Making a Difference . . .

I have been somewhat "haunted" by the Eric Hoffer quote that says, "A good idea becomes a cause, turns into a business, and ends up a scam."

I feel a strong ethical commitment to assure that HBI is not just another "industrial-not-for-profit" organization. I feel driven to continuously evaluate and question how HBI can continue to make a difference and support communities as their strive for a new future. I am committed to assure that we build bridges of partnership and alliance . . . and, not become just another organization whose focus is sustaining the status-quo.

The HBI philosophical approach is to assure that in-country, on-the-ground, NGOs have the resources they need to better serve the people and communities they work with. Our focus is on working with the most marginalized communities and individuals. Our hope is to motivate and inspire more people to action.

The challenge we face is staying true to these goals and the philosophical focus that drives our actions without becoming consumed by our need to grow and build an even more robust organizational infrastructure.

Yes, I am a bit "haunted" (maybe that is too strong a term) by the Hoffer quote - and I am extremely motivated to assure that our little NGO is using all of our resources to there greatest extent. I, and the HBI team, are fully committed to continuously evaluate our purpose, our goals and our focus.

Our challenge is to remember that the reason we started, the soul (not a typo) purpose of our NGO is to make a difference in the lives of people living in marginalized situations and circumstances through collaboration.

New Blog and New HBI Website

For those loyal followers who are wondering what has happened with the HBI Blogspot . . . we moved to a new website and Blog. Check-out all of our new adventure posts at: http://hbint.org/category/hbi-news-blog/

Please scroll down to the middle of the webpage and click on the section entitled "Latest HBI News and Blog." And, a very big thank you for your continued support.

New website same location: www.hbint.org

New Blogsite: http://hbint.org/category/hbi-news-blog/

And away we go . . .

Photo: Team Peru packing party.

 Our plans are in full swing for the 18th Annual Team Peru outreach trip in collaboration with Union Biblica del Peru and the Mission of Alto Cayma. Team participants are leaving starting late tonight. We will officially start the campaign next Saturday (June 30), but people are staggering their arrivals to venture off on exciting excursion trips to the jungle or Cusco.

Stay tuned to this Blog for updates on the trip and exciting stories from our SAVE Children outreach project in the Mala Valley. Thanks for all of your continued support.

Street Youth Conference

Video: Opening remarks for the conference. A very special thank you to HBI's Carmen Elena Zavala Thompson, for all of her wonderful translation services and keen insights as the symposium moderator.

Primer Simposio de Jovenes Abandonados

Photo: Our assembled group of esteemed youth providers.

 

You never really know how an event is going to be received.

In some instances it is a bit flat, but still a success. In other instances the event falls flat on its face. Never quite living up to expectations and missing the mark of the attendees interest. Our first Street Youth Symposium in Arequipa was a huge success.

We had over forty participants from a number of different NGOs, government programs and faith-based initiatives from around the city of Arequipa. The conversations and discourses were rich. From a frank discussion about "what is working in serving abandon youth" to a "back patting" reflection on areas of triumph. It was a day filled with collaborative discourse and constructive discussions.

Our objectives for the day long symposium were a bit ambitious. We wanted to -

(1)  To advance the knowledge of providers and organizations working with homeless and abandon youth on promising practices from North American and the European Union in serving the unique and challenging needs of marginalized youth; and

(2)  Convene health and social service sector NGO’s toward the development of greater collaboration and partnerships around serving the needs of youth experiencing homelessness and abandon to the streets. 

In the end - we aptly exceeded both of these objectives. In the end - everyone left the symposium with a smile on their face and a keen interest in reconvening our group again later in the year.

One thing we did find in talking with the symposium attendees was the overwhelming interest providers expressed in learning more about the "best and promising practices" of homelessness service providers in the U.S.

During the symposium, we touched only briefly on what the research and clinical anecdote are teaching homelessness service providers in the U.S., U.K. and European Union. They all wanted to hear much more. They, almost everyone of the 40+ attendees at the symposium, expressed a desire for HBI to come back to Arequipa and help them to learn more about Motivational Interviewing and Trauma Informed Care (two areas of study the company I work for in the U.S. is highly skilled in).

Our next step is to review the post-symposium evaluations. We are entertaining the ideas of a city wide coalition and a series of informative "symposium" - but we want to make certain that our ideas are in alignment with the needs and desires of the Peruvian providers and organizations who attended the symposium. Our steps will be strongly shaped on their requests. Stay tuned for more -

Street Youth Symposium - here we go

Today was spent running around Arequipa getting all of the last minute errands completed for the Street Youth Symposium tomorrow. We had food to purchase, small gifts to prepare, final presentation materials to print and copy, and last minute PowerPoint presentations to translate. Needless-to-say, it was a full day.

We are expect over 50-participants (from a wide scope of organizations and faith-based efforts) at the symposium. Our goal is simple - to get people talking about what they are doing to care for abandon and homeless youth and young adults in Arequipa. We are hoping to gain interest from the attendees in creating a coalition of providers and organizations who will work together to form partnerships, care delivery collaborations and shared advocacy. We hope we can get people working together to end youth homelessness in Arequipa.

I am very hopeful that my Blog post tomorrow night is filled with much enthusiasm for the new coalition that was formed; and the many new partnerships that were hatched at the symposium. Stay tuned.

True Compassion

Today has been a full day . . . and it is not even over yet.

This morning we went to La Salle University to review the location for the Street Youth Symposium on Monday May 28. The facility is fantastic. The school has generously donated the entire use of their campus (well - not the whole campus) for our efforts.  A huge thank you to La Salle for their generosity and support.

After visiting with the La Salle administrators, we went to an albergue (a home) for special needs children. The home, run by a group of Catholic nuns from the order La Familia Religiosa del Verbo Encarnado, is one of the most compassionate examples of true service I have ever encountered. Pieced together on a plot of land no larger than one hectare, the nuns have an extensive network of educational, vocational and rehabilitation programs. The nuns work with abandon and neglected children from very impoverished areas. Areas where many of the street children come from.

Many of the children are brought to the "Instituto Servidoras del Senor de la Virgen de Matara" home by their mothers. The mothers often suffer from alcoholism, substance abuse or poorly managed mental illness. Their lives are extremely complex and filled with abuse and trauma. The nuns have been working to expand their housing to offer the opportunity for the mothers to move into the home with their children - rather than completely abandon them. It is a remarkable model that is serviced by 8-nuns and 12-staff.

We were given a full tour of the facilities and had the opportunity to meet with some of the children and the staff. At one point on our tour we were joined by one of the children's mothers. In fact, we had been carrying the child (an 8-month old) with us on the tour. He latched onto Carmencita (HBI's Peru Coordinator) and would not let go. The mother was very disheveled and appeared to be suffering from a mental illness. The nuns later told me that she had severe schizophrenia and was "heavily medicated." The nun told me that she was so severe that they had moved her into the albergue and were working to assure she had access to medication and treatment. The nuns told me that they were worried the child would also suffer from mental illness.

The most amazing part of this comprehensive service delivery model, an institution that houses, feeds, and truly cares for over 48-children, is the fact that they receive no government funding and rely solely on private donations. Their work is truly a blessing to all of the children of Peru and it was a real honor to meet with them today.