Water Project - Part II

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

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

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

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 . . .

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

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

"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

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

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

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.