An Interesting Story from the AP

The following article first appeared in the November 20 Associated Press wire service. The specific post below comes from the NY Times. A very interesting and compelling conundrum - true? It seems that the debate over the validity of this articles content is not fully settled. One thing is certain - desperate poverty will force people to do very desperate things -

Read on . . .

November 20, 2009

Peru’s Police Say Gang Drained Victims’ Fat

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A gang in the remote Peruvian jungle has been killing people for their fat, the police said Thursday, accusing the gang’s members of draining fat from bodies and selling it on the black market for use in cosmetics.

Medical experts expressed skepticism, however, that a major market for fat might exist.

Three suspects have confessed to killing five people for their fat, said Col. Jorge Mejía, chief of Peru’s anti-kidnapping police. He said the suspects, two of whom were arrested carrying bottles of liquid fat, told the police it was worth $60,000 a gallon.

Colonel Mejía said the suspects had told the police that the fat had been sold to intermediaries in Lima, the capital. While police officials suspect that the fat was sold to cosmetic companies in Europe, he said he could not confirm any sales.

Several medical experts acknowledged that fat had cosmetic uses, but they also said they doubted that there was an international black market for human fat. Dr. Lisa M. Donofrio, a Yale University dermatology professor, speculated that a small market might exist for “human fat extracts” to keep skin supple, though she added that scientists considered such treatments “pure baloney.”

At a news conference, the police showed reporters two bottles of fat recovered from the suspects and a photo of the rotting head of a 27-year-old man. One of the suspects, Elmer Segundo Castillejos, helped police officers recover the head in a coca-growing valley last month, Colonel Mejía said.

Colonel Mejía said Mr. Castillejos had told officers that the gang would cut off its victims’ heads, arms and legs, remove the organs, and then suspend the torsos from hooks above candles that warmed the flesh as the fat dripped into tubs below.

Six members of the gang remain at large, he said, adding that in addition to the five killings to which the suspects had confessed, the gang might have been involved in dozens of others. Mr. Castillejos told the police that the band’s fugitive leader, Hilario Cudena, had been killing people to extract fat for more than three decades.

At least 60 people are listed as missing this year in Huanuco Province, where the gang is believed to have operated. The province is also home to drug-trafficking leftist rebels.

Colonel Mejía said the police had received a tip four months ago that human fat from the jungle was being sold in Lima. In August, he said, police officers infiltrated the gang and later obtained some of the amber fluid, which a police lab confirmed as human fat.

The police arrested Serapio Marcos Veramendi and Enedina Estela on Nov. 3 in a Lima bus station with a quart of human fat in a soda bottle, he said. Their testimony led to the arrest of Mr. Castillejos three days later at the same bus station.

All three are charged with homicide, criminal conspiracy, illegal firearms possession and drug trafficking, according to a statement from Lima Superior Court.

Indigenous Populations in the Andes

On December 1, the Americas Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a conference examining indigenous politics in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and drawing conclusions on a regional basis.

Key variables of discussion will include the institutional state of indigenous movements, results of alliances with non-indigenous groups, the dynamic in the process of promoting an indigenous policy agenda, and the outlook for indigenous politics. Invitees from prominent universities and organizations in the U.S., Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador will be in attendance to offer a unique perspective and viewpoint.

For more information on this important meeting in Washington, DC, please see: http://csis.org/event/indigenous-politics-andean-region-present-state-and-future-outlook

WOW - you really need to listen to this . . .

I was driving to an appointment the other day and I saw a bumper-sticker that really hit a cord with me. The impact of the statement was made more profound as it directly coincided with a recent download of an audio file from iTunes.

The bumper sticker: "If you're not outraged - you're not paying attention"

The free audio file downloadable from iTunes: "This American Life," Act 1 "Bait and Switch," dated November 08, 2009.

You can also download a free MP3 file of "Episode 394" at: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=394

I encourage you to listen to the first "Act" (for those not familiar with "This American Life," the program is broken into acts or mini-stories that all revolve around a common theme each week) of the 1-hour audio program. It truly is a very startling journalistic vignette.

A Community Protest: Vaso de Leche

An interesting YouTube video documenting a community protest in the Northern Cone community of Carabayllo in Lima.

The protest stems from a reported disagreement over the distribution of Vaso de Leche ("a glass of milk") program resources. The protesters claim is that the Mayors Office of Carabayllo is inappropriately distributing the resources to impoverished communities.

See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3lQfUGaofI&feature=youtube_gdata

Father Alex goes "Facebook"

Photo: Father Alex in a Pakistan snow storm - love that beard!

For all of you supporters of the Mission of Alto Cayma and Father Alex Busuttil - word on the street has it that Father has joined Facebook. I encourage all supporters of his work who are "Facebookers" (is that even a word?) to go on-line and "friend" our favorite priest.

It is indeed a Web 2.0 world -

Ines Update - A special child

Photo: Little Ines

Photo: The HBI team takes a tour of the area around where Ines and her family live

Photo: Reconnecting in Neuva Espranza with Little Ines

Ines is a very special little girl. Her story has touched the lives of so many HBI supporters. In fact, her story and the complex medical, social and advocacy needs that her condition represents helped HBI to forge a greater relationship with the Anglican Church of Peru.

During our team's most recent trip to Lima, we went to visit with Ines and her mother. She continues to grow at a rate that has ever one of her medical providers over joyed. Her mother tells us that she is enjoying her classes in school and has started talking "non-stop" (not that we would have know this - she is a bit shy).

We are continuing to work with the Anglican Church and Reverend Pat Blanchard to identified a model that will not only aid and assist Ines, but develop a clear methodology for helping a multitude of special needs and medically fragile children in the peri-urban communities around Lima. Reverend Pat feels that one of our best options to really assist the family is to engage Ines' mother in a job skills program. The idea is that we can help to train members of the family in more employable trades that will eventually lead to greater economic leverage for their needs.

To date the support that has been provided to Ines and her family from the Carmelites Prayer Group in Panama City, Florida has gone to: assist in purchasing medications and bandaging supplies, help to supplement food and nutritional calorie sources for Ines, provided for the tuition needed to send Ines to a small private "school" (day-care center) each day, and been used for transportation and ancillary expenses related to taking Ines to her medical care appointments.

Our goal is that the money will be used in a more macro-level manner. We are working with Reverend Pat and Father Aurelio to develop a model for the funds that can be replicated in a number of different circumstances. Our next step is to sit down with Reverend Pat and determine how the "Ines Project" can fit into the other models of care and advocacy run through the Anglican Church. Our next step is to build the next "bridge" of collaboration.

We will be posting on-going updates on our work with Ines and our collaborative efforts with the Anglican Church of Peru. Thank you for your continued support of HBI.

BACK IN THE USA

Photo: Ben Grass, HBI's Communications Manager and a new friend

I am back on U.S. soil. The trip was fantastic and the full scope of our work will not be available until we start to data mine the survey information. I am excited to publish these numbers because I think there is a fantastic potential to really help shape more important and sustainable models of care delivery to severely marginalized populations in the Andes Mountains. Please stay in contact with or work by following the Blog and making frequent visits to the HBI Website.

The HBI staff will be leading a new team of volunteers to Peru this week. The Affinity Volunteer Team are coming from Wisconsin to partner with our lead collaborative organization in Peru, the Mission of Alto Cayma. The team will be visiting a number of different projects in Arequipa and the HBI staff will make certain that they have a really fulfilling experience. We will post updates over the next week!

Thank you for your continued support.