ADVENTURES IN HEALING

The Art of the Relationship

2012-01-27T16:40:00.001-08:00

I have not submitted a new Blog post in quite some time. Travel, full "to do" lists and a heavy workload have made it a bit difficult. I did, however, want to write about an experience I had last night on a business trip to Boston.

As many of you know, I travel to Boston on a fairly regular basis. I go there for my "day job" with the Center for Social Innovation. Since my body clock is completely thrown off with the 3-hour time difference and because of the heavy workload I undertake while at the office, I often go to dinner rather late. On one of my trips I found this fantastic neighborhood restaurant not far from the hotel where I stay.

The restaurant, 51 Lincoln, is a great mix of foodie pleasure and small town sensibility. I almost always go to the restaurant once or twice during my stays in the Boston area. This week I went by myself for my usual late night dinner at the bar. I ended up striking a fantastic conversation with the sommelier/assistant general manager and the lead bar tender. Miguel and Anthony are great guys with a broad knowledge of food, wine, and restaurant service. The type of people you really enjoy getting to know.

I had so much fun talking with Anthony and Miguel that I decided to take our team to 51 Lincoln on the following night. My goodness - what a night we had. We were honored with a great table in the wine room, Miguel recommended a really phenomenal bottle of wine, and the Executive Chef/owner brought a complimentary charceutrie plate with a special thank you from the kitchen. It was really an evening to remember.

Why, you may be asking yourself, am I Blogging about a dinner I had in Boston when HBI focuses on bridging resource with need for communities living in extreme poverty. Well, the answer is this - what I found in my experience at 51 Lincoln was a community. A set of new friends and new relationships that will be a part of my on-going work/life in the Boston area.

This is exactly what HBI is doing. We are working to create the sort of "impact" relationships that connect people, resources, and communities together around a common goal of sustainable change. I know it seems a bit absurd for me to compare an evening at a restaurant to the needs of connecting resources around advancing healthcare delivery to impoverished people; but, it really is grounded in the same thing.

Change, lasting change, comes from people working with people. This is based on relationships. Imagine what the world could be like with we embraced everyone in a warm, friendly manner. Imagine what would happen if everyone were invited to the table. Imagine what will happen when we are no longer strangers - but become friends.

Thank you 51 Lincoln. You rock!

HBI's Director of Operations

2012-01-15T09:21:00.001-08:00

HBI's Director of Operations, Ben Grass, was recently featured in the Wausau Daily Herald. The article highlights Ben's work on the Bridging the Divide Run, but also includes a wonderful background on this remarkable young man.

Read the article at: http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012201130365

HBI's First Health Professions Scholarship Recipient Graduates

2011-12-15T06:25:00.000-08:00

Photo: Dra. Paola, Roberto (her husband) and Beto their son

Photo: HBI's very own Dr. Daniel and Dra. Paola

Photo: A very happy family

Dra. Paola Bueno Rojas graduated from Dental School on December 13.

Dra. Paola is the first recipient of the HBI Health Professions Scholarship program. During her time in Dental School, Dra. Paola volunteered with HBI on medical and dental outreach campaigns, helped with HBI related projects in the capacity of a dental student and interpreter (Paola also attended a prestigious English training program for four years under an HBI scholarship and holds a teaching certificate in English instruction) and helped to recruit other dental professionals to participate in HBI supported activities.

Dra. Paola will begin her internship year in January and will be working with HBI to help deliver desperately needed dental services to impoverished communities in the Lima area. We hope to use Dra. Paola to help recruit a "team" of Peruvian dentist who will work with other Peruvian NGOs to deliver dental services to impoverished communities. Our goal is that Dra. Paola will develop a "Dental Providers for the Underserved" group in Lima.

We are very proud of Dra. Paola and look forward to working with her to build bridges of support throughout Peru.

Thank you to all of the donors and supporters who contributed to Dra. Paola's education and professional formation.

Back in Portland

2011-12-13T13:02:00.000-08:00

Ben, Martin and I are back in Portland after almost 24-hours of travel.

We are tired, a little sore from being crammed into a full coach flight from Lima for almost 10 straight hours, but we are really happy with the results of the inaugural Bridging the Divide event.

We will be resting for the next couple of days and then really planning the next steps for the I Am the Bridge campaign and our Bridging the Divide event in 2012.

A very big thank you to all of our supporters.

Bridging the Divide - Recap

2011-12-11T06:35:00.000-08:00

We started our adventure in Lima one week ago. Our goal was a lofty one - to use two 50-kilometer runs in the principle cities of Lima and Arequipa to draw attention to the great economic, social, and physical divides that exist between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' in Peru.

The run courses were challenging physically and emotionally draining. Our run in Lima started in one of the poorest areas in all of Latin America. We circuitously worked our way through some of the wealthiest neighborhoods and finished on the steps of the Municipal building in the historic District of Rimac.

Throughout the run we drew attention from on-lookers, support from the various Districts, and collaboration from our many partner organizations. On multiple occasions we were presented with a different commemorative t-shirt to mark our entry into a new part of the city. It was a festive experience that really help to draw together the various communities we traversed.

In Arequipa our course was almost overwhelming. We started our run in the area where our long term partner Father Alex Busuttil and the Missionary Society of St. Paul run a model community program. Standing in the dirt of this extremely impoverished community, we received a send-off blessing from Father Alex before plunging almost 2,000 feet to the bustling market center of the city.

At the Mercado Avelino Caceres we stopped to meet with the street children who are a part of the Educadores de Calle program. The 20+ kids were all crammed into a little second floor room playing board games and bingo. They were so happy to see us. Happy because our arrival meant they were the recipients of cookies and candy.

After a brief visit with the children and a couple of photos, we were back on our feet and running through the heavy Saturday traffic of the market. From there, we snaked our way up to the most challenging portion of our run course - an almost 1,700 foot climb to the top of the impoverished District of Mariano Melgar.

From the summit of our climb we could see the entire city of Arequipa. Our vantage point allowed us to fully appreciate the enormity of the area and the vast differences that exist between the 'rich' districts and neighborhoods and the impoverished communities.

Dropping down from our perch overlooking the massive city, we ran over lesser climbs for another 20-kilometers through the Districts of Miraflores and Selva Alegre before ending our run in the city center at the Plaza de Armas and the Bascilica of Arequipa. On the steps of the Cathedral we were greeted by a small group of supporters and provided cold water and a series of friendly handshakes. 100-kilometers run over 4-days - we did it!

The runs were, however, secondary to our goal of drawing more attention to the needs of the poor and the opportunities that we all have to "build bridges" to help close the gap that exists between the 'haves' and 'have nots' of the world.

We know that the Bridging the Divide event is only the beginning. The real challenge will be to take the interest and enthusiasm generated from the runs and turn it into actions. Over the coming weeks we will be working with our partners in Peru to build effective programs and projects that allow more Peruvians to volunteer their time, energies and talents.

The donations received from this event will help these efforts. Please support us and "Be the Bridge" for change. Thank you!

Oh yea - we did it!

2011-12-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

Photo: The final push down Santa Catalina Street in downtown Arequipa - a special thank you to our Peruvian police escorts

Photo: Ben and Wayne

Photo: All Around Nice Guy Martin "The Hero" Peters

Photo: No really, how much further?

Photo: The start - Tres Hombres

Photo: We did it! Standing with our reception team and the Peruvian artist who painted a wonderful picture to commemorate the Bridging the Divide Run

Today started at over 9,000 feet above sea level. We planned to run down to just slightly above 7,000 feet and then ascend back up to almost 9,000 again. In between there were a number of hills, many feral dogs, a tremendous blazing sun and the dirt roads of the Pueblos Jovenes. Oh yea - and a really bum toe and a runner with bad (I mean really bad) diarrhea. And, in spite of all of these challenges - we did it!

Today was an amazing experience with a fantastic group of guys (Martin and Ben - you two rock) and an unbelievable support team (Dr. Bob, Dr. Daniel, Hugo Blanco, Natalie, Ivy, Adan, and Father Alex).

Thank you to everyone who made the Bridging the Divide 100 Kilometers for Change event possible.

Arequipa Run Day

2011-12-10T02:57:00.000-08:00

Arequipa run morning -

We thought we would start run number two with little fanfare. Our hope was to leave the impoverished community of "Sector B of the 1st of July" and gently make our way onto the 50km course.

Well - this morning I awoke to a truck driving around the neighborhood where we are staying blasting a loud speaker announcing the "Grand Marathon of Three Gringos." So much for an anonymous start.

A big thank you to everyone for all of their support.

What for updates throughout the day on the I am the Bridge website: http://iamthebridge.org/run/Bridging_the_divide_run/Follow_the_run_Arequipa.html

Video - on the way to the TV Interview

2011-12-09T16:22:00.000-08:00

Video: On the way to the Bridging the Divide TV interview in AREQUIPA with Father Alex and the running team.

Press meetings and interviews - today was a long day

2011-12-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

Photo: Dr. Daniel Bueno, lawyer, promoter and trusted press agent for HBI

Photo: Adon - Trusted friend of HBI, Bridging the Divide driver, navigator and all around great guy #2

Photo: Benjamin live on the radio

Photo: Benjamin and "All Around Great Guy" Martin in a TV interview

Photos from the Lima Run

2011-12-08T18:36:00.001-08:00

Photo: Downtown Lima - almost there.

Photo: The finish line and the final reception.

Photo: Running with our friends from the military academy; they were a life saver for the last 4km.

Photo: Martin "All Around Great Guy" Peters

Photo: The wall - I hit it hard.

Photo: With congresswoman Cuculiza in the Plaza de Armas of Lima - almost done!

Photo: Ben - ever the faithful documentarian with his camera

Photo: Running down the middle of the street with the Mayor of San Borja and members of the city running club.

Photo: The Mayor of Miraflores at about the 20km mark of the run.

The First 50km - LIMA

2011-12-08T13:01:00.001-08:00

Surreal is the only word that has the power to truly describe our experience yesterday in Lima. For almost six hours we ran through some of the busiest areas of the city. Areas of great wealth and immense poverty. We ran with groups of children. We ran with mayors. We ran with movie stars. All of this with an escort of ten police motorcycles and a caravan that included a lead police vehicle and a series of following support cars. We literally shut down the streets as we ran through busy intersections and along major thoroughfares. It was . . . amazing.

From the very start of the run we all three knew this was going to be one of the days in our lives we would never forget. Our first event was a large send off in the community of Villa Maria Triunfo. There was a band, a reception with over 1,000 people and words of support from the mayor.

From the “opening” ceremony we were bused up the hill into one of the poorest areas in all of Latin America (Las Pampas del Virgen del San Lourdes). An area where most all of the households survive on less than $2 dollars per day. Our run started with an additional rousing overture from the band and the ceremonial dropping of a start line. We ran for the next 5-kilometers down hill with a group of some 25 children. It was . . . amazing.

Our run winded us through the Pueblos Jovenes of San Juan de Miraflores and the inner city community of La Victoria. Over our 50-kilometer adventure we would run through districts that are literally separated by a few kilometers - but representing very drastic differences in socioeconomic status. Our goal for the run was to "bridge" communities together through a common understanding that we are all agents for change. Our goal for the Bridging the Divide event is to invite more Peruvians to become the bridge in their own communities.

The first real challenge came as we exited the affluent community of Miraflores. After a brief greeting from the mayor of this very important coastal neighborhood, we ran down a long commercial highway. It must have been 400 degrees Fahrenheit! At least it sure felt like it. From there we circuitously made our way through the neighborhood of Surquillo before entering the community of San Borja.

In San Borja we were greeted by the mayor and his team of Peruvian horses. The roads were completely closed as we ran to the Municipal Hall to be joined by a group of some 25 athletes from the San Borja Running Club. From there we ran 6-kilometers with a new team of compatriots, an escort of press vehicles, and our caboose of show horses. There were people lining the sides of the streets cheering our strides; and at one point a roadside band greeted us and a duo of stilt elevated clowns. It was . . . amazing.

The next 20-kilometers were, in one word, painful. The sun, the heat, the humidity, and the miles – everything started to conspire against us. Thankfully we had a fantastic support team (Carmencita, Hugo-Blanco, Dr. Bob, Billy G, Eloy and Dr. Daniel). They loaded us up with fluids, energy foods, and words of encouragement. Before we knew it we were arriving into the city center and the historic part of Lima.

We ran around the Plaza de Armas, through balcony-lined streets and over the river and into the District of Rimac. Our Rimac run included a series of laps (we had to make certain our run met the full obligation of 50-kilometers) around a few colonial parks with a group of some 50 cadets from a military school.

We ended our 50-kilometer adventure in the Plaza of Rimac, where the Mayor and his personal staff greeted us with a festive reception. The whole day – from the start in Villa Maria Triunfo to the navigating of the busy streets of Lima – was a fantastic experience. We hope that through this effort we can truly demonstrate the power of collaboration.

Set for the Run

2011-12-06T19:08:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is run number one. We are in Lima, we are excited and we are ready to go.

Follow our progress and watch video and photo updates on-line at: http://iamthebridge.org/run/Bridging_the_divide_run/Follow_the_run_Lima.html

A couple of new media posts have been added, see: http://www.agendameperu.com/2011/12/05/uniendo-pueblos-eliminando-la-brecha-100km-por-el-cambio/ and http://quinceteens.com/%C2%A1100-km-por-el-cambio/

Thanks for all of your support -

Bridging the Divide - Lima Press Conference, Day of Event

2011-12-05T13:08:00.001-08:00

Photo: The front table at the event - famous Peruvian congresspeople, athletes, artists, singers - and then there was me.

The Press Conference for the Bridging the Divide was this afternoon and . . . it went spectacular. We had a room filled with press and invited guests (a few famous television actors and musicians) and a staged filled with political and entertainment dignitaries.

The real test of the success of our Press Conference will be in the coming days. Will we get any newsprint media to pick-up the story and write an article? Who knows. One thing we do know is this - our message - is getting out there and people are excited to work together.

Pasted below are my remarks from the event (don't worry, I did not read this entire 'novel'). Rather I asked people to consider how they might become a bridge in their own lives. I asked people to take on the challenge of becoming change agents in their own communities. I asked people to become the Bridge!

Thank you for all your continued support -

PRESS CONFERENCE REMARKS, December 05, 2011 - Thank you for being here this afternoon. We are excited to tell you about our inaugural Bridging the Divide event, but before we do that – a few acknowledgements must be made.

We are humbled by the support we have received from a number of very notable dignitaries, business leaders, sports figures, actors and artists. Support from congressmen and women, the Minster of Health of Peru, the Mayors of San Borja, Rimac, and Villa Maria del Triunfo and from a number of famous Peruvians. Irregardless of vocation, all of these people are Bridges – who share the conviction to make a difference in the lives of their fellow Peruvians.

We especially want to thank Congresswoman Karla Schaefer Cuculiza for her support in putting this important project together. Congresswoman Karla has been making a difference throughout Peru in the work of her NGO and the many civic charities she is involved with.

A special thank you to our collaborating partners, organizations and individuals who are building bridges everyday in Peru. Organizations like: Minestra de Inclusion Social y Desarrollo who work with marginalized groups around the country to provide support and advocacy, the Peruvian Ministry of Health who has invested heavily in making the health of all Peruvians a major priority, Union Biblica del Peru and their work with abandon street youth, the Anglican Church of Peru and the efforts of their NGO to bring health and social services to the poorest Peruvians, the Catholic Church and the Missionary Society of St. Paul and Father Alex Busuttil who runs a model program that provides daily feeding, on-going medical care and social supports to a community of almost 30,000 people in the Alto Cayma area of Arequipa, Vida Peru a Peruvian run organization that strives to bring equipment and health care professionals to the poorest areas of Peru, and OPRECE a blindness prevention program run by Dr. Daniel Bueno Rojas and Dr. Francisco Cisneros that provides desperately needed eye surgeries for marginalized people all over Peru.

Finally, we are very appreciative for the participation of the media. Your attendance at this Press Conference is vital to the success of disseminating this Bridging the Divide event. We hope you find our story to be one of hard work together for the betterment of all our brothers and sisters.

The inaugural Bridging the Divide event is rooted in our belief that there is a moral obligation to bridge the economic, social and physical distances that exist between the rich and the poor.

Our message is simple – I am the bridge, you are the bridge, we all must be the bridge to create change. There are a record number of government programs, non-governmental organizations and concerned citizens dedicating their time and resources to working with the poor. For the past few years, Peru has been growing at a record rate. This economic prosperity, however, has come at a significant price; and that price is the growing gap that exists between haves and have-nots. The wealthiest socioeconomic sectors of Peru’s society enjoy a level of economic freedom never before seen. And yet, today, over 50% of Peru’s population lives in poverty. And, it is estimated that over 19% live in abject poverty - living on less than $1.00 per day.

I picked up a “Peru 21” newspaper boarding the plane from US to Peru two days ago and I was struck by the front-page article. The article outlined the massive changes occurring over the last 5-years in the housing market of Lima. More and more Limenos are purchasing homes. More and more Limenos are living in places like Miraflores, San Isidro, Surco and San Borja, and more and more Limenos are purchasing their dreams. However, that dream of home ownership and the freedom that comes having economic equity is not making its way into the lives of people living in places like San Juan de Miraflores, Villa El Salvador, and Villa Maria del Triunfo. People, separated by only very short physical distance, live in shockingly different worlds. The challenge is to narrow the distance between these worlds and build bridges of support to serve the needs of every community.

Please don’t get me wrong – massive economic changes have occurred in Peru for the better. The middle class is growing at an accelerated rate. The gap between rich and poor, and between Lima and the rest of the country, is also shrinking.

There is, however, a challenge to this economic enhancement. The new wealth of Peru has not been evenly distributed to all Peruvians. In the pueblos jovenes life is a daily struggle. For some of the poorest communities, less than 25 percent of homes have access to running potable water. This can all change. A different picture can emerge.

I want to tell you a story. A story about a beautiful young Peruvian girl who has changed my life.

Her name is Ines and she suffers from a very rare skin condition. A condition so rare that there are estimated to be only a few cases in all of Peru. This condition causes her skin to blister and peel off in sheets from the slightest trauma. The simple act of walking or eating causes the development of painful blisters on the soles of her feet and the roof of her mouth.

For most of her young life she has suffered with an enormous amount of daily pain. Through the generosity of a donor group in the United States, HBI has been able to help Ines and her family. Donations have been used to make desperately needed repairs on their impoverished home, money has been used to pay for private school (Ines was told she could not attend public school because their was a concern she was contagious), and resources have been mobilized to help stabilize her condition. There is no cure for her diagnosis. But there is hope for a better life.

Thanks to the support and leadership of Reverend Pat Blanchard and the Anglican Church, today the program that was originally developed to help Ines has been expanded to provide support for a whole group of medically fragile children. By working together with

The problem with this story – there are thousands of children with medically fragile conditions. On any given night there are hundreds of thousands of children working and living on the streets, and there are millions of children living in poverty, whose families may have lost hope that their children can live in a different reality. Our hope is to assure that every child has access to the services they need, the services they morally deserve, by building bridges.

This dramatic change will not come from any one organization; and, it will not come from money alone. It will only come from a collective response. A response that has organizations working together to share their resources, their ideas, their skills and their talents to better the lives of people living in desperate poverty. Change will happen . . . but only through collaboration.

Why, you may be asking is an organization based out of Portland, Oregon in the United States here, in Peru, telling this story. Why are three “gringos” running 100 challenging kilometers through some of the poorest areas in Lima and Arequipa?

Why? - Well, for the 3 of us running – the answer is quite clear. We are committed to our work in Peru – and, we recognize that the only way we are going to truly make a difference is to mobilize more Peruvians to become the change agents. 3 things: It is a small demonstration that the physical distance between Villa Maria del Triunfo and San Juan de Miraflores is a short distance reachable by foot, but the individuals living in these areas are worlds apart. Second, is to raise money for our organization all of which will continue supporting the work of our Peruvian partners. Lastly our commitment is not only to mobilize ourselves, but all Peruvians to act as change agents in their own communities.

HBI’s commitment to empower local leaders to better serve the healthcare needs of the poor and underserved, means that we need to help mobilize more resources to our partners. This two-event run will bring greater attention to the needs of the poor and highlight opportunities to better support Peruvian organizations.

Mario Vargas Llosa commenting on violence and atrocities of the terrorist movement, wrote "[the war] did not leave innocents; we were all stained, by action or by omission." If we choose not to help, or if we don’t pay attention to poverty at all, we are not innocent, we are all stained. In tough economic times our collective actions will help to remove that stain and help to extend the reach of our resources. By working together. By collaborating our resources – our talents, our skills, our knowledge, our ideas – we can help to dramatically re-shape the lives of people living in extreme poverty. We can continue the process of ending extreme poverty in Peru, but we can only do this together.

We invite you all to run with us, to create change with us, to build bridges with us. Yo soy el Puente.

We appreciate the support we are receiving to make this event, these runs, a reality. We invite everyone to join us on December 07 at the Plaza de Armas of Villa Maria del Triunfo in front of the Municipality building at 7:30 am for the introduction of our Lima Bridging the Divide 50-kilometer run.

Getting Ready for the Run

2011-12-04T19:59:00.001-08:00

We made it to Lima and we literally hit the ground running. We arrived very late last night (actually the wee hours of the morning) and slept-in this morning. Around noon we hit the road for a training run. The temperature and the humidity are going to be a challenge.

Coming from the U.S. and winter, to Latin America and summer means we are in for a shock. We are loading up on fluids and making certain to get plenty of rest.

Tomorrow is our Press Conference at the Peruvian Congress. We are expecting quite the crowd. We will be filming part of the event and posting clips on this site and HBI Facebook page.

Tonight, I am finalizing the remarks I will say at the Press Conference, Ben is helping to edit a promotional document, Hugo is putting together 50-copies of the video we will use to promote the event to the press, and Daniel is running around attending to all of the last minute details.

Wow - this is going to be one full week. Here we go . . .

Univision TV Interview

2011-12-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Check out this interview (http://kunptv.com/multimedia/minuto-internacional/39241/5854/carrera-en-perú) with HBI's Director of Operations (Benjamin Grass) talking about the upcoming Bridging the Divide event. Nice work Ben!

Bridging the Divide

2011-12-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

Photo: Hall of the Republic in the Peruvian Congressional Building - the location of our December 05 Press Conference

And away we go . . .

Ben and I leave tomorrow for the Bridging the Divide events. Martin will be joining us in Lima on Sunday. Needless-to-say, the final preparations for the events are unfolding at a harried pace.

We are looking forward to the Press Conference on Monday and hope to generate a great deal of interest and excitement about the events. We will be posting video updates from the Press Conference along with all of the media related activities next week on the Bridging the Divide Blog.

Thank you for all of your on-going support. If you have not already, please consider donating to the Bridging the Divide project and following our running progress at: I am the Bridge

Wandering Bob

2011-11-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

An update from Dr. Bob Gehringer, HBI's peripatetic Medical Director:

"Hello Everyone,

It's been a while since there has been a Peruvian epistle from me, so Thanksgiving seems a good time. The Peruvian calendar is replete with holidays, but El Dia de la Accion de Gracias, Thanksgiving, isn't among them. I've been in Peru almost a month this time, and this week in Ica (check the map), where I've been kept rather busy with multiple neonatal resuscitation workshops. So far this week, I've done six workshops for a total of 117 medical professionals of various sorts, with two more tomorrow. I just spoke to Natalie and all is well, though I'd rather be enjoying Thanksgiving with some of you at home. At least the Packers won again.

So, yesterday.... I went to Pisco, a small city near the ocean, to the hospital to do a training, and had a delicious ceviche lunch with the director. Late afternoon, I was picked up at my small downtown Ica hotel to be transported with all my gear a little over two hours south to Nazca by a guy named Gustavo Montoya Lopez, a chunky, gregarious, middle-age Peruvian. We headed south on the Pan American highway out of Ica through a wide irrigated valley about equally divided between vineyards and cotton fields and punctuated by smaller plots of aspargus, artichokes, and corn. The Pan American is really the only north-south highway of any consequence in Peru, mostly a busy two lane road with a variety of vehicles, especially inter-city double deck buses and long haul trucks.

The first half hour was through the valley with the sun setting behind the first ridge of the coastal range of the Andes a few miles to the west. Sunsets happen more quickly here than in my more familiar northern latitudes and the clouds went rapidly from cotton candy pink to a deep mauve before fading into night sky. We rolled south climbing a bit to a plateau of rocky desert moonscape devoid of vegetation, over and around some modest mountains, and finally into Nazca.

OK, now for the best part. Gustavo picks me up in a wonderful, beat-up, bright red, 1975 Dodge Cornett. This thing is so big you could land small planes on the hood. In the crowded Ica city traffic it's a joke, but out on the highway we cruise through all the small towns. Cruise is definitely the correct verb, as it's a true land yacht. The acceleration wasn't great, but when Gustavo stepped on it, the sound was magnificent. A full throated roar, akin to a turboprop just before take off. The radio going full blast, windows down, and me channeling Jack Kerouac. All we needed was a bottle of Pisco to pass back and forth (no, no Pisco).

Anyway, it was a memorable trip and Gustavo asked me to call him next time so he could bring me over to his nearby hometown of Palpa to spend the day eating and drinking. I hear he sings and plays a pretty good guitar, so let me know if anyone's interested.

One last thing, our organization, Health Bridges International is doing two runs, each 50 kilometers through the slums and nicer neighborhoods of Lima and Arequipa early in December to highlight the contrasts and need for change. Please check the websites, www.hbint.org and www.iamthebridge.org and consider making a pledge, all of which will be used to support our partner organizations that work in impoverished communities in Peru."

A Tear in the Fabric of Humanity

2011-11-25T08:22:00.000-08:00

"A tear in the fabric of humanity," I heard this expression the other day in the context of the HIV epidemic. The scientist referencing the quote (I am not certain to whom to originally ascribe the origins of the phrase) was proposing that HIV was the result of a convergence of a number of social, economic, medical and geographic issues. He was saying that the "tear" in the fabric that blankets all of humanity was a function of the multiplicity of these issues contributing to the enormous impact (scientists estimate that there will be 60-million world-wide cases of HIV by the end of the decade) that is HIV and AIDS. In essence, he was saying that HIV and AIDS have become a dividing element in our collective humanity.

There has been another devastating convergence of issues that has led to a "tear in the fabric of humanity." This tear has been around economic parity. The enormous distance that has grown in the world between socioeconomic segments of societies has been prominent in the media over the past 6-weeks. From the political protests in Northern Africa to the Occupy movements in major cities around the globe, people are taking to the streets to voice their frustrations.

We too are taking to the streets. Our "Bridging the Divide" event in Peru is designed to draw attention to the needs of under-served and marginalized communities. We are also seek to generate and encourage greater active participation in sourcing solutions. We are running 100 kilometers to bring a singular message that is "we can all build bridges" to connect resources with needs.

Peru is in a unique position. The economy of Peru is growing at record rates. There are more people with more resources than ever before. There is a great opportunity to build a network of "bridges" that will support the delivery of services and supports to the segment of the population that has been "torn" from the fabric of society. There is a great opportunity to level the playing field and assure that all Peruvians have access to their basic life needs.

We are running 100 kilometers in December to make a difference. We are asking others to come along with us in the movement to Bridge the Divide.

Bridging the Divide - Lima Press Conference

2011-11-18T11:51:00.000-08:00

We have the Lima Press Conference set for the Bridging the Divide run. On Monday, December 05 at 11:30 a.m. PERU (EST in the U.S.) we will hold a press conference in the venerable Congressional Hall of the Republic. Need-less-to-say, this is a very big deal.

HBI is proud to be part of the movement that is slowly taking hold through the I am the Bridge project. We are really excited to see what comes next. Who knows how "viral" this movement can become with a little press and a lot of hard kilometers (a hundred hard kilometers that is).

Ines: A Bridge to Somewhere

2011-11-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

Photo: A recent picture of Ines - a far cry from earlier photos

The following is a story that originally appeared in a letter that HBI sent to our donor base along with "year-end" receipts. The story is particularly timely with regard to our Bridging the Divide campaign.

A few years back HBI was working in a community providing medical and social outreach. The community, a desperately poor area of dirt streets and clay brick homes, sits on the edge of one of the largest urban slums in Latin America. An area so poor that it actually rests “outside” of a completely impoverished slum.

At the time that I met Ines she was only two-and-a-half years old, yet she had suffered more than most people will in their entire lives. She lived with her mother and sister in a small "house" in the community of Via El Salvador - actually they will tell you that they live in Via El Salvador, but they really live in a small squatter area above the formal slum. When I first met Ines, she had never walked on her own. She did not speak. She could not go anywhere without her mother.

You see, Ines has a horribly disfiguring condition that causes her skin to fall off in sheets. Her entire body, with the exception of her head was covered in blisters, scabs and open sores. The condition, a rare diagnosis known as Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) has only four known cases in the whole country of Peru. Her diagnosis is so advanced that she even has blisters on the soles of her feet and under her little finger nails. When I first met Ines she was constantly in pain.

I met Ines on the last day of a week-long outreach campaign – just as we prepared to end our work. She is a beautiful young girl with deep chocolate brown eyes and a soft smile. After spending almost an hour with the mother and daughter, taking pictures, making copies of the medical records she brought - we said goodbye. I felt haunted by the experience, for I wondered what I could possible do. I felt a little bit hopeless for the plight of the mother and daughter. Then, almost before I packed my bags to leave, they came back. She - Ines – came back to the clinic to kiss me goodbye. It was almost too much. It was a crushing moment. A moment when I realized the importance of our work.

HBI’s initial work with Ines included helping to secure a monthly stipend for the family. Money that went to pour a concrete floor on their dirt floor home. Money that helped to pay for monthly visits with a dermatologist who we connected with the Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa Research Association of America to advance her knowledge about caring for Ines. Money that went to help Ines go to school and her mother to learn a trade to advance the economic situation of the family. Finally, we realized the most important thing we could do to help Ines was to “build bridges” of support for her and her family. As such, some of the monthly stipend went to pay the salary of a care advocate. The advocate helps to link Ines to care and support. We did all of this with a monthly stipend of $150.

Since we initially started working with Ines, our program has grown to include care, advocacy and support for a number of medically fragile children. Thanks to your generous support, the “Ines Project,” working in close partnership with the Anglican Church of Peru, has grown into a collaborative effort that is assuring care and advocacy for some of the poorest children with the most advanced medical needs in Peru.

Ines and the thousands of children who suffer through extreme poverty with medically complex conditions need our help. The depth of support that is needed can not be matched with a small program like the one that we have created through HBI. The depth of support needed requires the development of many "bridges of support." Bridges built by Peruvians for Peruvians. Our hope is that the Bridging the Divide events can call greater attention to the numerous opportunities that people have to build the bridges that will assure every child has the support they need to live a life filled with health, hope and happiness.

Video Updates and Training

2011-11-16T20:25:00.001-08:00

We are really upping the ante on our promotional approach to the Bridging the Divide events. In fact, today our ace volunteer designer (Sr. Hugo Corzo) put together a number of really great "I am the Bridge" videos. Check out the videos on the I am the Bridge blog and on HBI's YouTube Channel.

In addition to run promotion, we are also pushing our run training. Today, in a 40 degree rainy fall day in the Pacific Northwest, we ran almost 10-miles and discussed our plans to assure we are all on the same page for the event. We continue to collect a number of Peruvian runners in the events. They, a group of politicians, business community leaders, and social change agents, will join us for various distances throughout the Lima and Arequipa events.

To keep our stakeholders connected to the events, we will be airing video updates throughout the run, posting pictures and making sure that everyone can follow our progress on the event website.

Preparations for the Run

2011-11-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

Photo: The HBI team and members of the Peruvian Congress in support of the run

We are in full preparation mode. The "Bridging the Divide" runs are almost here and we have a full docket of planning before we take our first running steps.

We have hired a PR firm in Peru to help with the marketing and awareness around the run. Their role is to get the media at Press Conferences the day before the runs in Lima and Arequipa and to assure that there is publicity after the runs. In addition, they are setting up television interviews for Ben and I when we are in Lima before the event.

On the U.S. front, our partners at Pac/West are continuing to guide us through the deliciate nuances of "earned media." We are meeting with them tomorrow to go over the last minite details of the U.S. media campaign. We owe them a great deal. They have been really accesible and responsive to all of our questions and concerns.

This is a big venture for HBI. We are really hoping the run will draw attention to the tremendous economic disparities in Peru and help to raise awareness about our work.

Special thanks go to Dr. Daniel Bueno and Mr. Hugo Corzo for helping to make the Bridging the Divide event a reality.

Bridging the Divide

2011-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

We are really busy preparing for the Bridging the Divide events in December. The runs, two 50-kilometer events, will draw attention to the great economic divide in Peru. our goal is that the runs will be a motivator to get more people involved in "being the bridge" in their own communities.

Over the next couple of weeks we will be updating the Blog, making changes to the Iamthebridge.org website and creating a number press related activities. Stay tuned to all of our "channels" for updates. And - if you are so inclined, please pledge a runner for this very worthy project.

Thanks for all of your on-going support!

Pictures from Peru - Outreach to Carabayllo

2011-11-07T16:38:00.001-08:00

Photo: Dr. Townsend Cooper - what an amazing guy!

Photo: Our pharmacy dispensing window - eat your heart out Walgreen's

Photo: Dra. Paola and the great dental team

Photo: Ben getting the clinic up-and-running

Photo: The community - dry, dusty, and terribly poor

Everything we need, we learned from Sesame Street

2011-11-06T12:37:00.001-08:00

Have you ever seen the Sesame Street skit in which a group of penguins attempt to order room service at the Furry Arms Hotel?

If you haven't seen the skit, or if it has been a long time since your last viewing, take three minutes to watch this really funny Muppet act at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPfaV8n3R_o

What in the world does the Furry Arms Hotel and penguins ordering room-service have to do with global health? Well, I think the skit captures one of the major problems with the way that we deliver aid and support. The aid is not connected together. Our efforts are not grouped in "sets" of complimentary services. Instead, multiple agencies, deliver multiple programs, in multiple locations with little coordination or collaboration.

Stepping back from services delivery and defining the various mechanisms we can "pool" to compliment resources (packaging our aid in more effective ways), is the key to ending world hunger and greatly decreasing extreme poverty. Just like the penguin ordering room service in the Sesame Street skit, we can't continue to look at our work in discrete elements. We have to choose to view the power of "sets" and influence of pooling our efforts.

Re-entry

2011-11-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Photo: Our princess in her Halloween costume.

Following our outreach trip in Peru, I hopped on a flight in Lima and flew directly to New Orleans to meet Lee and our baby Alex. The transition, moving between different geographic worlds, is nothing new to me. I have been traveling back and forth between a number of different communities (here in the U.S. and internationally) for a number of years. This re-entry, however, has been difficult for me.

The difficult part has been trying to hold the bigger picture. My challenge has been viewing the bigger goals of HBI - all the while being mindful of the issues and elements that cut across the numerous cultures and geographies of our planet.

Yesterday I went for a run. I ran down Magazine Street to the Garden District. A beautiful area with old Antebellum homes and tree lined "Southern" streets. Running back to downtown I passed an inner city school with children playing. The kids, elementary aged students, were playing typical school yard games. There were smiles, loads of laughter and a general lightness in the air.

Almost instantly I felt this jolt of awareness - what if these kids had a strong connection (a bridge) to the kids playing in a similar playground in a poor community in the city of Lima. What if they, from a very early age, had a chance to get to know the intricacies of the lives of their counterparts living on continents thousands of miles away? What if the world were connected at the level of children meeting children? Would these "bridges" be powerful enough to ground our economic, political and social forces toward a common good?

My re-entry from this latest trip has been a powerful adjustment. I have this nagging feeling that there is a more strategic role that HBI can play in helping to build more complete bridges. I am excited to think about a future that binds communities and people together at very early ages. I am hopeful that such connections can lead to vast improvements in the health and vitality of communities and populations. I am completely committed to the idea that connecting people through meaningful relationships can (and will) generate powerful levels of change!

Are you a bridge?

2011-11-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

We are excited to have a number of fantastic supporters engaged in the HBI "Be the Bridge" for change campaign.

Check out the following video clip of a very famous Peruvian Senator and her commitment to "Be the Bridge:"

Collaboration

2011-10-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

HBI is an organization that was started, partly, in reaction to the idea that the world needs more clinics or more short term outreach projects. We believe that building bridges of collaboration is the most effective mechanism to source sustainable health outcomes in the lives of people living in extreme poverty.

We are now starting the long term work of defining exactly what collaboration is (and means) and how it truly, objectively sources health outcomes. We are working on the development of a guiding "manual" (or reference tool) that can be used by individuals and communities to coordinate and stimulate collaboration.

If HBI is to have a meaningful contribution to the multitude of efforts that are moving forward to provide health and social service opportunities to people living in extreme poverty, we must build a clearly defined model that we believe in and ascribe to. The next steps for our work is to define that model.

Stay tuned to the HBI website (we will be launching our new site in the next couple of weeks) and this Blog for more details on our "Model of Collaboration."

Thank you for all of your ongoing support!

Bridging the Divide Run 2011

2011-10-30T05:18:00.000-07:00

Photo: Keiko Fujimori endorses the project

The endorsements for our December "Bridging the Divide" run are rolling (or in this particular case . . . running) in.

A Caring Community

2011-10-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Photo: Looking out the window of our clinic

Photo: Patient registration with Bridgette

Photo: Dra. Tanya - she is the absolute BEST!

The HBI team is back in Lima and all is well. We are safe and have been completely unaffected by the 6.7 magnitude (the North American press is reporting the quake as 6.9 and the Peruvian press are reporting a 6.7) earthquake in Ica. Equally fortunate is the fact that the community of Ica has made it through the high impact quake with little destruction and damage.

This week has been a fantastic opportunity for our team. Staying at the Girasoles house has been an immersion for many of our team. For many of them, this has been their first chance to really immerse themselves into the lives of the street boys that we work with through our partnership with Union Biblica. For many of the people on the trip this immersion has made a huge impact in their lives.

The lives of these young boys have been filled with trauma and pain. The resilience they demonostrate in their smiles and laughs is a testimony to all of us. The other night I was in the main dining room with the team and noticed a little boy sitting at the end of the table by himself. I ask Billy Greenman (an absolutely amazing young man of gigantic character) about the boy. The story he told me was fillled with abuse, neglect and emotional trauma. The challenges the young boy had in his early development should have been too much for him to fully overcome; and yet, Billy told me the "new" story of a young boy who is recapturing his life.

The love and affection that Union Biblica del Peru puts into serving and supporting the boys in their care is an example to all of us. Duirng times of trial and tribulation in my life, I have to remember that all things are possible through the faith, hope and the support of a caring community. And so, this is my greatest lesson of the 2011 Kusi Outreach Trip.

Thank you to all of our supporters. Your help and generosity are a great blessing to our work.

Kusi - What a week!

2011-10-28T10:39:00.002-07:00

This has been an amazing week. From the weather, the time we have spent with the boys, and the amazing clinic experiences - this has been a wonderful week of learning and growth for everyone. I think I can sum up our week in the words of one volunteer - "I love being here, I feel twenty years younger."

This week, in just under 5-days of clinic, we have served over 900 medical patients and 500 dental patients. We have helped our Peruvian partner, Union Biblica, to further clarify their "next steps" for medical and social outreach in the Yungay area. The next steps are to sit down with our partners and determine how the community of Yungay and the Mission and scope of their needs to best serve this area.

This has been a fantastic week - but it is only the begining of our work in this area.

Mosha - Day 1 and 2

2011-10-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Our outreach project in the Ancash area is going great. Working in collaboration with Union Biblica del Peru, we are going into poor communities high in the Andean Mountains around the city of Caraz to bring awareness and medical/dental services. The goal of this project is to support Union Biblica in their plan to develop more permanent clinical services in the Ancash area.

Yesterday and today we brought our team to the town of Mosha - about a 45-minute drive up a long dirt road high into the mountains. Over the course of a 9-hour clinic day we were able to bring medical and dental care to almost 400 people. To be certain, we saw 145 medical patients and 37 dental patients on Monday and 161 medical and 39 dental patients today.

Our staffing is predominately with Peruvian doctors, nurses and dentists. Our goal to to support the work of HBI and build bridges for the people living in the impoverished towns of the area.

Our work over the next three days will be at Union Biblica's Camp Kusi. There, we will be seeing people from around the area. People who have limited access to medical, dental and social services. The hope is that we will better understands the needs of the community and help to direct Union Biblica in their next steps for developing medical and dental services.

Please stay tuned for more updates and photos.

Day One in Kusi

2011-10-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

We have gotten a lot done in the last 24-hours. We have traveled by bus for over 12 hours. Spent a full day preparing for clinic and even took the time to go to the Lake Llanganuco.

We start clinic bright and early tomorrow. We will be posting pictures and updates.

Thank you for all of your support -

The HBI Team

Pictures from Clinic in Carabayllo

2011-10-22T11:20:00.001-07:00

Photo: The calm before the storm of the clinic.

Photo: Eric tirelessly writing prescription labels in Spanish.

Photo: A curious poster advertising a new "urban" development with a swimming pool. Lomas de Carabayllo is one of the poorest areas in all of Latin America. Very interesting . . .

First Few Days in Lima

2011-10-22T11:00:00.001-07:00

Photo: Ms. Bridgette enjoying the sights and sounds of Lima as we take a break from rushing around to meetings.

Wow - this has been an exciting and very full first few days of the outreach project to Kusi. As our Peruvian project director is fond of saying, "all is possible in Peru."

Well, let me tell you . . . I think we have maxed it out. The bulk of the last few dyas have been around the promotion and "bridge building" for our Briding the Divide run in December. We have been really fortunate to meet with a number of really influential Peruvian "change agents."

On Thursday afternoon we video taped 5 very high ranking Peruvian national congress people for the "I am the Bridge" promotion. The five included the former President Alberto Fujimori's son, one of the most respected junior congress woman and the equivalent of the U.S. speaker of the house. We filmed them in the congress hall.

Last night, we met with Keiko Fujimori and filmed her for the "I am the Bridge" promotion. Need-less-to-say, Keiko is one of the biggest names in Peruvian politics. Her name recognition (for good or bad) is pretty much world wide. I think this could be a "viral" video hit on YouTube.

Additional video filming included one of the top surfers in the world, Peru's most notable modern painter, and Ms. Peru. This week we will have Daniel working on the Mayor of Lima and perhaps . . . fingers crossed, the President himself - Ollanta Humala. Fingers crossed.

Yesterday we had an amazing outreach clinic with Peruvian physicians, dentists and nurses in the community of Lomas de Carabayllo. You may remember this area from our previous work around the car battery issue (please see Valle Segrado). The clinic was very busy and a bit chaotic. It, however, was a great success. We ended up seeing over 100 people in around 4 hours. Most important for our work was the community forum that took place after the clinic. We are hoping that the collective interest on the part of the community leaders and representatives can help to source a long term solution for the needs of this desperately impoverished area.

Stay tuned to the HBI Blog for updates on our adventures in Yungay at the Union Biblica Camp Kusi.

Kusi, Here we Come

2011-10-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Photo: A view from our bungalow at the Union Biblica Camp Kusi in Ancash.

I am on a plane headed to San Francisco as I type this message. In the morning I will be back at the airport to board a flight to Peru. Our team, a great group of first time HBI volunteers and seasoned veterans, will be heading to the Province of Ancash on Saturday.

This is going to be a full week. We have a couple of days of prep, a day of media events for the Bridging the Divide run on Thursday, an outreach clinic in Carabayllo on Friday and an 18-hour bus ride to Ancash on Saturday. This is all before we actually begin the outreach trip! Oh, did I mention that the camp where we will be staying is located at over 3,600 meters above sea level. Wow - this is going to be some week.

The outreach to Ancash will begin on Sunday, October 22. We have a full week of mobile clinics (we will be going to very remote areas to provide services in one room school houses) and on-site clinics. We are again, partnering with our long-term collaborator Union Biblica del Peru to further advance their efforts to build a brick-and-mortar clinic at their Camp Kusi.

Our clinics will be staffed with a mix of Peruvian physicians, dentists and nurses - as well as a great team of North America physicians and nurses. We have twenty people on the team in total and expect to provide care this week to almost 800 people.

As our internet connection allows, we will be posting pictures and updates from Ancash. I am certain there will be a number of great storeis to share. Stay tuned.

People want change

2011-10-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

For the longest time I have been hearing that services can't be provided to underserved communities for free. The rationale behind such statements - "people will take advantage of the services because they do not truly 'value' the services."

I have always felt this was a bit too narrow sided. It seemed to me that the poorest, most marginalized people - are the communities and populations that need the services the most. They also tend to have the least resources.

A new study by the Poverty Action Lab at MIT (also known as the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab or J-PAL) confirms my assumption - having people pay for services is not always the best approach. J-PAL's well crafted and fastidiously implemented research demonstrates that charging (even nominal fees) creates barriers for poor communities. And, barriers lead to a reduction in services utilization.

You have heard the argument, charge a small fee for the mosquito bed-netting and the mother will value the netting and use it to protect her children from malaria. Well - this J-PAL study ("The Price is Wrong") seems to confirm just the opposite. Providing free and easily accessible resources and services to extremely improvised communities is the most effective mechanism to serve the needs of the communities and the people.

The one caveat to this study - it does not purport to encompass every community or every service. The research is solid for the services they list - but probably needs to be expanded to include other services predominately distributed in global outreach.

Sound scientifically driven research - this is fantastic and has the potential for revolutionizing the way that the international aid community delivers services and resources. J-PAL is a fantastic resource and a much needed asset to all of our efforts.

Watch for a New HBI Website

2011-09-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

We are jumping in with both feet. Okay, enough with the metaphors. HBI has decided to overhaul our organizational website with the expert guidance and support of Pac/West Communications.

Be on the lookout for a brand new Health Bridges International website in the very near future. Our new website promises to connect HBI partners and stakeholders to more information about the programs and projects that drive our work.

We are excited to use our new web presence to reach more people and make a bigger difference.

Stay tuned . . .

HBI Website Overhaul

2011-09-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

We have been working with a fantastic public relations and media promotions firm (PacWest). Their insights and professional knowledge are tremendous. One of the ways that they are helping HBI is with our Bridging the Divide 1ookm run event.

PacWest has told us we need to overhaul our website. They are right. HBI has grown tremendously in the past 5-years, but our website has remained relatively static. This overhaul is a fairly expensive (for a small non-profit) proposition.

I have been struggling to figure out how we can afford the redevelopment of our site. I have been trying to figure out how diverting money from our operations budget to pay for the overhaul of the website will enable HBI to better fulfill our mission. I have been worrying about where the money would possibly come from.

Then it became clear to me - the website is a significant tool for us to reach a broad base of stakeholders. The HBI website to a huge tool for disseminating our vision and our message. The website is a mechanism for us to build sustainable health in the lives of people living in extreme poverty.

So here is the deal, I am reaching out to HBI's supporters. I am asking for help. We need to redevelop our website - and in doing such we will be better equipped to expand our work. So, if you are inclined - please make a donation to help us expand and extend our reach.

2011-09-20T20:49:00.001-07:00

Okay - I get it. We are a bit of a late adopter of the new technology. AND, HBI is now on Twitter.

Please follow our Twitter account at - HealthBridges

Look for frequent updates and links to our activities.

Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

2011-09-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Photo: HBI "super" volunteer Eric Robinson tends the grills

Photo: Thank you to our friend the tree for helping to keep us somewhat dry.

Thank you very much to all the hearty souls who made it out to the first (what we hope will be an annual event) HBI Volunteer Appreciation Picnic.

In spite of the inclement weather - we are in Portland and the later half of the month of September is never a sure bet for sunshine - we had a great group. Our HBI team prepared some fantastic food (thank you Ben, Alyssa, Eric and Bridgette). Thanks to the graceful branches of an enormous old oak tree, we remained relatively unscathed by the intermittent rain.

The event was our chance to say "thank you" to the many people who make-up the HBI family. Over the years literally hundreds of people have been involved in the work of HBI - as participants on an outreach trip and volunteer supporters at an event in the U.S. The Volunteer Appreciation Picnic was our way of saying thank you and inviting people to continue working with HBI and our mission to make a difference in the world by bridging resources to needs.

To all who showed up in the rain yesterday - thanks. To those who were unable to attend from the Portland area - we will be having another event in a few weeks to celebrate Father Alex's visit to Portland and you are invited . . . stay tuned for an invitation. For those outside of the Portland area - make plans to join us next year (we promise to plan the event for August, when sunshine is almost assured) for the picnic and stay connected to the happenings of HBI on our Blog and Website.

As always, thank you to everyone for your support and dedication to the work of HBI.

Connecting the dots

2011-08-31T17:42:00.000-07:00

I have been traveling a ton this last six weeks. New York (more than once), LA, Miami, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Providence, West Virginia, Seattle, Washington, DC, and Atlanta - to name but a few.

Every place is a bit different. There is, however, a lot of similarity. The one thing that is almost ubiquitous is the seeming lack of social service resources that punctuates every community. I intentionally use the word "seeming," because the resources are often hidden.

All of the programs I have visited are doing amazing work. For some, they have dedicated their work toward housing resources, for other programs their resources are grounded in health care services delivery. The common denominator for every program is the emphasis they place in investing their resources into only a handful of programmatic activities. This works. They are very proficient and skillful providers.

The piece that falls off is the fact that people most seem to need comprehensive services. As such, many programs struggle to truly meet the needs of the clients they serve. The tool that every community has to overcome this "lack of comprehensive resources" is collaboration.

When communities come together to share their resources (i.e., their best practices) - the client is more effectively served. This is not as easy as it may sound. The challenge becomes working to build bridges of collaboration. This is the focus of HBI. We work to identify community resources - and then build collaborative opportunities for programs to work in partnership.

This "bridge building" model seems to be the most effective mechanism for shaping lasting change. HBI is an organization that is dedicated to building bridges. Bridges between resources and need. Bridges between opportunities and allies. Bridges of Hope.

Epic Run 2011

2011-08-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Health Bridges International is sponsoring an exciting fundraising event in December 2011. The First Annual Bridging the Divide: 100 Kilometers for the Poor, will take place on two challenging courses through some of the poorest areas in Lima, Peru and the high-altitude city of Arequipa, Peru.

HBI will be holding two charity runs in the two principle cities of Peru. In Lima we will run a course that takes us from high sand hills to the Pacific Ocean; and in Arequipa, we will run up and down high Andean foothills. This two-event run will draw greater attention to the needs of the poor and highlight the opportunity to better support Peruvian organizations. HBI will be partnering with Peruvian healthcare NGO's to emphasize the health and medical needs of people living in extreme poverty in Lima and Arequipa.

The logistics for the event are as follows:

(1) Dates: The runs will take place on December 10 and December 13. Runners who decide to join HBI, will need to be in Peru by December 08. Every major carrier (LAN Chile, Continental, Delta, American) and a few lesser airlines (Taca, Spirit Airlines, Copa Airlines), have flights from the east and west coast of the U.S. (Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, San Francisco, and Atlanta) into Lima.

(2) Details: We are only taking 5-runners on this trip.* The logistics and the planning are such that we need to limit the number of participants. If you are interested - please contact Ben Grass (HBI's Director of Operations; benjamin@HBInt.org) as soon as possible. We will close out the slots on a first come first go basis.

(3) Fundraiser: We are asking anyone who chooses to join Health Bridges International for this event to help raise donations and support. Every runner is expected to raise a minimum of $1,000 in pledges or donations. Participants will receive information to help explain the logistics and methods for fundraising. All donations to HBI are tax deductible and go directly to help support programs and projects for the poorest communities in Latin America.

(4) Preparations: The run will take place during the Latin American summer months (think Southern Hemisphere). Plan for hot weather in Lima and warm weather at very high altitude (8,000 feet above sea level) in Arequipa. We will have all of the supplies taken care of - from food to clean water to hotel accommodations. You will need to be prepared to run two 50km "races" in three days. This is not going to be an easy event. And, it will be the adventure of a lifetime . . . guaranteed!

(5) Trip Costs: Participants will need to budget for the following (approximate) expenses:

Item	Expected Cost
Air travel – international	$1,000-1,400
Air travel – Domestic	$150
Room and Board (we will cover room, transfers, most meals and general supplies)	$375
Event Costs	$125
Total	$1,650-2,050

We will need to get hotel rooms, rent vehicles and start the planning really soon. So please get in contact with Ben Grass (benjamin@HBInt.org) as soon as possible. Until then - start running.

* HBI reserves the right to screen runners for their ability to complete this very challenging event.

You are Helping to Make a Difference

2011-08-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

July has been a fantastic month for HBI. Here are three great ways that you have helped to make a difference:

Team Peru: Our Team Peru 2011 Outreach campaign was our most successful to date. We had record numbers of volunteers and trip participants. We served more people in the first week of the trip than ever before (please see our numbers below) and made significant alliances with local organizations working in Ica and Arequipa. It was a fantastic team effort, thanks in great part to your generosity.

Statistics from week one Team Peru 2011:

General and pediatric medical visits: 902
Dental care: 221 (extractions, restorative care [fillings, cleanings, etc.], and advanced procedures)
Toothbrushes dispensed: 750+
Eye screenings for visual acuity and cataracts: 700+
Potential cataract operation patients: 160
Neonatal Resuscitation Training Program (NPR Trainings): 4 trainings to Ministry of Health clinics and staff with over 70 attendees (physicians, nurses, midwives, etc.)
Training in Rehabilitation Medicine at Alas Peruanas University in Ica: 50 physical therapy student attendees
Health Education talks on: Nutrition, Healthy Pregnancies, Dental Care, Tooth Brushing, HIV/AIDS prevention, Hand Washing
Glasses are being prepared for 22 formerly homeless boys living at the Union Biblica Casa Girasoles in Ica

HBI Website and Blog: July was a record month for the number of visitors to the HBI website and blog. Throughout the month we had over 680 visitors to the blog and over 1,000 visitors to the website. Certainly, this does not put us in the category of Facebook, but it is a firm indication of our growing community of followers and dedicated HBI volunteers. Please keep coming back. We are working on ways to enhance the website and provide more timely blog posts and organizational updates. Connecting to you, our stakeholders, is critical to our work.

Advocacy: During the Team Peru trip, our team had a young girl come to the campaign seeking help. She was living in a violent home and wanted help getting out. Through careful advocacy with our Peruvian partners and professional colleagues, we were able to help place the girl in a supportive environment. This advocacy, helping to build a social safety-net in fragile, poverty stricken communities, is only made possible through your generosity and commitment to the work of HBI. Through your assistance, we were able to truly make a difference. Through your help - we are changing the world!

Team Peru 2011 - The End

2011-07-26T10:10:00.000-07:00

Photo: A final photo shot of "El Misti" before leaving Arequipa

Photo: The Arequipa airport just before we take-off to end the trip

Photo: Arequipa is such a beautiful city, with the ChaChani moutain looming over the airport

After three weeks of planning, campaign, and debrief - the 2011 Team Peru Outreach Trip has officially come to an end.

Okay, not fully - as HBI's Director of Operations is still in Peru finishing up a couple of meetings in Lima and helping to inventory to the medications and supplies at the HBI warehouse. However, all of our team members are back home in the USA or off on exciting excursion trips in Peru.

It was a fantastic trip. We have so many exciting stories to share and new connections to promote. I will be writing a few updates in the coming weeks. Until then, thank you to everyone who has helped to make our summer 2011 outreach trip to Peru such an amazing success!

What do children do in your country?

2011-07-23T14:31:00.000-07:00

Photo: Martin enthralling the boys

Photo: The MIMDES program is located in the back of a busy market

Photo: The entrance into the program

Photo: Singing a song in the hopes of getting an extra slice of cake

Photo: The children introducing themselves and telling us about their work

Photo: Our introductions and Q&A session

Photo: The sign that introduces the program at the front door

"Do children in your country work?"

We were invited to a street youth program this morning run by the Peruvian Ministry for Woman and Social Rights (MIMDES). The program is a prevention and education project for children who spend everyday with their parents working in the markets and on the streets of Arequipa. There are currently three geographic areas of operation - the three principle street markets in the city - with Saturday and Wednesday activities.

Staff (a psychologist by the name of Marcos and Martin and Mariam - both Social Workers) from MIMDES provide an environment and an opportunity "for children to be children." As Marcos told us, many of the children who spend their days working in the markets or on the streets side-by-side with their parents "lose their childhood." One of the programmatic goals of the program is to allow children the opportunity to play, laugh and engage in child-centric activities.

Today, during our visit, there was a cake, cookies and a small celebration; for what, we don't know, but it was fantastic to be there. We were treated as special guests and invited to play with the some 20 children gathered at the "party." To start our time together, Marcos invited the children to ask us questions or tell us a little about themselves. The children took full advantage of their opportunity and asked such marvelous questions as, "Why are you bald? Why are your eyes blue? What language do people speak where you are from?"

One-by-one they went around and told us their names and what they did for work: Kevin sells fish with his mother, Wilson sell clothing, Mary Luz sells chocolates, Jessica helps her mother to deliver water, Stephanie is a meat cutter. Children, some as young as 5-years old, work side-by-side with their parents to eke out a small wage. Many, not all, attend a small school that is open in the market area. Most, dream of something so much more.

At one point in our visit, a little girl asked Martin, "What do children do in your country?" He was uncertain how to respond. He told her that they went to school and that they played. She asked him if children in [our] country worked like she did. Martin later told me that he was uncertain how to respond to her question - for he did not want to offend her. He did not know how to tell her that children in the U.S. spend their days playing and watching television. He did know how to tell her that children are allowed to be . . . children.

As we were getting ready to leave, the children came up to say goodbye. One of the boys, having been fascinated with the pictures I had on my iPhone of Lee and Alex (my wife and daughter), said "please give my best to your family." Wow, here is a child who spends day after day working in an impoverished market for little to no pay to help support his family - and he sends his best for my family. I was floored.

We are not certain what next steps will unfold with our new partners at MIMDES - but we are certainly looking forward to helping to build bridges for their programs and the wonderful work they are doing for children living in such desperate circumstances.

Photos from the 2011 Team Peru Outreach Campaign

2011-07-23T06:03:00.000-07:00

Photo: One of our fantastic Peruvian partners

Photo: HBI staff Alyssa and Ben

Photo: Dr. Bob and Carmen seeing patients in Girasoles

Photo: "Iron-lady" Augusta Shipsey teaching oral hygiene

Photo: A couple of our new friends

Photo: The quite before the storm on one of the first clinic days

Photo: Clinic in Ica

Photo: Some of our team during week one

Off they go

2011-07-23T05:55:00.000-07:00

Today is the official "last day" of the 2011 Team Peru outreach trip. We have team members departing all day. Some are off to Cusco and the magnificent Machu Picchu and others are headed back to the states and reintegration into their busy lives.

The HBI team will be meeting with our Peruvian partners, debriefing the trip and repacking our warehouse in Arequipa and Lima over the next few days. One thing that everyone is fully in agreement about, this has been a fantastic trip.

A big thank you must go out to all of our team members and everyone who has helped to support this marvelous two weeks of outreach, bridge building and service.

Paz Holendasa Visit

2011-07-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

Photo: Our team touring the new Paz Holendasa hospital

Photo: The beautiful ascetic appeal of the hospital

Photo: Arequipa has some 350 days of sunshine each year, an outdoor reception area makes sense and is really inviting to the children and their parents

Photo: As a pediatric hospital, Paz Holendasa keeps everything very whimsical

"If they don't work, they don't eat"

2011-07-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Father Alex asked Ben and I to film some of the activities around the Mission over the past couple of days. We were getting shots of the team integrating into the Mission's activities and taking general film of the various programs of the Church. Needed to get a few shots of the clinic, I asked Adon (Father Alex's right hand man) to drive me down for about ten minutes of filming.

After completing my assigned footage, I walked out to find Adon waiting by the van to drive me back up to the Mission's volunteer house. "Do you think it would be okay if we took this lady back to her house?" Adon said to me - pointing to a woman sitting in her wheelchair only about 3 meters away. So, Adon and I loaded her and her son into the back of the van and drove her to one of the poorest invasion communities in Alto Cayma - an area that sits in a canyon just off the runway of the airport.

The woman had been at the Mission for the monthly CFCA, Christian Foundation for Children and Aging, food distribution program and she had no money to take a taxi back home. When we got to her house, a small concrete block home with the aluminum sided roof, Adon began to tell me of their story. She is in her thirties and suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis. Unable to walk, she lives most of her days in a wheelchair. She has three children, a boy aged 10 and two girls aged 13 and 14. Her husband left the family almost two years ago. Her only source of income is to sell food on the side of the road for a few soles a day. Her oldest child has left school to work full time for the family. Adon told me that he is concerned that the other two children will be leaving school very soon as well.

On the drive back to the Mission Adon told me that he felt the lack of educational opportunities and the need for families to have their children go to work very early in their educational careers, is one of the main reasons that people in the community of Alto Cayma get "stuck" in poverty. He told me that there is a constant drain of young people leaving school with very few formal skills and little education - and this is devastating to the community. Adon went on to say that for many of the people living in the poorer communities of Alto Cayma - "if they don't work, they don't eat."

Alto Cayma - Our final day of activities

2011-07-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Today is our last full day of project activities. Dr. Bob has taken the team up to the Mission to get started on their morning activities (e.g. clinic, home visits, painting, food preparation and delivery and daycare). Ben and I are running around completing a few errands in the city. This afternoon we will be meeting with one of our partner NGOs in Arequipa and touring their new pediatric hospital.

Paz Holendasa is the brainchild of a nurse from Holland who came to Peru some 15-years ago and saw a great need for maxio-facial procedures for cleft palates. Working with her partners in the European Union, she pulled together a number of wonderful projects over the years. Culminating in the successful development and completion of a multi-specialty care pediatric hospital in Arequipa. It is an amazing facility with state of the art operative theaters and patient encounter areas. Most of all it is a gift to the people of Peru. A clinic and hospital where the highest quality healthcare services can be delivered to the poorest of the poor for minimal to no money.

We are taking the team to tour the Paz Holendasa facility to show them how much one person can accomplish with a focused dream and an unending passion. I will post pictures from our adventure this afternoon.

Through the Eyes of Child

2011-07-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Photo: The lovely children of the Alto Cayma Daycare

When Father Alex first came to Alto Cayma he was alarmed by the number of children that died from very preventable accidents. Children were being left in small 3-meter by 3-meter homes while their parents spent the entire day away in the city looking for work. Many times the children would, looking for water or something to drink, get into a noxious substance. Father said he found himself burying child after child and knew he had to find a solution.

The solution was to build a daycare center. Quickly his program grew - from a small room in a small house to a four room school with a playground, kitchen and complete bathroom (with stalls for bathing the children everyday). Today the daycare is a full fledged preschool, certified by the Peruvian Ministry of Education. There are five certified and fully credentialed teachers, daycare services from 7 am until 7 pm (to match the long work hours of the people living in Alto Cayma) and weekly medical and dental examinations. The school has over 100 children enrolled.

This morning I was very preoccupied with the amount of work I have on my "plate." I knew I needed to get on-line and un-burry myself from my hundreds of emails. Equally, my "To Do" list seems to be multiplying before my eyes. As luck would have it, the power was off at the Mission compound and I could not get on-line. As such, I decided to follow Ben (HBI's Director of Operations) as he did a bit of filming for a small documentary we are developing for Father Alex.

The minute we got into the daycare we were surrounded by children screaming "visitante," which means visitor in English. They swarmed us and enveloped us with hugs and kisses. For about 30-minutes we had a constant succession of kids coming up asking for hugs or wanting to hold our hands. I quickly began to realize that all of my preoccupation to work and my "To Do" list meant nothing when I looked into the eyes of these lovely children.

I began to realize how important it is for me to be fully present to the life of our little girl and how much impact that "presence" will have on her life. I realized once again that my greatest gift is not my ability to churn out email after email . . . but commitment to be a loving, compassionate person.

A Mellow Day with a Sobering Story

2011-07-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Photo: A quick nap in the mid-day sun for a hard working team

Today was a mellow day for our team. We had volunteers working in the clinic, a few team members helping to paint the main community kitchen, we sent a team on home visits with Maria the Social Worker and helped in the community kitchen to prepare meals for delivery to the poorest members of the Alto Cayma Community.

People were busy, but no where near the frenetic pace of week one. In fact, some of our team members even stole some time for a late afternoon nap.

Tonight at dinner, the team members who went out with Maria on home visits told a sobering story for all of us to hear. While walking back to the volunteer house from a home visit, the team was suddenly scurried off the road by a racing truck. Maria told them that the truck was the Peruvian National Police who were going to a home to remove a 4-year old girl from the care of her parents because it had been reported that she was being severely beaten. They went on to tell us that Maria described a harrowing rate of spousal violence in the area. A violence rate that was only slightly ahead of the violence faced by children in their homes.

Maria told them that many people are reticent to report the violence they experience in their homes because of the fear they have for corrupt police. Maria told the team that the greatest advocates the community have is the Church. Stating that Father Alex is often called to the homes of people experiencing severe violence because he is the only person they fully trust. She told them that many people have no one else in their lives they can turn to for support.

Tonight, as I sit in the lobby of our hotel - I am haunted by the thought of young lives under such pain and trauma. I am thankful for the strength that Father Alex brings to his work everyday. And most of all, I am hopeful that we can continue to work together to end the suffering of people living in such abject circumstances.

Peace Corps Peru

2011-07-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

Photo: Peace Corps volunteers leading a "networking" breakfast.

This morning Ben and I went to a meeting convened by the Peace Corps volunteers in the Arequipa area. This is a once per month meeting that brings together the Peace Corps representatives from around the Province of Arequipa to discuss their programs and projects. The meeting also includes other NGOs and volunteer organizations working in the Province.

The goal of the meeting was simple: creating connections and opportunities for organizations to collaborate. This is a great opportunity for HBI to meet new organizations doing health related work in Arequipa and the Colca Valley. In fact, we are going to a event on Saturday with a small NGO working with street youth in one of the pueblos jovenes of the city.

Networking, bridge building, collaborating - this is what HBI is all about. We fully recognize that we are most powerful through our common and combined efforts.

"You came here"

2011-07-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

Photo: A standing clinic

Photo: Ben's new friend

Photo: Girasoles at dusk

Our last clinic day in Ica was an amazing experience for everyone. Our team collectively decided that we needed to shift our clinic to the desperately impoverished area of Girasoles. This decision was one that would come back to serve us well.

HBI's Director of Operations is charged with the unforgiving job of saying no to the many extra people who show up for the clinics. Sometimes this task is made easy by the fact that our team can fit in a few extra patients or the fact that we are serving in a smaller community; but most of the time, his job is really difficult.

During clinic on Wednesday, Ben politely told a woman that we would be unable to see her and that she should come back the next day. She told Ben that her job made it impossible for her to get to the outreach clinic at 4 or 5 a.m. (as many of the people had to see us) and that she would only be able to get to see us after 6 p.m. He again, politely apologized and explained that all of our equipment and supplies had been packed up and we could just not see her. This is really hard on Ben.

On Thursday, in the sand and dust of the desperately impoverished area of Girasoles, Ben felt a tug on his shirt and turned to see his friend from the day before. He explained that she had a smile on her face from ear-to-ear and said to him with great glee, "you came here, you really came here to see us."

We saw her that night in the cold of the desert moonlight - and it was a great day indeed.

Day One in Arequipa

2011-07-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

Photo: My "office" in Arequipa the first day

After a full day in Lima - sightseeing, visiting the Indian Market and touring our partner NGOs (OPRECE) facilities - we finally arrived in Arequipa late on Saturday night.

Sunday was a planned day of rest. Our team had the option of sightseeing in the beautiful "White City" or simply resting in their rooms. I, on the other hand, was forced into rest with a 24-hour illness that has kept me in bed until Monday morning. Alas, it is better to be sick on the rest day, than to be incapacitated during the activities portion of the team's week in Arequipa.

Today, we head up to the Mission of Alto Cayma. This morning will be an orientation and a time to discuss the difference between week one and week two of the Team Peru trip. In addition, we will be putting the team to work this afternoon with a variety of activities - from painting at the volunteer house to working in the Mission's "brick and mortar" health clinic.

This is going to be a great week. Stay tuned for updates.

On to Arequipa

2011-07-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

Photo: The HBI Team's reception with the Mayor of Tinguina.

What a great day. We just finished our last day in Lima. A tour of the city, a visit to the Indian Market and a great afternoon team lunch.

This has been one long week. Our days have been non-stop from 6:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. The pace of the week has worn everyone out. We will be in for a whole new experience next week, when Father Alex challenges our team to focus on "being" and not just "doing."

At this point we have had team members head off to Cusco for tourism, back to the U.S. for re-integration, and down to Arequipa for continued outreach efforts. The time together has been fruitful and filled with learnings. Our goal is that all of the new HBI family members can take their new experiences back with them wherever they are.

Stay tuned to the HBI Blog for updates throughout this week. A special thanks to everyone for the support of HBI and the people of Peru.

A Complete Week

2011-07-15T14:53:00.000-07:00

Photo: The HBI Team Peru 2011

"I think it was a really complete week of outreach," so were the words of HBI's Director of Operations as we drove north on the Pan American Highway to Lima following our last day of outreach in Ica. He is right. This has been a complete week. All and all, we have provided medical, dental, psychological, and optometric services to over 1,300 patients.

Our team members have taught at the local university (Alas Peruanas University)- where Dr. Al Turner provided physical therapy students instructions in manual medicine and osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). In addition, Dr. Bob Gehringer (HBI's Medical Director) taught neonatal resuscitation program (NRP) classes to over 70 nurses and physicians in Ica area Ministry of Health clinics. Working in partnership with two Peruvian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) we provided HIV testing to over 300 patients - testing 4 people positive for HIV and helping to link them into care. Finally, working in partnership with the Peruvian NGO OPRECE, over 800 people were screened for cataracts and another 65 patients were found to be suitable candidates for surgical removal of their cataracts during a free Clinton Foundation sponsored campaign during the week of July 25.

It truly was a complete first week of the 2011 Team Peru outreach campaign. I am really proud of all the work our team has done and the amazing organization and logistics coordination HBI's Director of Operations has undertaken to put this great outreach project together.

Preferential Services for the Poor

2011-07-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

Photo: Dr. Bob taking pediatric patients in his exam "room."

It happens in almost ever clinic outreach. The extremely poor are almost always pushed to the back of the lines. I don’t think it is an overt distinction on anyone’s part – I just think people living in extreme poverty are not very good at self-advocacy.

This week was no exception. We started with the expressed goal of reaching the poorest communities in and around the city of Ica. Sometime on Wednesday afternoon, we realized that the poorest of the poor were not getting seen. So, yesterday afternoon, we dramatically reconfigured our outreach plan to target our services to the poorest community – the community that brought us to Ica in the first place – the small pueblo jovenes of Girasoles.

Having spent the first part of the week working in partnership with the mayor’s offices of La Molina and Tinguina, we “broke off” on our own and took all of our supplies and the entire team out to Girasols. This was not an easy feet. In the communities of La Molina and Tinguina, the Mayor’s had helped to secure municipal locations or schools for us to use for our outreach sites. In the community of Girasoles, there is no concrete pitch or even flat area for us to set up tents – there is only sand and rock.

Make do, however, we did. We set-up clinic locations in some very unique areas - taking advantage of the shade offered by the bus that transported us out to the community, renting a small tarp covered clearing (we gave the owner of the area 10 liters of water in payment) for pediatric care, filling the seat of an old school bus for our pharmacy and borrowing the shade of a thatched home for triage and registration. In a little over 3-hours, after some very last minute planning, we pulled together a clinic in one of the poorest areas in Peru and served over 200 people.

This week has been an exceptional success. We have provided medical, dental, ophthalmological and psychological services to over 1,200 people. We have worked in 5 different communities and partnered with well over 50 Peruvian volunteers. This has been an amazing week of service. Perhaps we are most proud for our continual emphasis on seeking ways to serve the most underserved.

As the sun went down and our team finished the last of the pharmacy prescriptions, we collected around the school bus to help pack our supplies and head back to the Union Biblica camp. Slowly, but steadily, the Girasoles community came up to our team to thank us for our services. Slowly, but steadily, we all began to realize how important our day had been. At the end of our day - we all realized how important it is to ensure that there is a need to ensure preferential services delivery for the poor.

Day 2 at the Team Peru Clinic

2011-07-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

We are in Ica and to say the campaign is going great is an understatement! During day one of our clinic outreach we served well over 300 patients and in day two we served another 300+ patients!

I am amazed at how excited people are for our new adventure in Ica . . . and I am not talking about the North American volunteers. The Union Biblica house "father" at the Casa Girasoles has mounted a veritable army of volunteers (physicians, nurses, dentists, general helpers) to help with the campaign.

This "army," along with our 40 Peruvian and North American Team Peru volunteers, brings our total number of staff at a clinic site each day to over 65 people. We truly have a "village" working in some of the poorest areas of Ica to bring medical, dental and social services. Talk about an exciting year. This year, we have more Peruvian's involved in the campaign than "gringo" volunteers. Peruvians helping Peruvians - this is awesome!

Tomorrow night I hope to have an Internet connection fast enough to post some photos from our campaign. Suffice it to say, there have been an endless stream of smiling faces on the part of our volunteers and the people we are serving.

Day One in Lima

2011-07-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we arrived in Lima very late last night (no . . . make that very early this morning) and we have already hit the ground running. After a day filled with meetings, gathering supplies and a late night dinner with a congresswoman - our team is ready for bed. Oh, but not so fast.

Tonight is the first night of the next three that involve an ongoing parade of volunteers arriving in Lima. Ben has already headed to the airport to pick-up three volunteers. I am up next at 4:30 a.m. to retrieve another volunteer. All in all, we have over 20 volunteers arriving on various flights over next next two days.

All of the airport runs culminate very late on Saturday night when we pick up the last volunteer a little after 1 a.m. and head down the Pan-American highway for a 5-hour drive to the city of Ica.

Need-less-to-say, it is going to be really important to get as much sleep as possible between now and when the campaign officially starts on Sunday. This is going to be a great week and I am certain I will have a number of wonderful stories to post on the Blog. Stay tuned.

Count Down to 2011

2011-07-04T17:34:00.000-07:00

Things are coming down to the wire as we finalize our packing, make certain all of the trip participants have the information they need to spend over two weeks in Peru, and get set for our flights. This years trip promises to be different on a number of levels.

A couple of big differences include: (1) We have a new location for our first week of outreach with Union Biblica; (2) We are going to a new outreach settlement with Father Alex in Arequipa; (3) And, we are taking a really big group with us.

"All and all this going to be a very interesting month . . . that is for sure," as aptly stated by my wife (Lee) as she prepares to sit-out the first Team Peru trip in over 17-years.

One thing is certain to remain the same - the passion that our volunteers bring to serving in Peru. We will be updating the Blog frequently on the trip and hope to share some of our adventures and our learnings.

Thank you for your continue support of HBI. Stay tuned . . .

Team Peru 2011

2011-06-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

Photo: Our 50-lb. bags already for transport.

Yesterday was the Team Peru 2011 "packing party." It is a time when we meet as a group (at least those trip participants living in the Portland area) and load our bags with supplies and equipment.

We have a great group this year and were able to get a fantastic assortment of donated (and purchased) supplies. A special thank you to everyone who helped to collect supplies and made donations. We promise you - your generosity will be used to the greatest extent.

Stay tuned for more Team Peru updates in the coming weeks.

Team Peru 2011

2011-06-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

A message from HBI's Director of Operations (Mr. Ben Grass):

"Happy Summertime to you all, the sun is finally shining in Portland, which means it's that time of year to leave it for Perú and its "rainy season." Hmm?

I am reaching out to you all who have been past volunteers/participants of HBI Team Perú outreach trips, to mention that we are in the final planning phase for Team Perú 2011 trip. The dates are July 9th thru July 23rd.

We are headed to a brand new location each week this year. The first week we are headed two hours further south than our normal outreach locations, which makes for a long first day of travel if one is flying from the states leaving at 6am and not arriving in Ica until 6am the next day.

Unión Bíblica del Perú has asked us to move locations this year to one of their boy's homes that sees much less volunteer traffic. Also, Ica was greatly affected by a 7.9 earthquake in 2007 and has never fully recovered. The first week of our 2011 campaign will be unique. We will attend to displaced communities instead of schools. These communities are primarily single mothers and children with some of the least amount and access to resources we have seen.

The second week we will in fact continue our work with Father Alex and the Mission of Alto Cayma. What is different this year is that we will be helping the Mission much higher into the impoverished communities above the Church settlement. We will be working with the poorest of the poor.

Father Alex, as many of you remember, went to the end of the city and built his church because he knew that communities would continue to grow around him. That was nearly 15 years ago. Well, he was right - but no one could have foreseen the amount of growth. The services provided by the Mission reach nearly 35,000 people in some shape or form. There are now communities so far up the hill they are not within a reasonable distance of care delivery.

Father Alex has a vision to create a satellite Mission near the end of the squatter communities in an area called Sol de los Andes or Sun of the Andes. He already has a plot of land and a cross has been planted to signify property rights. In fact he mentioned the locals put a second cross on the land and have been holding mass on an open air, dirt floor Church. Really there has been no building whatsoever until now. We hope to help build a foundation for a daycare center and a small clinic.

The impetus for this update is dual purpose. First to thank you all for your continued support to HBI, the Peruvian People, and the service of those in need. Secondly, as you might remember, this is HBI's largest campaign of the year. This year our budget surpasses $40,000 and includes 28 North American volunteers, along with countless Peruvian volunteers.

We are trying to raise just over $13,000 to cover the budget for the clinic portion of the campaign. Our current volunteers have reached just over half with monetary donations and supplies. We still have a ways to go and so we extend this opportunity to any and all of you who would like to be involved in another campaign with a monetary donation.

You have seen first hand how every dollar is utilized to the fullest service of others. We would also appreciate if you would pass this along to family and friends who might be interested in helping.

The following is a link to donations: Make a Donation. Remember a $5 donation helps pay for one wellness exam for a child, including a months supply of vitamins, dental care, a full medical exam, toothbrush and any medications needed.

Please stay tuned to this Blogsite for updates and our Volunteer Blogsite as well for updates on our new adventures.

Thank you all and have a great weekend.

All my best,

Benjamin"

Politics . . . not as usual in Peru

2011-04-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

The Presidential race is heating up. Officially, the Peruvian elections are held on April 10 - but there is a few days when the ballots are counted and the results stream-in (remember this is a vast country with very isolated communities in the jungles and high mountains).

Okay, drum roll please - the results are very interesting to say the least. Remember, in order for an outright winner to be announced, one candidate must gain greater than 50% of the general casted votes. So really, it is impossible for an official winner to be announced from the general election. Rather, the top two vote getting candidates go to a run off. And, the suspense is building . . . those candidates, at this point, are likely to be . . . Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori (See: http://www.livinginperu.com/news/14628).

This is a really big surprise. Up to a month ago - Toledo was drawing the greatest favor. I have been saying all along - just wait for the last week of the campaign, Ollanta and Fujimori will come on strong. Come on strong they have. Currently 86% of the ballots have been counted and Humala is in with almost 32% of the votes and Fujimori has a distant second place vote getting at 23.2%. Third place horse in the race is PPK at 19.2%.

Famed Peruvian Noble Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa has gone on record as saying the match-up between Humala and Fujimori is "no less a choice between AIDS and terminal cancer" (I will let you decide who is what). Not exactly flattering words from a person of such distinguished prose.

Stay tuned - the race is far from over. One thing is, however, for sure - the Peru of the future is going to be different. The politics of Humala are not the politics of Garcia or Toledo. His nationalism agenda will inevitably lead to a different political ideology. Equally, Keiko is a political unknown and has a lot to prove for her very young age.

Whatever the outcome, the people of Peru have spoken and demand a change. The trickle down, so earnestly promised by previous administrations, has yet to come to fruition. A new political machine will need to meet the demands of the people living in the Los Cerros. Whoever wins the run off election on June 05 will need to be more observant to the 40+% of the Peruvian population that still lives in abject poverty.

The future has a lot to tell. Stay tuned.

Andina Fundraiser 2011

2011-03-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

"A Bridge to Change Benefit Dinner" at Andina Restaurant

You are invited to join HBI for a Fundraising Celebration! Please be our guest on Monday May 9th & Tuesday May 10th, 2011 for our second annual "A Bridge to Change Benefit Dinner." HBI facilitates sustainable improvements in individual and community health through collaboration with existing resources. Come see how you too can Build Bridges of Collaboration, while enjoying the warmth, familiarity and contrasts of Peruvian cuisine and culture, hosted by Andina Restaurant.

Each night will begin at 6pm with a Peruvian Pisco Sour (non-alcoholic beverages also available) and "bocaditos" (small bites) to welcome you. Dinner will begin at 7pm and will encompass 5 flavorful courses of Peruvian inspired, northwest influenced dishes. All of which will be accompanied by specially paired wines.

Vegetarian options will be available for each course, please let us know in advance

From the beginning of the cocktail hour through the completion of the 3rd course we will hold a silent auction. This will be a mixture of items brought back directly from Perú, along with items donated from the local community. Throughout the meal, we will share stories and pictures of our projects over the last year. If any past volunteers are interested in sharing their HBI experience, please email us at info@hbint.org .

Proceeds from this event will facilitate HBI as we Train, Consult, Deliver Care, and Connect Resources to some of the most impoverished people and underserved healthcare providers and organizations in Perú and beyond.

Where: Andina Restaurant : 1314 NW Glisan St., Portland, OR, 97209

Dates: Monday May 9th & Tuesday May 10th

When: 6 pm ~ cocktails and passed "bocaditos", 7pm ~ 5-course dinner with specially paired wines

How Much: $150 per person (including gratuity) ~a portion of each meal is a tax-deductible donation~

Reservations: There are a limited number of reservations available for each night. Please contact us at Info@hbint.org with the following: 1) night you will attend 2) number of guests 3) any important dietary restrictions Andina should be aware of 4) a contact phone number where we can confirm the reservation.
You can also call Benjamin Grass to make reservations - tel. 608 354 7567

Tickets: Seats for the event can be purchased in two ways:

Send a check $150 per person to HBI, PO Box 8813, Portland, OR 97207
Go to the HBI website and enter the events page. Please specify in the "purpose" box: Andina Dinner, along with the night you will be attending.

We look forward to seeing you at this Second Annual event. We promise you will not be disappointed.

Stirring the Pot

2011-03-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Photo: Poster announcing the sessions. I love the logo and design.

Photo: Speaker presenting her session.

Photo: The edifice of the Ministry of Health - a beautiful old building in Lima.

Yesterday afternoon HBI was invited to present to the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Our invitation was in association with a series of "charlas" or talks that the government convened to advance international collaborations. The speakers for the sessions were the Brazilian Senior Secretary of International Relations, a former head of the Peruvian Ministry of Health who now runs an NGO that works around the world, the director of a blindness prevention program in Peru (HBI's very own Dr. Daniel Bueno Rojas) the head of the United Nations HIV/AIDS program in Peru and HBI. Needless-to-say, it was quite an honor.

Each organization was provided a 20-minute time slot to talk about their work and propose ideas for greater collaboration and in-roads with underserved communities. All of the speakers that presented before me read from prepared statements or delivered standard PowerPoint presentations about their work and visions. I decided to do something a little different.

I think I might have ruffled a few feathers. I could not help myself. I couldn't darn well neglect the pink elephant in the middle of the room. I spoke "passionately" (as a person in the audience told me after the event) about the need for delivering services and advocating for political change that embraces a "pro poor" agenda. I talked about the divide that exists between the "haves" and the "have nots" in Peru. I challenged the Ministry of Health to develop programs that better trained Peruvian physicians and nurses to work with the poor. I encouraged the investment in training opportunities that teach Peruvian providers to understand the influence of long term trauma on the lives of people living in extreme poverty. I encouraged the development of a government mandate to ensure all Peruvians have access to healthcare services.

In the end, the bulk of my talk was about recognizing the responsibility that we all have to ensure that every child can grow up to realize their dreams. I ended my talk by telling the story of Alejandro Toledo - a man who grew up in extreme poverty and became the President of Peru. I told the hundred or so people gathered at the event that President Toledo's story is the story that every child should strive to conceive. I said that the dreams that allowed President Toledo to become the leader of Peru, are the same dreams that will bring an end to poverty.

Given the tense political climate in Peru - my use of former President Toledo as an example of the direction the Ministry of Health should head, may have been a bit too strong. Oh well, if nothing else I sure stirred the pot and got people thinking.

As we were getting ready to leave the conference a woman came up to us in the hallway. She said that she really appreciated what we had to say. She said that HBI's emphasis on ensuring that everyone has access to the highest quality health services was very inspiring to her. She told me that she felt more people needed to hear this message.

I can't end this Blog update without thanking Billy Greenman for his time, energy and expertise in acting as an interpreter for my talk yesterday!

You can't change the world

2011-03-22T14:02:00.000-07:00

Photo: My office in Lima; sweetheart, please note the water bottle.

"You can't change the world. No one has that much power." It took a long time for the sting of those words to wear off. When I was much younger I thought I could actually change the world. I was convinced that if I worked hard enough I could make a lasting impact. Then, one day, someone said these prophetic words to me. I think they were just trying to correct the shallow thinking of a naive young man. They really caused me to think.

I don't think I can change the world anymore . . . I know I am changing the world! No not in the arrogant, the world revolves around me way; but rather, I know that simply living my life is changing the world. By making the choices we make everyday, by committing to spend our time and energies in the way that we do - we are changing the world. Our impact, however great or small, changes the world whether we recognize it or not.

The real challenge is to live a life committed to making choices that hold the opportunity to diminish poverty, to assure health, and to value all life. My challenge is to make choices that recognize the great disparities that exist in the world and accepect the great impact of my choices. Because, whether I like it or not, my choices help to change the world everyday.

I had a conversation the other day in which someone asked me if I thought helping one person held the potential to make a difference in the world. My answer was a resounding yes. A "yes" for so many reason.

We can't know what happens to our "gifts" when we give them to others. We can't fully know the impact that helping others has on us. We do not know what happens when we help others to reach their goals or to build a life they desire. There is a multiplying factor. A sort of cumulative effect when we all start directing our choices toward a bigger change.

Am I going to change the world? Certainly not by myself - but most definitely with the help from all of us working together.

2011 Arequipa Healthcare Conference

2011-03-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

Photo: Post-conference speakers dinner.

Photo: The beautiful campus of our host site, Catholica University.

Photo: Dra. Natalie Gehringer and our wonderful interpreter Ms. Nancy Talavares.

Photo: I don't think the problem of attendance was related to the size of our poster.

It is Sunday afternoon and our conference has come and gone.

The conference this year was a mixed blessing. On the shinning side, we had an amazing team of North American and Peruvian speakers. Their depth of knowledge about pediatric respiratory illness was amazing. Not to mention the time, energy and expense they all took to be a part of the conference and this learning opportunity. HBI owes them a great deal of gratitude. We are proud to be affiliated with such amazing people.

An area that we continue to struggle is conference participation. We had so much hope that we would sell out the conference this year. Our goal was to fill the main conference room - a plenary audience of almost 300 people. Well, we fell far short of this number. In fact, we ended up with a total enrollment of under 60 attendees.

The professionals who attended the conference were very engaged and enthusiastic about the material being presented. In a post conference evaluation, the vast majority of attendees ranked the experience as "exceptional." The question we are all left with is . . . if people enjoyed the conference so much, why are the attendance numbers so low?

We can't judge the quality of this experience based on our attendance. Rather, I am very optimistic for the future of our conference because of the enthusiastic conversations that took place over the two days. We discussed advancing the "humanitarian efforts of Peruvian organizations," reviewed critical care guidelines for pediatric respiratory illnesses, and engaged in practical skills building sessions. In fact, the whole experience was very collegial.

Our next conference is scheduled for September. We are already starting the planning. I am certain we will apply the learnings from this conference. Heck, even if we helped only one physician or nurse gain the skills they need to better serve the patients they work with - the conference was a huge success.

Not a recommended travel itinerary

2011-03-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

When choosing travel plans, there is great wisdom in giving yourself plenty of extra time for connections, inter-flight rest, and transfers.

I, unfortunately, rarely (oh, scratch that . . . never) follow these precepts. I was in the Tampa, Florida area yesterday presenting at a homelessness service providers conference. I finished my last presentation at 3:40 pm and rushed out of the conference facility to drive the 60+ miles to the Orlando International Airport to catch a 6 pm flight. And yes, I had a rental car to return and was bound to run into commuter traffic in the Orlando area at 5 pm.

The drive was the most uneventful part of the past 24-hours. This is stating a lot. Those of you who have driven in central and south Florida know that the highways are analogous to NASCAR racetracks. Ever car speeds up to your bumper and then slingshots up the road as if they are in the "flag lap."

Okay, so my flight from Orlando to Seattle started banal enough. I was buried in work and typing away at my computer. That is, until I heard a request for a doctor to help in the rear galley of the plane. Wanting to help my colleagues who most assuredly beat me back to the galley, I walked to the small crowd gathered in the portion of the plane usually only frequented by the flight attendants. When I got there I learned that I was the only physician on the plane and the two flight attendants who were simultaneously talking with medical support on the ground and attending to a young woman in acute abdominal distress. They were more than happy to have me step in and take over.

It turned out that she was suffering from acute gastroenteritis that was compounded by flatus in the large bowel. In plain speak - she had a lot of gas. The two hours that it took to finally provide her some relief were very exciting. The flight attendants and the tower continually asked me if the plane needed to be diverted to get her immediate evaluation and the poor young woman was in a great deal of discomfort. In the long run, she was scared, in a good deal of pain from the pressure in her abdomen and really just needed a little simethicone (Gas-X) and a helpful ear to listen to her concerns. All ended well.

I arrived in Seattle at 10 pm PST (three hours ahead of the eastern time zone I had been operating in for the past couple of days) and was greeted with a 2-hour lay-over before I could catch my flight to Portland. The flight got delayed. I finally arrived in Portland after 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning. By this point, I had been up for 21-hours.

I quickly rushed home and jumped into bed to hug Lee and Alex for all of about 3 hours. I was picked up this morning at 4:30 a.m. and caught the 6 a.m. flight to San Francisco. This is where I currently sit as I type this blog update.

My next adventure is a 9-hour and 30-minute flight from SF to Lima. I arrive a little after 12 a.m. on Thursday. After collecting my bags - I will have a 4+ hour wait before I can catch my last flight of the trip to Arequipa at 6 a.m.

Okay, here is the Pièce de résistance - I arrive in Arequipa around 9 a.m. on Friday and have until 12 noon when the conference starts. Oh, and Karen and I are the first speakers of the conference. Let's hope I can get a little sleep before the conference - or I will be working on energy fumes. Yikes.

The lesson for this story . . . please don't model your travel plans on my very frenetic wanderings. I don't think my itinerary is a very healthy approach.

4th Annual Conference

2011-03-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

We are gearing up for our Fourth Annual Arequipa Medical Conference and Training Symposium. The following video will air on public TV stations in the Arequipa area for the next week. Keep your fingers crossed that we get a record turnout. Our goal is 275 people!

Join Team Peru!

2011-03-06T10:09:00.000-08:00

This summer marks our 17th straight Team Peru outreach trip.

Once again, we will be partnering with Union Biblica del Peru and the Mission of Alto Cayma. The days are long and the work is hard - but the rewards are life changing.

Consider joining us for our July trip this year. To learn more, download the information packet: TEAM PERU 2011

4th Annual Conference

2011-03-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

We are building toward our 4th Annual Arequipa Healthcare Conference and Training Symposium on March 18th and 19th in Arequipa City, Peru. This years conference theme is pediatric respiratory illness and will feature a team of U.S. and Peruvian presenters. Our esteem speakers include pediatric pulmonologists, an emergency medicine physician, a pediatric hospitalists, and general pediatricians and family medicine physicians.

In addition to a track of training specifically targeting physician providers, we will have a set of nursing workshops and trainings. Once again in 2011, the conference will be accredited by the Peruvian Colleges of Nursing and Medicine, and will offer continuing medical education (CME) and continuing nursing education (CNE) credits for participants. New for 2011, the conference will also be accredited by Catholica University - one of the most prestigious universities in Peru.

We look forward to a fantastic event and will be posting updates throughout the 2-days of the conference.

Water Project - Part II

2011-02-24T12:22:00.001-08:00

Here are links to a video journal that our fantastic water project team compiled while working with NDI in Nicaragua:

Nicaragua Agua Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlbgdfLCgwA

Nicaragua Agua Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwvhsoK1d20

Nicaragua Agua Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We7YjmgHVLs

Nicaragua Agua Part 3.1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R5WNfmPdWo

Nicaragua Agua Part 4.0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH_ah5VG9TA

Nicaragua Agua Part 4.1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u53kpfAdeDw

Nicaragua Agua Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBiuBbLmzmg

Nicaragua Agua Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG0hFAF7t-c

Nicaragua Agua Part 7, "Blessing” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX_QeYnnBr8

Nicaragua Agua Part 7.1, “Blessing Bob & Rich” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkaBkuWs6OU

Nicaragua Agua Part 7.2, “Operator Training” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmNgHwNpBNM

Nicaragua Agua Finale, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYvjRAtHLCU

A very special thank you to Mr. Ben Grass (HBI's Director of Operations), Mr. Bob Palandech, Bishop Rich Monnie, and Mr. Tony Trujillo (NDI Operations Manager) for their tireless efforts.

The project was not without a set of challenges, and the team pulled it off with stunning accuracy.

Great job TEAM!

Let Clean Water Flow

2011-02-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

The HBI Team has completed the installation of a water filtration unit in collaboration with NDI on the Island of Ometepe in Nicaragua.

A video update of this fantastic project can be seen at on YouTube.

HBI and NDI worked collaboratively to bring the first large batch water filtration project to the Island of Ometepe. HBI will be working with NDI to finalize and evaluate this project.

Stay tuned to the HBI Blog for updates.

A Great New Training Institute

2011-02-15T12:26:00.001-08:00

As many HBI stakeholders are aware, I spend my time split between my work with HBI and my work with the Center for Social Innovation (C4).

C4 is a "think tank" based out of Boston, MA that works to translate research, policy and best practice resources into concrete tools that providers and clinicians can use to end homelessness and address poverty.

C4 recently launched the "T3 Institute." T3 is a collaboration between C4 and the National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH). T3 is an innovative training institute committed to improving the knowledge and skills of people working in homeless services. T3 believes that a skilled workforce is essential to mount a serious response to complex social problems.

T3 has a free module that people can watch to learn an amazing array of information about the “History of Homelessness.”

Take a few minutes to check out the T3 website. There is lot of great information and a really aesthetically appealing style to the way information is presented. I am really proud of the great work at C4 and the product we have developed through T3.

The Presidential Election

2011-02-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

Photo: A campaign billboard in Lima. Presidential candidates will support congressional candidates under their party. This poster is for Alejandro Toledo and a congressional candidate Carlos Bruce.

The month of April is fast approaching.

The Presidential elections this year involve a number of very interesting candidates, including Dr. Alejandro Toledo - former President of Peru in the early part of this century. Dr. Toledo has stiff competition from a Nationalist candidate who was a big surprise in the 2006 elections (Ollanta Humala) and an autocrat who was the former Mayor of Lima (Dr. Luis Casteneda).

Another candidate with the potential for a late surge in the polls is the studious economist, physician, infectious disease expert and scientist - Dr. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. Dr. Kuczynski is not an unknown commodity in Peruvian political seen, having served under President Toledo as the Minister of Economy. He is a really sharp mind.

The dark horse of the race is none other than Keiko Fujimori. Yes, you got it - the daughter of both disgraced and beloved former president (and now convicted felon) Alberto Fujimori.

The election date is April 10th. If no one candidate receives at least 50% of the vote - then they go to an election run-off between the top two vote geters. This will undoubtedly prove to be a very interesting contest and may have a great deal of significance to the work of HBI.

Never to be outdone, 2-term President Dr. Alan Garcia is already beginning his re-election charge for the next electoral cycle (Peru's constitution puts no limits on the number of terms a President can serve, only that the he/she can not serve consecutive terms).

Stay tuned to the HBI Blogspot, I will definitely be writing about the race.

Changes . . .

2011-02-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

Photo: The "Free" Integrated Medicine Campaign.

Photo: Note the table of medications being set-up outside of the main tent.

I am at the airport awaiting my flight back to the U.S. This is a routine that I am very well acquainted. There is, however, a bit of a difference in my attitude as I leave a weeks stay in Lima.

Changes in the economy and the new prosperity of Peru are evident everywhere. From the number of new cars on the road to the congestion that constantly plagues the airport. Peru is a country on the move.

This morning I went for a run. A short run before quickly scurrying back to the Formation House to back my bags and say my goodbyes. My run was nothing special. It was along a route that I have taken many times in the past. There was one thing that made my run much different.

As I was circling back to the plaza in the center of Magdalena, I noticed a large tent set up in the middle of the square. I have seen tents similar to this one in the past - much of the time in very poor areas where international organizations are delivering medical and dental care. This time, however, the tent was a group of Peruvian health care providers setting up a free campaign right in the middle of a middle-class neighborhood.

I stopped and asked two people setting up a table with medications (the table was outside of the tent in a very conspicuous spot) what was going on. They told me that they were conducting a "gran campana salud integral." I asked who the sponsor of the campaign was and they shrugged their shoulders and said - "no one, we are just here helping."

As I walked away from the tent I noticed a banner stretched across the square close to the campaign. Upon closer inspection I saw a very familiar face and a slogan that every Limeno would recognize - "Hospital de la Solidaridad." Solidaridad Nacional is the political party of Luis Casteneda Lossio, the former mayor of Lima and a front runner for the Peruvian presidency in April.

The Casteneda party has been putting on medical and health care campaigns all over Lima for years. Their model has been to build portable "hospitals" (multi-specialty health care centers) out of discarded buses or shipping containers. They are easily recognizable because of there branding in the official colors of the Casteneda party.

Don't get me wrong, I am not against campaigning. In fact, I believe that Casteneda has a genuine concern for the needs of the Peruvian poor. It just seems a bit strange that a "gran campana salud integral" would take place in such a unusual spot.

Yes, things in Peru are rapidly changing. And, there is a long way to go.

Little Ines

2011-02-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

Photo: Special orthopedic shoes that allow Ines to walk without pain.

Photo: Father Aurelio and his pet monkey "Pepe Pedro"

Photo: Ines' smiling face and "Hello Kitty" shirt. Such the little girl.

Little Ines is not so little anymore. She is doing great.

I met with Ines, her mother Victoria, Father Aurelio, Gloria and Reverend Pat this afternoon in Pamplona. This is the team that helps to keep the "Ines Special Needs Children Program" running.

Gloria perform home visits, helps to coordinate appointments and transportation and helps to administer the funds for the program. Father Aurelio is always available to help counsel parents and provide a compassionate ear to the needs of people dealing with the very stressful demands of caring for medically fragile children. Reverend Pat is the mortar that keeps all of the bricks together. She helps to make certain that everything keeps running smoothly.

At this time the Special Needs Children Program is helping fund 6 kids in and around the impoverished community of Pamplona - one of the large periurban slums (or Pueblos Jovenes) in Lima. The money, donated from a Carmelite Prayer Group in Panama City, Florida has been a tremendous benefit to the lives of the children and their parents. The poverty that surrounds the people enrolled in the program is suffocating.

This afternoon as we sat in the church where Father Aurelio is the pastor, talking with Victoria and Ines, I noticed a different little girl than I had seen in July of 2009. The Ines I saw today was smiling and laughing. A bit shy, but not afraid to express her opinion. And very much a different physical presence than I had last examined. Certainly, she is thin and a bit frail; but her skin looks fantastic.

The blisters that had covered every square inch of her body the last time I saw her were minimal and isolated to areas where there was friction from her clothing or irritation from pressure. Victoria told us that Ines has not taken any antibiotics for over three months. This in contrast to one year ago - when she was on continuous oral antibiotics and very much a threat for drug resistance.

The Ines of today was not the same little girl. I have got to think that the small donation that goes into the "Special Needs Children Program" every month helped to make a difference.

Certainly she is not "cured." There is no current cure for her condition. She is however, happy. And this is a huge success!

Please don't make Peru look bad

2011-02-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

"You have got to write a book," I said to a colleague of mine last night over dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in all of Peru (Don Tito's Pollo a la Brasa). "Your story is too important and people need to hear it."

My colleague thought about what I said for a few minutes; and before he could respond, another Peruvian colleague of ours said, "but please, please doctor - don't make Peru look bad."

I thought about his statement a lot last night and this morning. I thought about what he meant by it. I wondered if the truth is ever a bad idea.

This morning I decided to go for a long run (I am suppose to run a 50km trail race next weekend and I am woefully out of shape). Running along the beach I came across a old man lying on the shoulder of the road. He appeared to be at least 70-years old and was barefoot and very disheveled. His clothes were dirty and torn and his feet had a thick layer of callous that comes from walking barefoot for a long period of time.

I had planned to run along the beach and then up through the neighborhoods of Miraflores, San Isidro and Magdalena back to the Formation House where I am staying. In total, I anticipated my run to take a little over 2-hours. In preparation for the heat (it is summer in Peru and Lima is enveloped in a thick, steamy curtain of clouds) I had taken 10 soles with me. I fully anticipated that this would more than meet my needs for calories and liquid replenishment.

I ran upon my friend about 40-minutes into my 2-hour odyssey. I could not just run past him. I had to do something. So I gave him my only money. I asked him (in my very broken Spanish) if there was anything else I could do for him. He said "pray for me." I told him that I would and went to continue on my run. He stopped me, grabbed my hand and said, "you are the only person who has stopped to help me - thank you."

I do not write this story to make Peru "look bad." I know that homelessness and poverty are far from unique to Peru alone. Rather, I write this story to say something that I think really motivates all of HBI's work in Peru.

We believe that we have an obligation to be continuously open to service. We believe that no one organization can serve all of the needs of a people, a community or a country. We believe in partnerships and collaboration. Our intention is never to "make Peru look bad." Rather our focus is working with marginalized and disenfranchised people and communities to effect permanent changes in health.

My mind is racing right now. I can really see a great deal of potential for partnering with organizations in Lima to help the homeless that live along the Costa Verde and other isolated pockets in the city. I can really see a great deal of opportunities for us to work with Peruvian organizations to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness and make "Peru look good."

More to come . . .

Lima Meetings

2011-02-11T20:06:00.001-08:00

I have been in Lima for four days. Each day has been spent in meetings or in planning. The thing about international outreach that many people neglect is the importance of relationships, and relationships need to be continuously nurtured. This has been a very productive trip.

HBI is not a fancy organization. We do not generally stay in posh accommodations or travel in luxury. Well, I do get upgraded to Business Class a lot . . . but no one should travel as much as I do.

This past few days I have been staying at the Formation House of the Missionary Society of St. Paul (MSSP). We have partnered with Father Alex and MSSP for a number of years. More and more they are allowing our staff to use the Formation House for brief stays in Lima. This saves us money and is very convenient to the airport.

Tonight I learned that the Formation House is to be used for a weekend retreat. A retreat with some 90+ participants. As I type this message it is a little after 11 pm Peru time, and the singing has just started. Very load singing with instruments and a speaker system. Needless-to-say, this could be a long night.

Alas, just another glamorous trip in the life of HBI.

Fate Intervenes

2011-02-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

I just got back from a meeting with Mr. Billy Clark (Director of International Programs for Union Biblica del Peru) and Dr. Daniel Bueno (HBI's Peru Project Coordinator). We were meeting about two planned projects for this year.

At one point in the meeting Billy asked if he could tell us an amazing story. The background for this story involves a little bit of explanation about Union Biblica.

Union Biblica is a faith based organization that has worked in Peru for over 50-years. They are involved in a number of programs and projects. From schools outreach to medical missions - they have a wide variety of ways that they are making a difference in the lives of some of Peru's poorest citizens.

Their medical work is strongly based out of the jungle and the city of Iquitos. They operate two medical and dental ships, decommissioned navy vessels from Scotland. They use the ships to bring health care services to isolated communities along the Amazon River and the tributaries of the Amazon.

A couple of weeks ago one of the ships was out on a campaign. The captain of the ship noted a small village along the banks of the river and asked the program director if the ship could stop in the community. The director informed the captain that the community was not on their schedule and that they had a full itinerary of communities where they were needed. For whatever reason, the captain persisted in his request for the ship to stop. The director conceded and the ship moored to the banks.

Within minutes of docking a small child was brought on board. He made been bitten by a very poisonous snake. A snake with such ferocious venom that Peruvian doctors report that a human being only has 48-hours before they will succumb to the poison if an antidote is not administered.

As luck would have it, the ship had two anti-venom vials on board. The anti-venom is very expensive and it was quite unusual for them to have two vials, the exact prescription needed to save the life of this boy. Thankfully they were able to administer the medication and stabilize the young child's life before transporting him to a hospital in Iquitos.

As it turns out, the woman that brought the boy on board the ship was not his mother. She was not a relative of any kind. She was a person who saw a need and responded to that need.

Apparently, the boy had been bitten by the snake some 36-hours before being brought to the ship. The boy, an orphan in this small indigenous village, had been abandon by the village. Fearing, I guess, that there was nothing they could do to help the child, the villagers had transported the boys body to an area in the jungle outside of the small town. This woman, the good Samaritan who brought the boy to the ship, happened upon the boy.

It was by pure fate that the ship pulled into this small village at that exact time. Today, the boy is living in one of Union Biblica's homes for abandon children. This story, and the power of the "unknown" (of fate) to overcome all of the seeming obstacles, is truly profound.

This is story is representative of the miracles that happen everyday.

Complicated Things Made Simple

2011-02-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Photo: The "waiting room" at the Shalom Center.

Photo: Jocelyn with the physical therapist.

I just love Lima. It is a thriving metropolis of chaos and excitement. I have not spent much time in Lima for a few years. Most of my recent trips to Peru have involved one or two day stays in Lima with continued travel to outlying cities or communities. For the past week, I have spent all of my time in Lima. I have missed the “City of Kings.”

One thing that can’t be said about Lima any longer is that it is a “third world” city. No, by any measure – Lima is a first world city surrounded by third world poverty. In all of the parts of the city that cater to tourists and international travelers, the streets are clean, the amenities plentiful and the visible luxuries are all around. However, if you travel a short distance to the north, south, or east you will quickly run into some of the most impoverished communities in the world. Communities like Pamplona, San Juan de Miraflores, and Nueva Esperanza – places with pot-hole ridden streets, garbage strewn side walks and massive unemployment.

Yesterday afternoon I went to such a place.

I have been to the Shalom Center many times before. However, this was a new experience. The center has recently changed locations; and this was my first visit to the new Shalom Center.

Reverend Pat Blanchard has built a place for special needs children to come and receive therapy. She has collected a number of professionals (physical and occupational therapists, speech pathologists) and built a clinic around the needs of the children of Pamplona living in extreme poverty. Children with complex developmental issues and severe physical handicaps.

Yesterday afternoon, as I sat in the central room of the center and watched the children awaiting appointments sing and dance with their mothers, it suddenly became clear to me that the real “healing” that happens at the Shalom Center is well beyond the work of the therapists. Yesterday I came to understand that the true healing comes in the way of love.

Jocelyn is a severely handicapped child. She was born with Cerebral Palsy. Her life has been anything but easy. Last year, because of a mounting array of medical complications, she had a feeding tube placed. Her body is emaciated. Her muscles are twisted and distorted. Yet, she has a spirit that is evident in her angelic eyes and the gentle smile on her lips.

Yesterday afternoon, as I watched Jocelyn receive physical therapy, I saw a smile come accross her thin face. I witnessed a smile that seemed to transcend all of the apparent suffering that I could witness in her twisted and frail body. I saw a little girl responded fully to the gentle touch and the loving kindness that the physical therapist used to soften her rigid muscles and to straighten her crooked limbs.

I wish I could say that I witnessed miraculous healing. I wish I could say that her body was straightened. I wish I could say that Jocelyn was healed and free of pain and suffering. I can’t say any of those things.

Rather, what I did see was the sort of healing that comes from years of dedicated work and compassion. I saw a little girl respond to the loving way that everyone at the Shalom Center interacted with her. I saw a mother, a woman who takes sole care of this little girl with very little resources, relax and soften her furrowed brow. I saw a smile on Jocelyn’s face that expressed the healing happening inside of her – in spite of the physical limitations her body possesses.

A Christmas Message from Father Alex

2010-12-27T14:48:00.000-08:00

Father Alex sent this message to me the other night and I want to share his story of hope for the Holiday Season:

Once upon a time there lived a young man who did not believe in Jesus, Christmas, Church stuff, and so on. He declared himself as a non-believer but he was a nice good willing guy who never stepped back when somebody needed his help. One night, the 24^th of December he was walking down the road and it was just freezing. He was not interested in entering a church but it was the only place open where he could shelter himself from the cold. He said to himself “This is not bad at all, nice singing, beautiful lights, welcoming hugs and most important of all it is free and quite warm."

It did not take long for the preacher to appear and start his meditation on Christmas. It went something like this. “Some two thousand years ago there was a very generous and holy woman by the name of Mary who was asked for a big favor by God Himself. She was asked to deliver a baby who would be the savior of the world. She did not understand much of what was going on, but since it was God’s wish she thought that it should be ok to say yes. The baby was born and his name given, Jesus. Jesus grew up like a normal human being but very soon his profound and Godly wisdom started to call attention and started to gather crowds around him like nobody else was able to. So what was the attraction? Well he was courageous enough as to talk openly about love, justice, peace and a lot more; like loving the enemy, prostitutes and sinners to enter God’s kingdom before the high priests, blessed are the poor in spirit, think about your neighbors’ needs before your own, sell all your belongings and give it all to the poor, feed the hungry, heal the sick, cloth the naked, visit those in jail, and on, and on, and on… More over he did not only speak, he did in fact give sight to the blind, healed the crippled and the deaf, fed thousands with bread and fish, walked on water, stopped storms, he even gave life to the dead. On top of it all he gave his life as a ransom for the forgiveness of all human sin… and afterwards he rose from the dead. By the way he was not interested in decorated trees, special cakes or hot chocolate, special lights or fireworks, gifts and so on. He only came to teach us the way to live in peace with others and with ourselves. He came to tell us where he came from and where we are all going to… his Father and our Father. This is what it means to believe… to follow Jesus struggling daily for justice and peace. This is what gives sense to the joy and the celebration of Christmas the world over. A world that struggles every day to build justice and peace… in other words, to build God’s Kingdom on Earth. Happy Christmas."

The young man said to himself, “Perhaps I too believe then. Perhaps I too follow Jesus and all he said and did because I too help others with what I can every day.”

And as all the stories that start with “once upon a time”, the young man “lived happily ever after.”

May all of us too accept Jesus and live happily ever after. Happy Christmas!

Data Collection is Complete

2010-11-15T23:44:00.000-08:00

The team is back in the U.S. and the data collection for the CARE III research project is completed. The team were able to complete 420 surveys over the course of 7-days of data collection. This is really great and will provide a good sample size for our research study.

The next step is to send the completed surveys to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington for compilation and data review. We hope to have the first sets of data evaluated sometime in the early Spring. Our goal is to submit our research for publication sometime in the fall of 2011.

Speaking of publishing data - we are submitting the research from our CARE I study for publication in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. Look for an article to run in late winter of 2011. That is if our submission is accepted for publication. Keep your fingers.

A very big thank you to all of the volunteers who helped with the CARE III data collection. You are amazing and we owe you so much. THANK YOU!

Keeping checking out the HBI Blog - big things are in the works for HBI in the coming months. Until then, thank you for all of your support.

Data Collection Day 4

2010-11-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

Photo: The rural communities of the Colca Valley.

Photo: A beautiful old facade in the community of Yanque.

The team continues in the Colca Valley until Friday, November 12. Updates from our Director of Operations indicate that we are moving forward with visits to a total of 13 smaller villages in the valley. Ben tells me that things are going great and he feels we are more than meeting the expected (hoped for) numbers for the research project.

We should have a complete update on the progress of the CARE III Survey project early next week. Keep checking the Blog for updates.

Why study healthcare access in Peru?

2010-11-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

Photo: The lunar landscape of the high Peruvian mountain communities.

Everyone we have talked with has a story about their inability to gain access to the healthcare services they self define as needing. Equally, our team has heard (for many years) that healthcare access, specifically access to medical providers and medical specialist, is really lacking in many parts of Peru. However, and this is the most critical part of the "why" we are doing research studies in Peru, few studies actually exist to support such anecdote or suspicion.

Our project is designed to gain a greater foothold in understanding the care delivery needs of isolated, marginalized and underserved communities. We want to take the anecdotes, the assumptions, and the beliefs that are pervasive and provide some firm data to better meet the evolving challenges of Peru.

With an expected 8% economic growth in the next year, Peru is a vastly changing environment. The Peru that HBI started working in some 17-years ago is a very different world. In an attempt to best meet the needs of underserved communities, we need to be continuously gaining a greater understanding of their needs and challenges.

Day 3 - CARE III

2010-11-07T19:42:00.000-08:00

Photo: Dinner in Arequipa at "Tinto and Asado"

Photo: HBI's Peru Country Director - Daniel Bueno Rojas

I am back in Lima awaiting a flight to the U.S. - but the data collection continues. The team spent their morning hours surveying the principle Colca Valley town of Chivay. Our Director of Operations (Ben Grass) told me that things went great and they were able to survey the entire community.

The group will be surveying the rest of the week and hopes to complete 500 surveys. My fingers are crossed. The more surveys we can complete the greater the value of our research. At this point, we just need to keep plugging away. The data will speak for itself once we have it all collected.

I just had a really interesting meeting with Dr. Francisco Cisnero and our Peru Country Director (Dr. Daniel Bueno Rojas). Dr. Francisco, an ophthamologist who was trained in the Dominican Republic, just completed a fellowship training in Colombia in cataract procedures. His family has run a clinic in Lima (Nahui Clinic) for a number of years. They are one of the most respected ophthamology centers in all of Peru.

Francisco has taken over the directorship of an NGO that works with cataract and eye surgeries for impoverished communities. He wants to ensure that every patient who needs surgery in Peru can get the surgery - regardless of their ability to pay. He told me that it is assumed that on average there are 3,000 cataract cases per 1,000,000 patients. Ideally, a country should be able to absorb this 3,000 patient case load.

This "ideal" is predicted on having a fully trained and motivated workforce. In Chile, as Francisco told me, the medical community is able to attend to all of the eye surgery needs of their populous. In Peru and Bolivia, the number of cases that the medical system is able to handle is well below 1,000. Francisco and his NGO are working with the Clinton Foundation to provide cataract surgeries to patients in need.

Francisco has a clinic in the Magdelana neighborhood of Lima. He has great desires for the clinic and contacted HBI to see if we can help to connect him with other organizations or projects working in Peru who can help to expand their services and increase his ability to help the poor.

This is an exciting opportunity and I am hopeful for whatever may arise. It is amazing how much can come when we work together. More to come.

Data Collection Day 2

2010-11-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

Photo: Yes, even though the photo is blurry, the altitude is correct - 15, 875 Ft!

Photo: One of our new friends.

Photo: The survey team hard at work.

I am back in Arequipa after spending almost three days (and what seems like countless hours on buses and in shuttle vans) in the Colca Valley town of Chivay. Our team of researchers have collected 2-full days of data and far exceeded our initial expectations.

The team is doing fantastic. Our biggest challenge has not been the lack of a motivated survey team, they are all fantastic, or a lack of interested research participants, only one person opted out of the survey. Our greatest challenge has been the complexity of the stories we are hearing.

Person after person has incredible stories to share about their lives in one of the most remote areas in Latin America. From spousal violence to alcoholism, everyone we have talked with has been affected by violence and abuse. As one of our team members said, "It is really hard not to want to just stop asking the questions and start trying to 'fix' everything."

Our goal in this project is to collect the sort of meaningful data that will allow for a more concerted approach to services delivery. If our first two days of data collection holds true - there is no lack of service need in the communities . . . there may only be a lack of time to truly help in all of the areas of need.

One story - "Isabel" (not her real name) has lived in the small town of Coporaque for her entire life, sans a short period in Lima. She has never been married nor had any children. When we met her on the streets of this small high altitude town (population 500), she was just going out to tend to her small plot of land. She told us that one of the things she would most like to see for her community is a "meeting or group" that brings together woman her age who are single and live alone. "We all need support up here," she told us, " and for those of us without families that support comes from other people our age." Isabel is 75-years old and just as spry as any 35-year old. She lives in a mountain community at over 12,000 feet above sea level and did not complete secondary school (she left school in the equivalence of the 9th grade).

I am just so inspired when I meet people like Isabel. People who are seeking to create their own change. I am hopeful that the data we receive from our research can help to identify more ideas and opportunities for people like Isabel.

Stay tuned for more updates as the team collects data over the next week. Thank you, as always, for all of your support!

Day 1 in Peru

2010-11-03T02:49:00.001-07:00

Photo: The lonley Lima airport at 2 a.m.

Photo: Bleary eyed, but ready to go. My first meeting is in just a couple of hours.

It doesn't matter how many times I make this trip - sitting in the Lima airport for 5-hours from 1 a.m. until 6 a.m. is dreadful!

Day one and we will be gathering all of our materials together to get ready for the trip to the Colca. We start data collection in the afternoon on Thursday and then begin a full fledged data grab on Friday.

Father Alex and I will be meeting with the Bishop of Arequipa in just a few hours to discuss partnering our resources on the development of a drop-in center for abandon youth in downtown Arequipa. This is a dream for HBI and a project we have loosely been working on for a number of years. Keep your fingers crossed that the meeting goes well.

I am excited for this week and our research project - as we have a great team of volunteers and should be able to get really robust data sets together.

Check out the Blog throughout the next week for frequent updates. Thanks!

CARE III - The Colca Valley

2010-10-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

We are headed to Peru next week to conduct our third research and community survey project with the University of North Carolina-Wilmington School of Nursing and Community Health and Dr. Kae Livsey.

Our project will be conducted in the high Andean region of the Colca Valley. We are partnering with the Portland based NGO Quechua Benefit to help define the health care access and utilization of a number of communities that rim the Colca Valley (one of the deepest and most beautiful canyons in the world - see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colca_Canyon).

In addition to health care access and utilization questions, we will be seeking information on general socio-demographics and data on water access, employment and general lifestyle needs.

Our goal with this project is to create a statistically sound "picture" of the needs of the people living in the rural communities of the Colca Valley so that we can help to direct appropriate care mechanisms and resources. Equally, we are hoping that our research (once published) will have an influence on policy makers and government officials. Few studies have been conducted in the the rural communities of Latin American on health care access and utilization. If policy makers are going to truly use the resources they have at their discretion to meet the needs of their communities - they must have good, sound data to make those decisions.

Not too many politicians read dry community health research, but once the data reach the "public airwaves" it has the potential to create resounding levels of influence. As the saying goes - a bell once rung can never be un-rung.

You can follow our progress in the Colca Valley on this Blog - look for nightly updates on our progress. And, as always - thank you for all of your continued support.

Why donate to HBI?

2010-10-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

Right now . . . somewhere in a small village, a squatter community, a city slum – a child has lost hope. The pain and suffering that they have endured for far too long have pushed them to the point of breaking.

Somewhere, right now . . . a child will begin a life on the streets.

Right now . . . somewhere in a small village, a squatter community, a city slum - a woman has taken her last beating. The pain and suffering she has endured for far, far too long has pushed her to seek a different life.

Somewhere, right now . . . a woman is desperate for new opportunities. Desperate for hope.

Right now . . . somewhere in a small village, a squatter community, a city slum - a young person is struggling with their sexual identity. They overwhelmed with fear that the life they so greatly wish to live will never happen. They are afraid that the life they were meant to live will get them killed.

Somewhere, right now . . . a young person is seeking the chance to become who they are meant to be. Right now they live in fear.

There is no way we can know how many children are in such situations. There is no way we can know the number of woman who suffer through domestic violence and abuse. There is no way we can know the total number of gay and lesbian young people who are struggling with their sexual and gender identities - without any guidance or support.

The numbers of people in these situations would overwhelm us even if we did have an accurate means of accounting for their needs. One thing we do know with certainty is that it will take more than one person, one organization or one idea to shift the reality for a child, to break the bonds of abuse and oppression for a woman to free a young person from the pain of rejection and cruelty.

It will take a community. It will take people committed to working in their own countries, their own communities, their own neighborhoods. It will take a movement. This is what HBI is all about. We are shaping a movement.

We know that we cannot reach every child, every woman, every young person . . . and, we believe that we can empower everyone to reach every child, every woman, every young person. Through our healthcare outreach campaigns, our educational conferences, our trainings and our community surveys we are working to bring greater awareness.

We are working to build a community of providers, professionals and people dedicated to creating and sustaining change. We are working to build bridges that allow everyone to cross over and make a difference.

We are working to assure that one day soon no child will ever be without hope.

Please know that every penny we raise will be used to its highest extent. Please know that the work you are doing to help HBI build our capacity – is work that will make a difference in the life of a child without hope, a woman without support, a young person without resources.

Please know that you are helping to change the world – by building bridges and empowering communities.

Thank you.

Why HBI?

2010-10-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

Health Bridges International is an organization that was started with the mission of creating bridges between resources and needs. This rather daunting task has led our organization to partner on a number of projects – from healthcare outreach campaigns to educational conferences to community surveys. Our work has been shaped by the ever-present desire to create sustainable change in the lives of people living in extreme poverty through collaboration.

For HBI, collaboration is a tool to serve the underserved. Our goal is ending extreme poverty.

Our ambitious programs have taken a slight shift in the last few years. This shift has been partly due to the changing economic and societal needs of the countries where we operate and partly due to our organizational need and desire to focus our efforts. We are still fully grounded in the belief that true change - lasting, sustainable change – comes from empowering people to develop their own futures; and, we believe that one of the critical ways that this happens is through educating and training the next generation of leaders.

HBI works to train, educate and motivate leaders at the professional level, community level and individual level. In 2011 we will be expanding our program to reach underserved communities through conferences and trainings, care delivery programs, and research projects.

For many years HBI has worked to bring services and advocacy to boys living on the streets of Peru. In 2011, we hope to develop a program that can be a training opportunity for students to learn the best practices and promising models of support. We hope that such a program will empower the next generation of change agents in their own communities.

HBI is dedicated to changing the world through connecting people, programs and ideas. We are working to build a community of providers, professionals and people dedicated to creating and sustaining change. We are working to build bridges that allow everyone to cross over and make a difference.

Strategic Planning

2010-10-16T17:40:00.000-07:00

Photo: Our beautiful Alexandra Margaret.

Over the next couple of months, HBI will be undertaking a strategic planning process. The goal of our reflective process is to truly align our Mission with our programs and projects. The Board of Directors and staff will be meeting to discuss the Mission, Vision and Values of HBI and how we can best assure that these important philosophies infuse all aspects of our work.

I am really excited for this planning process and feel confident that we are going to craft a focus for our future that will help to make our NGO even more effective.

Stay tuned for updates from the Strategic Planning Retreat and our strategic planning process.

Thank you for all of your continued support.

P.S. Call me a shameless proud father - but I had to add a picture of Alexandra.

Thank you: Anchorage, Alaska

2010-10-04T05:57:00.001-07:00

A very big thank you goes out to Mr. Steven Dougherty and the people of Anchorage, AK.

On September 30, Steven and his cohort of fans, family and friends helped to put on a fundraiser for HBI and our partner organizations. The event was a huge success!

We are so proud to be aligned with people like Steven and the amazing network of caring, compassionate folks in Anchorage.

In 2011, Father Alex and I will be making the trip to Anchorage for the "Third Annual Connect Peru" event. Please consider joining us!

Lima's Mayoral Elections

2010-10-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

Lima to have first female mayor ever

By FRANKLIN BRICENO (AP) – (FIrst appeared on Google News at 00:30 a.m. on 04 October 2010)

LIMA, Peru — A moderate leftist looked Sunday night to be headed by a narrow margin to becoming Lima's first elected female mayor.

A victory by Susana Villaran would give the left control of Peru's coastal capital — with 7 million people home to one in three of the Andean nation's inhabitants — for the first time in nearly three decades.

Villaran, a 61-year-old human rights advocate and former minister of social development and women's affairs, was leading pro-business candidate Lourdes Flores 38.9 percent to 37.2 percent, according to official results with 13 percent of the vote counted.

An unofficial quick count gave Villaran (Veeh-yah-RAHN) a slightly better than one-point victory over Flores, 50, as Peruvians chose mayors and governors across the country.

Flores has twice lost presidential races while Villaran was a fringe candidate in the 2006 election in which Flores finished third.

The Lima mayor's race was being watched closely as a barometer of presidential elections due in April. Villaran is not allied with the main leftist contender in that race, populist former military officer Ollanta Humala, though he endorsed her.

President Alan Garcia, who is constitutionally barred from running for re-election, defeated Humala in 2006 in a runoff.

An unorthodox candidate from the middle class who says she smoked marijuana in her youth, Villaran catapulted in popularity in the last few months of the campaign with a pro-environment message, promising to clean up a city with some of the world's most contaminated air.

She rejects what she has called "the authoritarian militarism" of Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, saying she identifies more with the more moderate leftist leaders of Uruguay and El Salvador.

Sunflowers

2010-10-03T17:06:00.001-07:00

Photo: Girasoles, a community in motion

I would like to tell you about a recent trip I made to the city of Ica. Unbeknownst to me, the bus ride to Ica (on a public transport bus) is 6-hours. Needless to say, this made for a long day. Long bus rides aside, my trip to Ica was predicated on a request from a long time partner of HBI’s - Mr. Billy Clark, Union Biblica's Director of Operations.

In the spring of 2010 Mr. Clark went to City of Ica to accompany a work team to the Girasoles Project. For a number of years Union Biblica has run a home for abandon boys just outside of the city center of Ica. While visiting the Girasoles home he was asked by the "house Father" (a delightful young man by the name of Augusto) to join him for a quick trip to an area just west of the Girasoles Center. What Billy saw in this area was extremely compelling to him. As he wrote in an email to me "the area is one of the poorest I have ever seen in Peru - and I have been everywhere in Peru. We must do something Wayne."

Well, as you all know, I could not turn down such an invitation. On Thursday my own eyes confirmed Billy's words. This was indeed one of the poorest areas I have ever been to in Peru (and I have been to a lot of places in Peru and a lot of places in developing countries). The community, ironically named Girasoles (Sunflower in English), is located at the end of a long dirt road. It was a resettlement area following the massive earthquakes in Ica in 2007. Not only did the government move this very poor community to the new area of Girasoles, they used the area to dump debris and waste from the various reconstruction sites around the area. It is an amazing place. Words are hard to generate that fully describe the desolation and seeming hopelessness. I have a small video (see below), but even this 90-second montage does not describe the need.

One woman (please see the photo above) truly helps to amplify my story. We met this young woman as we went around the area delivering water from a truck Union Biblica rented for the afternoon (a whopping S/200 Soles provides a truck, driver, and water for most of the community; S/200 is about $60). I should mention that Girasoles is a community of some 180 families and about 1,200 people. Anyway, as we walked around helping people get water back to their "homes," my eye caught a young woman with a baby on her back. She was methodically bringing out buckets (actually old plastic bins and buckets) for water and seemed to be very self-sufficient. All the while, a small baby dangled from her back in a cloth shall.

Of course I had to approach her to ask the age of her baby. As it turns out, he is 9-months old (the same age as our little Alex but giant in comparison). She is 23 years old, single and living alone in a shack made of black plastic sheets and woven rattan mats. She has no electricity, no water, no sewage disposal, and no work. She keeps a few ducks and chickens in her home for food and burns scavenged wood for her cooking and heat.

She did not ask me for anything. She was very thankful for my meager help in carrying a few buckets of water back to her home - but she was more than capable of taking care of herself. When we asked her about her life - she spoke without emotion or elaboration. She merely stated, "I am working for a better life, and I am looking toward the future."

HBI is committed to helping build opportunities for change. We do this by bridging resources to need. We will be taking a team to work in the community of Girasoles in the City of Ica in the summer of 2011. Please consider joining us. Let’s all work toward a better life for everyone. Thank you.

ADVENTURES IN HEALING

The Art of the Relationship

HBI's Director of Operations

HBI's First Health Professions Scholarship Recipient Graduates

Back in Portland

Bridging the Divide - Recap

Oh yea - we did it!

Arequipa Run Day

Video - on the way to the TV Interview

Press meetings and interviews - today was a long day

Photos from the Lima Run

The First 50km - LIMA

Set for the Run

Bridging the Divide - Lima Press Conference, Day of Event

Getting Ready for the Run

Univision TV Interview

Bridging the Divide

Wandering Bob

A Tear in the Fabric of Humanity

Bridging the Divide - Lima Press Conference

Ines: A Bridge to Somewhere

Video Updates and Training

Preparations for the Run

Bridging the Divide

Pictures from Peru - Outreach to Carabayllo

Everything we need, we learned from Sesame Street

Re-entry

Are you a bridge?

Collaboration

Bridging the Divide Run 2011

A Caring Community

Kusi - What a week!

Mosha - Day 1 and 2

Day One in Kusi

Pictures from Clinic in Carabayllo

First Few Days in Lima

Kusi, Here we Come

People want change

Watch for a New HBI Website

HBI Website Overhaul

Follow Us

Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

Connecting the dots

Epic Run 2011

You are Helping to Make a Difference

Team Peru 2011 - The End

What do children do in your country?

Photos from the 2011 Team Peru Outreach Campaign

Off they go

Paz Holendasa Visit

"If they don't work, they don't eat"

Alto Cayma - Our final day of activities

Through the Eyes of Child

A Mellow Day with a Sobering Story

Peace Corps Peru

"You came here"

Day One in Arequipa

On to Arequipa

A Complete Week

Preferential Services for the Poor

Day 2 at the Team Peru Clinic

Day One in Lima

Count Down to 2011

Team Peru 2011

Team Peru 2011

Politics . . . not as usual in Peru

Andina Fundraiser 2011

"A Bridge to Change Benefit Dinner" at Andina Restaurant

Stirring the Pot

You can't change the world

2011 Arequipa Healthcare Conference

Not a recommended travel itinerary

4th Annual Conference

Join Team Peru!

4th Annual Conference

Water Project - Part II

Let Clean Water Flow

A Great New Training Institute

The Presidential Election

Changes . . .