Yes, Your Personal Assets Count !

"...IN OUR IMAGE, IN OUR LIKENESS..." That is a scripture from the Bible in the book of Genesis 1:26. This statement contains a great truth in itself. It basically means that every human being has been equipped with gifts, abilities and skills (we may call them personal assets or resources) and dreams to pursue given by God so that can be used for his/her benefit and the surroundings to which he/she belongs, it means ... communities. So I believe that everyone has God-given talents and gifts.

Also as human beings we are all a combination of talents and inabilities, virtues and defects, strengths and weaknesses but it is wiser to focus on our strengths than our wicknesses. Unfortunatelly there are people that are not even aware that they have talents and strengths. Some of them did not have the chance to discover and develop their personal assets throughout their lifetime.

It is strange but also real that a great part of people only focus on their negative traits rather than their positive ones which in most cases come from their chilhood as a bad habit in thinking learned in their families which reinforced them as they were growing up. Knowing this it is very wise in order to think in appropiate strategies to discover, sthengthen and canalize these personal assets to put them in service of development.

Here in Chimbote some of the young people I talked to told me that they would like some leaders to help them in finding and mobilize their gifts and talents. Personally I believe that, in the beginning of a Asset-Based Community Development process, it is correct to discover untapped human potencial. Looking around here in my town Chimbote I see that there are a lot of untapped human potencial waiting for the chance to make it flow.

New Communities,... More Challenges !!

GOING SOUTH OF CHIMBOTE CITY it is located Nuevo Chimbote city which was established as a new district some years ago. But along with the city also was and still is increasing its population as well. So, where urban area ends right there starts forming several new neighborhoods. It used to be large areas of uninhabited land before but as time went by those places were invaded for a lot of invasors located Nuevo Chimbote south and parallel to Panamericana Highway that takes to Lima - capital city.

Most of these neighborhoods are made up by couples with children who have no house to live, people coming from Highland to find jobs at Coast, etc. There were 150,000 people in Nuevo Chimbote 3 years ago, today are 300,000 and most of them are immigrants. This situation brings some problems for them in health, employment, education, pollution, culture, etc. Now there are around 80 suburbs.

Municipality has almost no resources to develop social programs that are needed and unemployment is one of the major problems. All of efforts that it is doing are limited and can accomplish more by partnering. For example, social programs such as health are not intensive. Most of time whenever the poor require care, families must raise money and others go to mayor for help but most don't.

Other problems appear like water supply (80% don't have access to clean drinking water), sanitation and utilities like electricity and sewer. The Government is sending money for social programs but are competing against other areas of Perú for priorities are communities that are in worse shape.

Caring The Environment

HERE IN CHIMBOTE THERE ARE several pollution sources affecting physical health of residents specially of those living in neighborhoods surrounding those sources. Among them we have pollution from fishing factories, steel industry, garbage, industrial waste products, etc. That's why it is neccesary to know what community members can do to face this unpleasant fact which is affecting health of the residents, specially of those more vulnerable: The children.

For this reason and trying to contribute for the environment conservation and residents' health, beneficiaries students young people from CHOI's educational programs "Dollars for Scholarships" and "Leaders for Tomorrow" (who are already studying a career some time ago) were performing an awareness campaign on the need of collaborating in environmental care by keeping public cleanliness (avoiding throwing away garbage on streets) and planting trees and so contributing for the beautification of community.

They chose "Camino Real" avenue to fulfill this project so, on Sunday July 26, 2009 in the morning this youth group were sharing about with residents, house by house and asked them permission to plant a tree in front of their house in a close future. This campaign was carried out under this motto: "Let's plant a tree, let's save a life." This is a community project scholars carry out as part of their social responsability.

Click on the link to see more PICTURES. (Other activities)

Trying to Break the Cycle

EDUCATION IS AN IMPORTANT PATH to get personal and family development and consequently of communities and countries. However teenagers living in very poor neighborhoods, like many here in Chimbote Perú, and want to continue studying after having finished high school have to face, together with their parents, the ever-present concern which is to get money to provide food for the entire family to be able to eat every single day. A majority of adults have no access job leaving families also with little access to medical care

On this context parents can't afford to send their teenagers to university nor technical school even though they would want to; others families will have to do great sacrifices beyond their expectations destabilizing them financially. But if people don't receive education, how could they ever break the cycle of poverty?

Considering this reality, the "Dollars for Scholars" and "Leaders for Tomorrow" programs of CHOI, are looking for 35 new young people, among all those in need that belong to poor neighborhoods surrounding "La Victoria", to offer them financial aid for each of them to be able to study a professional career until they will get their academic degrees.

That's why leaders of these educational program gathered young people and some family parents at the Corazón de Jesus parish located in "Ramal Playa" neighborhood to explain them on this posibility. They all have heard about requirements and conditions to be one of the recipients. So they will have to bring required documents for their correspondent evaluation until November 30, 2009.

Click on the link to see more PICTURES.

Peruvian Choir Visited the USA

FATHER JACK DAVIS is a catholic priest here in Chimbote whose parish called "Our Lady of Perpetual Help" ("Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro") is located among many poor neighborhoods. Born in 1942 in Devils Lake, North Dakota-USA, ordained as a priest in 1969 and since 1974 serves as a missionary priest in Chimbote (chim-boh-tay). He is concern for the poorest that's why he has dedicated his life efforts to serve them.

He has friends in the USA whom he writes letters sharing on extrem poverty in which most of families of neighborhoods surrounding his parish live (regardless of the many ones located beyond his parochial jurisdiction in Chimbote). He has also spent many hours traveling and speaking in the USA in order to share about need to assist the poorest parishioners.

In 1991 a group of enthusiastic young men and women from his parish formed JUPUSA in an united effort to create a parish choir. The goal was to "encourage the parish community to celebrate through songs dedicated exclusively to God". JUPUSA means in Spanish "Jóvenes Unidos Por Una Simple Amistad" (Young People United by a Single Friendship).

Fr. Jack has arranged for JUPUSA (about 20 young people) to accompany him to the United States (from April 19 to June 27, 2009 ) to show gratitude to the benefactors. They were visiting severals cities in the USA. Now they have returned Chimbote with good experiences to share.

Hunger Only For Food?

I wanted to share with you all this video which shows us the reality about hunger in many countries around the world. Perhaps some images are a little shocking but that is the truth and we can't deny it. As always children are the most vulnerable people in situations like this and whenever hunger is unbearable they feel satisfied by eating any kind of food no matter where it comes from,... even from the leftovers of others.

But there is another kind of hunger inside every human being and not only children. You can satisfy your hunger for food in many ways (children on the video do in an extreme way) but if you are not fed for love you still feel hungry very deep inside you, in your soul, even though you have eaten.

Perhaps not all of us have capacity to solve hunger for food wherever we go but the good news is that each of us has capacity to solve hunger for love of people wherever we go by giving affection to the others who are very hungry for being loved or just by listening to them with empathy. We can decide not to give only our love leftovers but to sow a good seed of love and this way becoming feeders for each other.

The Book of Proverbs says about: "He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet" I belive this Scripture is also applied for those who are emotionally hungry.

Running For Peace and Health

And the day came!!! June 20th at about 10:00 a.m. it was saw several people among young and adult gathered at public square of Chimbote to paticipate in the first INTEGRATON 2009 which consisted of a Charitable Marathon for Peace and Integration. Also members of public Security of Chimbote (SERENAZGO) were present to collaborate in that event together with police officers and an ambulance from a local hospital.

CHIMBOTE INTERACT CLUB (whose members are teenagers) set up this event which was sponsored by CHIMBOTE ROTARY CLUB and they all were checking and supervising the normal development of the activity. The notice was welcomed by residents since it was intended bring together people not necessarily athletes such as students, employees, workers, professionals, businessmen and housewives regardless of age, sex, belief or political symphaty so that through practicing a healthy sport we all are able to avoid a sedentary life and also helping out to deal with polio disease for in a close time we hope to eradicate this desease from the world thanks to collaboration of those willing.

So, college studients and workers, high school studients, young people, family parents among others were participating that day. Running started in Chimbote public square then following along the whole Pardo avenue (one of the two main avenues in Chimbote) to "Manuel Rivera Sánchez" centenary stadium. Runners were cheered by residents as they were running and the first ones who got the goal received nice t-shirts and participation certificates outside of stadium. That was a great initiative boys and girls from CHIMBOTE INTERACT CLUB!!! Let's keep working for well-being of people.