Facing Everyday Difficulties

It is known that everybody has to work some way or another, legally of course, because there are responsabilities that have to be faced everyday. I must say that presently it is a great blessing to have the opportunity to work specially in developing countries. Here in Chimbote city many people are experiencing the difficult reality of lack of a formal work and consequently they can not provide conveniently for their families.

However they face this hard situation with a good prospect for the future by doing great efforts to try to make or invent their own informal small business on streets (selling fruit, candy, chewing gum, jelly, fruit juice, cds, etc) and this way earn some money but with risk of being evicted by municipal police.

It is not pleasant to say it but not everybody has this "opportunity" and other people, who has no job, are not qualified yet to do specifics works at enterprises, factories, institutions, etc and this is so because they could not start their higher studies and in the worst of cases could not finish high school or could not even start elementary school.

Now, what can I say of people that live in highland of Perú? Well, most of them are less advantaged than people living on the coast like Chimbote city. Thay can hardly get some work in his/her hometown and that's why many of them come down to the coastal cities to build a better future.

This is the case of a woman named Rosa Quezada Saavedra. She is not from chimbote but is now living here in Chimbote. She is 32 years old and was born in Conchucos a place located 3820 meters above sea level. It belongs to Conchucos district, Pallasca province, Ancash departament in Perú. She came down to Chimbote when she was 11 years old and had to work a lot to be able to live and situation was not easy for her.

She could not study so she was less adventage compared with others who did so to get a good job. Today she is a single woman with 2 children. An 11-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl. Them both are studying at school because of great effort of their mother Rosa. But, what does she does for a living? Well, she sells several kind of fruits like banana, apple, grape, pear, orange, mandarin, etc around streets of Chimbote using a tricycle for that purpose.

Unfortunately she could not get a license to sell on streets from Municipality of City so she has to move (pushing her tricycle) through streets and from a place to another to avoid municipality policemen cought her. She is working as a fruit seller for 10 years and thanks to this great effort of her she is able to keep her family. She would like to keep on selling fruits but in her own selling post at a market. That's her great desire meanwhile she continue to work facing everyday difficulties and hopes that one day her dream come true.

Heart Risk Prevention Campaign

Chimbote Rotary Club, aware of its constant concern about our community, has performed a free campaign of heart risk screening, as a prevention measure of health of city residents. This event took place on Sunday May 24th from 9:00 am. to 12:00 m. at Chimbote Rotary Club headquarters which is located at 131 Francisco Bolognesi Avenue, Chimbote city.

To accomplish this purpose, a Rotarians Optional Committee, chaired by the cardiologist physician Dr. Guillermo Arana Morales (who is a Chimbote Rotary Club member ) and other associates with the Institution of Paul Harris (founder of International Rotary), has agreed to undertake this noble social work of taking care for people's health which was headed for all social segments of our dear Chimbote.

It was reported that, to a better attention for beneficiaries on the day of the campaign, they previously had to register for free in Chimbote Rotary Club headquarters from 9:00 am. to 1:00 pm. and from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. (Monday - Friday). It was planned attend to 50 people but there were a little more to attend. (Watch more pictures below.)

Under the slogan "Rotarians Help to Change Lives" this prestigious institution, that serves community, was accomplishing a new social activity for our society and this way sowed seeds of interest in health care. Through this blog and in name of Rotarians in Chimbote Mr. Luis López del Castillo (Chimbote Rotary Club vice presidente) wants to thank, in a very special way, people for taking interest in their health care and consequently in a better future and development that our city yearns.

PICTURES ON HEART RISK PREVENTION CAMPAIGN

Chimbote Rotary Club
headquarters
located at 131 Francisco
Bolognesi
avenue,
Chimbote city.

Some residents of Chimbote that came to participate in this campaign, inside Rotary headquarters.

Now, inside Rotary meeting room waiting for their turn.

A medical visitor named Marcelo Meyer Otoya from PFIZER S.A. Laboratory makes a blood test to each person and writes down results.

This is the cardiologist Guillermo Arana Morales who is treating each pacient.

The Vice President of Chimbote Rotary Club Mr. Luis López del Castillo (standing)
helping in every
moment of
campaign.

Both health professionals are working very hard.

Just a little bit more and you will talk to the doctor.

Patients leaving doctor office after receiving their prescription.

The only thing I wanna say is: Good example to follow dear Rotarian friends, keep on working for development of Chimbote!!!

Playing a Father's Role

I want to start this post saying that it's amazing to see what a family member is willing to do for the benefit of his whole family. It is a sunny morning and I am walking around the very downtown of Chimbote (after attending an event of social work performed by Chimbote Rotary Club.) I stop at a corner formed by "Pardo" avenue and "Elías Aguirre" street to drink a glass of natural orange juice.

So I ask the seller for it and as I am waiting I see he takes oranges out of a big box and peels them one by one using a device. He is very focus on what is doing and nothing seems bothering him. After that He uses another device to squeeze out juice from oranges. Finally he gives me my drink and shares his story with me.

His name is Félix Milla Lino and he was born, 30 years ago, in "Pamparomás" a place located in Pamparomás District, Huaylas Province, Ancash Department in Highland of Perú 6 hours away from Chimbote by bus. He is single and has several brothers and sisters. Eight years ago he came to Chimbote City leaving his entire family in Pamparomás seeking a better opportunity to improve his family's life condition.

His mom is dead and his dad is 80 years old. Félix doesn't want his dad to work anymore as a farmer because now he is and old man. In his homeland, Félix continues, there is no chance to improve his family's life condition and that's why he came to Chimbote to build a better destiny for him and his family.

Here in Chimbote he decided to work as an orange juice seller on streets of Chimbote, specially around downtown. He got a licence from Chimbote Municipality to do that and even though he studied at elementary school for only a year however this doesn't discourage him on the contrary he keeps on working every day from 6:00 am to 1:00 pm selling orange juice.

He has rented a room to live at 561 Balta street, 21 de Abril neighborhood and he lives there alone. The money he is able to save he sends to his family in Pamparomás for his 16-year-old sister and his 20-year-old brother to continue to study at school there. Now he is taking care of his family specially of his sister and brother and this way is playing a father's role.

He likes what he is doing for a living. Sometimes when there are no customers at a corner asking for orange juice for him to sell them he has to move to another one pushing his selling car. In the future he would like to be the owner of a post where he sells juice of many fruits. He would like to have a great business selling fruit juice and is very encouraged. Félix knows that it won't be very easy but even so keeps up with his goal.

Micro Loans Given

Here are some of micro-loans given by the CHOI Peruvian Civil Association, through its "Micro-Lending Program", to people who live in neighborhoods surrounding father Jack's parish, located in La Victoria neighborhood in Chimbote, for they to start a small business and this way to improve their life quality and their families'. (More micro loans given)

Micro-Lending Program

In previous posts I have written some information about a non-profit organization called "Los Amigos" which is working for the poorest of humble neighborhoods in Chimbote. One of the committees of "Los Amigos" is called "Economic Development Council" in which a program called "Micro-Lending Program" is found, that runs through CHOI, a Peruvian Civil Association. It provides micro-loans for people living in neighborhoods surrounding father Jack's Parish to start a small business or improve one existing. Here is some information about how this program has started; this is a letter from the administration of the Program to benefactors:

It is gratifying to greet and to send you a message of health, peace and social mission of the parochial community of the "Support Association to Small Businesses Perpetual Help" ("Asociación de Apoyo a Pequeños Negocios Perpetuo Socorro.")

Our association was founded with the aim of supporting and promoting creation and implementation of small businesses in our jurisdiction (neighborhoods surrounding the parish) thanks to support from the sister parish of San Miguel from Prior Lake - MN in the USA and thus improving our life quality and business vision.

All this is crystallized thanks to the huge heart of these wonderful people: Richard and Monica Roe, Dave and Mary Velishek, Frank and Sharon Velishek, Larry and Gerry Anderson, Kevin and Dawn Ranagan, Rick Altendorf, Tom and Micky Dolsin, Dick and Ann Miller, Earl and Carol Milbrath, Mike and Marlene Leonard, Tony and Dorothy Brama, and to the blessed kindness of our guides father Jack Davis and mother Peggy Byrne.

This beautiful goal started on July 24th, 2000. That was the day of our founding, providing our first micro-loan on October 25th of the same year. Since that date on we have treated 482 applications in total and we are glad to see that through our sand granite given, the beneficiary families have been able to develop their personal and business assets, thereby improving their socio-economic, educational, cultural and family level.

That was the letter. Well, I wanna say that despite they are helping some people in need but however still you can find many other people and families in many neighborhoods in Chimbote not surrounding the parish waiting that their assets are discovered.

Happy Mother's Day!

If you let me, on this day that is celebrated "Mother's Day" I would like to use this blog to honor and greet in a special way mothers all over the world and specially mothers from Chimbote - Perú and of course my mom.

All of us children are very grateful to that wonderful and blessed human being called MOM who, because of her bold efforts and sacrificed love for her family, deserve a just acknowledgement for the great work she does every single day at home and many times expecting nothing in exchange. We all know that all she does is only moved by love and certainly her love is unconditional.

Presently, many of them play the role of both father and mother because of father's absence. I personally think that father's physical and emotional presence in family is very important for complete health of children and even though mother does her best to play both roles (as dad and mom) and this way making up for his absence however dad and mom have unique and non-transferable roles given by God to play.

In south American countries such as ours, where money is not enough to keep the whole family, a lot of mothers have to go out to work to earn more money to support family budget besides they have to assist their children in doing their homeworks, take care of their health, provide food, clothes, etc many responsabilities and sometimes I think it is a burden for mothers but they assume it in a amazing way and with all of their love.

As you can see mothers use their personal assets for the benefit of their children and the entire family. I dare say that all of mothers are solitary heroines suffering in silence blows of life and in some cases those blows come from people she loves but despite all they take strength out of weaknesses when situations are unpleasant and overwhelming.

I believe that in every mother's heart God has poured out a special portion of His own love. That's the only explanation that I can find for such a sublime love like mother's for their children. Not only we have to honor mother once a year but all the time because it is God's will and He lets us know this through the following Scriptures: Exodus 20:13, 1Timothy 5:2 and Ephesians 6:1-3

Happy Mother's Day to you all dear moms for loving their children and family !!!. You all have a blessed heart. May God bless you all and their families.