different Lima communities. Over countless roads. A total of 6,616 calories burned (as per my fancy Polar Heart Rate watch). And, almost 1,000 participants joining us at various stages of the route. It was fantastic. Way to go team. Check out the course at: http://www.facebook.com/imthebridge

Tonight we celebrate – a little cold libations, some comfort food and a LOT OF SLEEP. Tomorrow afternoon we head to Arequipa for run number two. The Arequipa 50 kilometers promises to be even more of a challnege with the intenese sun of the high Andes and . . . well, the high Andes.

Stay up-to-date with our team on Twitter (@imthebridge) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/imthebridge); and watch the “Bridging the Divide” website on Wednesday for day-of-run route updates and posts (http://iamthebridge.org/iamthebridge/Home.html).

Thank you for all of the support!

2012 Bridging the Divide - The Press

The press continues to roll in. We are getting a great deal of media attention in Lima for the 2012 Bridging the Divide event (and the entire country – as Lima drives news to all of the Provinces).

Yesterday was our “kick off” press conference and we had a tremendous level of attendance from the Press and a cadre of movie, print and TV personalities and stars.

After the press conference, Ben, Carmen and the team took one of the celebrities with them to the RPP radio and TV station and he had a day time interview.  They didn’t want the HBI team, just a celebrity so Carmen and Ben fed him what to say and he did a really good job.  You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vy5J7-7m-Y0#!

From there the HBI team went to Real Plaza (our principle sponsor for the events and a great community supporter) and helped pass out flyers. There has been a stand at the Real Plaza stores all week with someone handing out flyers which should get some attention for the finish. Speaking of the finish of the Lima 50km run –  the finish should be pretty grand.  There is a huge stage and a big screen TV and there are plans for a real festive experience. Oh my gosh I hope we don’t implode and actually make it to the finish!?

Today our team has a TV interview and a radio interview. Tomorrow myself, Ben, Carmen and Daniel are all headed for another TV interview and a bunch of press junkets.

Stay posted to the website for continuous updates - http://iamthebridge.org/iamthebridge/Home.html

Thanks for all of your support!

Be the Bridge

The Second Annual Health Bridges International Bridging the Divide is a three race event occurring in three separate cities in Peru over the course of one week.

A group of North American volunteers and Peruvian athletes will be running three 50-kilometer runs. The runs will take place in the cities of Lima, Arequipa and Piura.

The point of the event - to draw more people into volunteer efforts and to shift the scope of poverty. In each of the three host cities, HBI has organized volunteer events with Peruvian NGOs. We will be running from event-to-event.

The goal  - to demonstrate to people the short distances that exist between "have" and "have not" communities and to draw more people into the opportunity to serve.

You can follow our efforts (there will be real time posts from the course of each run) at: I am the Bridge

Please consider donating to this very important project. Join us - Be the Bridge!

Sourcing Hope

One of the boys we met with this last week in Yungay at the Casa Girasoles Kusi is a young man who I have known for years. I first met him at another one of the Union Biblica Girasoles homes called Kawai.

He is a delightful young man of 21, who is the strong and silent type. He rarely talks unless he is spoken to and has a quiet demeanor that hides a very complex life. For purposes of his confidentiality, I am going to call him Wilbur.

Wilbur lived at Casa Girasoles Kawai for years. In fact, in the almost 20-years that I have been traveling to Kawai I have a hard time ever remembering a time when Wilbur wasn't at the home. I have been told a bit about his background. I was once told that he came from a life that could only be described as hard. He has a little brother who is also at the Casa Girasoles home in Kusi. I know he is very protective of his little brother.

A worker once told me that Wilbur had been through so much in his life on the streets partly because he worked so hard to protect his younger brother. Protect him from prostitution, stealing, fighting and any other manner of survival that living on the streets requires. I have also know Wilbur to be very quiet about his past. I totally understand why.

A few years back Wilbur and a friend of his were crossing the busy Pan-American Highway that runs just outside of the front gates to the Casa Girasoles Kawai. The Pan-American highway is a strange series of constantly expanding and contracting roadways of two to four lanes. There is a steady stream of trucks, buses and private vehicles - all traveling at very high speeds.  It can be very hard to distinguish the "layers" of traffic on the road - as cars will often travel in slipstreams to save fuel. Well, on this day Wilbur and his friend watched a bus traveling a high speeds from a distance and judged the exact time they would need to race past the vehicle to the center island of the highway. Unbeknownst to them, next to this bus - under cover of the inside lane and in the shadow of the large bus - was a truck. Wilbur's friend ran out first. He was instantly struck by the speeding truck. Wilbur's "two-steps-behind" pace provided just enough distance to prevent him from meeting the same fate.

I am certain the scene of the accident was one of pure horror. I have been told by a Union Biblica staff person that it was like a "war scene." Wilbur, being the courageous boy that he was (and is) cradled his friend while a bystander ran for help. Wilbur later told a staff person that he held his friend as he died. He said he looked into his eyes as he passed away.

The pain and anguish of holding a dear friend as they die would be nearly impossible for anyone to process and deal with. It is that much harder for a young man who has known nothing but pain in his short life.  Shortly after the accident, Wilbur asked to be sent to the Casa Girasoles Kusi home in Yungay. He wanted to start over and find a new life.

This week when we were at the Girasoles home in Yungay, Wilbur told a Union Biblica staff person that he has been unable to "think clearly" since the death of his friend. He also confided that he continues to feel "pain deep in his head." 

I think that some of our work in the trips we take to the Casa Girasoles homes is about our work to support the infrastructure and program development for Union Biblica. And, I think a lot of our work is about being present to the suffering of boys like Wilbur. Certainly, I can never take away the pain and the horrible suffering that Wilbur has been through in his life . . . though I sure wish I could. I guess the one thing I can do is hold a place for Wilbur's healing. I can be present to his pain and I can not forget his story.

Tonight as I speed through sky in a plane bound for Portland and home to my two wonderful ladies - I will hold Wilbur deeply in my thoughts and prayers. Through my constant allegiance to his story, I feel I can show him the respect and love that he so surely deserves. And, most of all I can work to shape a world where young boys like Wilbur never end up on the streets in the first place.

Back in the USA

I am back Stateside and jumping right back into a full load of activities.

My goodness – it is amazing, that it has only been a few hours since I was on the streets of Lima and here I am in the ultra modern Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. It feels so close and yet so very far.

We met with Dr. Townsend Cooper from the Anglican Church on Sunday afternoon to further refine and define our steps for the Special Needs Children Program (see prospectus document above). We have a huge undertaking before us. We are hoping to develop a model care delivery and advocacy program for medically fragile children and we have a ton-oh-work before we can fully start the project. We are also working to establish a research component of our project. The ultimate goal is to create a sustainable and reproducible model that can be translated to a number of different environments to holistically manage the complex needs of medically fragile children and their families.

We plan to start with the first phase of our project. The remaining phases of the project will unfold over the course of 2013. We are really excited for this work and feel confident that it will represent a model way for the Peruvian Government to address the complicated and complex needs of medically fragile children in resource constrained environments. Stay tuned for more updates. Thanks.

Ica the End of the Campaign

 Photo: The plaque at the Casa Girasoles in Ica.

 Photo: Our home away from home in the desert.

 Photo: Pepe - the team mascot. Boy did Pepe and I bond . . . 

 Photo: Team breakfast before our departure.

Photo: Our bus ride back to Lima.

Once again, off we go. This time we are on our way back to Lima. Our two days in Ica at the Casa Girasoles have been very fruitful. Yesterday was spent seeing all of the boys at the house and helping to develop a record keeping system for the health and social care needs.

Our clinic started around 9 a.m. and ended just after 7 p.m. Needless-to-say, it was a long day. The challenge for our project is the fact that there is a strong needs to document a “holistic” history and evaluation on each boy – as mandated by a Government law established in 2010. The exact requirements of the new law (although the law was established in 2010, it was not operationalized and required until this year) are still being sorted out. We figure it will take a couple of years for the Peruvian Government to fully require compliance with the details of the mandate. For now, we are hoping to develop a model that can be rolled out to all of the Casa Girasoles.

At present, we have completed a trial of our record keeping and evaluation project at three houses; and, we have run into challenges at each location. We have also established some amazing relationships with the boys in the Girasoles houses and the staff working at each location.

One little boy I had the pleasure of serving yesterday was a short stature 8-year old by the name of Sanchez. He has a deep, raspy voice that seems more appropriately vocalized from the body of a person five decades his senior. He is absolutely adorable – constantly in motion and forever questioning everything. Sanchez has lived at the Girasoels house in Ica for 4-years. He comes from a very economically impoverished background. At one point when we were seeing him he mentioned that he had a hard time hearing. A quick otoscopic exam definitely diagnosed the etiology of his decreased hearing. He had more sand in his years than may be physically possible.

Karen helped to lavage his ears with a special large gauge syringe infused with warm water and hydrogen peroxide. He was not that happy with our procedure. In fact, it took more than a few folks to coax him through the procedure. Later last night at dinner Sanchez was sitting a few chairs away from me. I asked him if he left better. He looked at me with a puzzled appearance, not quite understand the intent of my inquiry. I rephrased my question and asked him if he could hear well. He responded with one word – “bastante” (lots)!

I love the work we are doing. I love the fact that the goal of our work is to connect the pieces together to create a bigger whole. Collaboration is built through relationships and trust. Each day we strive to create deeper relationships and establish more trust through the merits of our work and the compassion of our service.

Ica - Casa Girasoles

Today was a transfer day. We left Lima this morning and boarded another bus – this time heading south along the Pan American highway for 6+ hours. Our destination – the city of Ica.

Ica is a coastal community just North of the driest desert in the world. Ica is best know for a massive earthquake that decimated parts of the community in 2007. HBI has worked with our Peruvian partner Union Biblica in this area for a few years now. The city is just now recovering from the devastating effects of the earthquake.

We will be working here for two days. Once again, seeing all the boys at the Casa Girasoles is our main priority. Our goal for this project and campaign continues to be documenting the needs of the children and helping to develop a formal medical and social record keeping system. We are so fortunate to be working with Union Biblica and their fantastic team (Billy and Kate are two of the best people anyone could ever wish to meet and have the pleasure of working with).

Tonight at dinner one of the house parents was telling me that our dental team was going to be very busy. Thank goodness we have two dentists and the amazing energy and extreme talents of our team (Karen, HBI’s Director of Nursing – does the work of three people). Mike Dotten has been a real trooper acting as the dentists assistant. His poor back has got to be killing me – but Mike is never one to complain!

On our trip to Ica we took a slight divergence and visited one of Peru’s most famous winery. It was a fun filled visit to a former convent turned winery. We really enjoyed getting to see a window into the past of this ancient colonial city.