First Few Days in Lima

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

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

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

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

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.

Follow Us

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

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.