Dear supporters and friends,
Like many other organizations and businesses and like you yourselves, Heart-Links has taken steps to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep ourselves and the people we come into contact with safe.
We were very sad to have to cancel our 2020 Solidarity Trip, which was to leave in late June. The Solidarity Trip is key to Heart-Links’ mission to raise awareness about global issues and help develop good global citizens. We had a wonderful group of travellers eager to meet Heart-Links’ partners in Peru and walk in solidarity with the communities they serve.
Despite these hard decisions, it is heartening to see so many Canadians doing their part to flatten the curve and offering support to people in our local communities who need it. We encourage you also to remember the people around the world who are facing this pandemic, often with far fewer resources than we have in Canada.
In Peru, COVID-19 shot from 1 to 263 cases in just two weeks. Despite a nationwide quarantine, as of March 23, cases numbered 395, with 36 hospitalizations and 5 deaths. Lambayeque province, where many of Heart-Links’ partners work, reports 8 confirmed cases. With only 236 ICU beds in the entire country, the healthcare system is scrambling to prepare. To make matters worse, several areas of Peru, including the Zaña Valley, are also battling outbreaks of dengue.
We realize that here at home, people are dealing with increased demands and often very difficult circumstances. We also know many people want to help out where they can.
If you would like to show your solidarity and help our partners in Peru help people in need in their communities, consider making a donation.
We have to keep our physical distance, but there are still ways to reach out to each other. Making a donation to Heart-Links is one.
In solidarity.