On March 20, 2026, in the city of Quevedo, Ecuador, one of those moments took place during the Inspirational Women of the Year ceremony, where Peruvian leader Flor Reaño Segura was recognized with the Latin American Women’s Leadership Award. It was a beautiful and well-deserved recognition, but more than that, it felt like a reflection of something much bigger than a single moment or achievement.

Because leadership like this is never about one day or one event, it is built over time through relationships, through showing up even when it’s difficult, and through a deep commitment to community. It lives in the everyday work that often goes unseen, in the spaces where trust is built slowly, and in the decisions that prioritize collective growth over individual recognition.

The ceremony, organized by the Escuela de Formación From Confinement to Empowerment, brought together women and leaders from across Ecuador and Peru, each carrying their own experiences and stories into the space. What stood out most was not just the recognition itself, but the shared understanding that the work behind it is ongoing and deeply rooted in local realities.

Flor’s leadership reflects that in a very real way. Her work has always been grounded in community, focused on creating opportunities for women to not only participate, but to lead in ways that feel meaningful and sustainable. It is the kind of leadership that doesn’t seek visibility, but instead creates it for others, opening doors and building pathways that didn’t exist before.

To see that kind of work recognized at an international level matters, not because of the spotlight, but because of what it affirms. It affirms that the quiet, consistent work happening within communities is valuable. It affirms that leadership shaped by care, by lived experience, and by a commitment to others is something worth honoring.

At Heart-Links, we often speak about walking in solidarity and learning from those who are already leading change within their own contexts, recognizing that they hold the knowledge, the relationships, and the understanding needed to create lasting impact. Moments like this feel closely connected to that way of working, as they highlight the importance of recognizing and uplifting leadership that is already deeply embedded in community.

This recognition is not an endpoint, but part of a much longer story that continues to unfold through the work itself, through the people involved, and through the impact that carries forward into communities. It is a reminder that while moments like these are important, what matters most is everything that comes before and everything that continues after.

We celebrate Flor Reaño Segura not only for this recognition, but for the work that led to it and the work that continues beyond it. Because when women lead with purpose, they create change that reaches far beyond a single moment, shaping communities in ways that last.

Enjoy an evening of community, music, and impact in support of impoverished and vulnerable communities in northern Peru.

When: Thursday, March 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM EST

Where: Innovation Works, 201 King Street, London, ON

There will be live music by Los Freakies, refreshments, a cash bar and an amazing silent auction. Here are just of few of the prizes that are waiting for your bids:

• A 1-night stay at London’s Hard Rock Hotel plus 4 two-day passes to either The Factory or the London Children’s Museum. Perfect for out-of-town guests or your own staycation!
• Give a boost to your health and happiness with a 3-month ultimate membership to Goodlife Fitness.
• Looking for a laugh? We’ve got two tickets to Yuk Yuk’s.
• Or enjoy some good theatre (and a good laugh) with tickets to The Importance of Being Ernest at the Grand.
• Here’s a very special family (or friends) treat: a Butter-Churning Picnic for 4 at the Beachville Museum.
• And so much more . . .

We will also share highlights and reflections from our November 2025 visit with our partners in Cajamarca, Chiclayo, and the Zaña Valley for a closer look at the communities and initiatives your support makes possible.

Proceeds from this FREE-ADMISSION event will help strengthen education, community health, and economic opportunities for families and vulnerable populations in Peru. Register HERE.

MANY THANKS TO OUR PLATINUM SPONSOR EAST LONDON ROTARY, OUR GOLD SPONSOR CAMBIA DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, AND OUR SILVER SPONSOR MICHAEL LOEBACH, BARRISTER, FOR MAKING THIS EVENING POSSIBLE. OUR GRATITUDE ALSO TO THE PAUL SEED FUND OF THE LONDON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR PROVIDING THE NIGHT’S MUSIC.

Join us for an evening of community, music, and impact as we come together to support Heart-Links’ partners and projects in Peru.

Enjoy live music by Los Freakies, browse our silent auction, and indulge in sweet treats (alfajoras!) and refreshments (wine, beer, non-alchoholic) while connecting with friends old and new.

During the evening, we will also share highlights and reflections from our November 2025 visit with our partner organizations in the Cajamarca, Chiclayo, and Zaña Valley, giving you a closer look at the communities and initiatives your support makes possible.

When: Thursday, March 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM EST

Where: Innovation Works, 201 King Street, London, ON

Proceeds from this FREE-ADMISSION event help strengthen education, community health, and economic opportunities for families and vulnerable populations in Peru. Register HERE.

DO YOU WANT TO HELP SHARE THE LOVE?

There are many ways to get involved.

• Join us on March 12. Register HERE.
• Donate a silent auction prize. If you have an item or service you’d like to donate, contact info@heart-links.org or phone 226-884-2845 to arrange delivery or pick-up.
• Own a business? Consider sponsoring our event. Contact info@heart-links.org or phone 226-884-2845 for more information.
• Invite a friend.
• SPREAD THE WORD!

Celebrate, connect, and help create a more just and compassionate world. Your support makes this work possible — thank you for sharing the love.

Our team visited all three regions where Heart-Links’ partners work: Cajamarca, in the northeastern Andes; the Zaña Valley, in the central coast lowlands; and the Chiclayo Metropolitan Area, also in the central coast lowlands, one hour south from Zaña.

In Cajamarca, we met with the volunteers who run the Rural Libraries Network, a 54-year-old association that supplies books to almost 300 remote libraries across Cajamarca and adjacent provinces. In addition to publishing books, the network promotes literacy and records and preserves traditional knowledge and culture. A principle tool is the Enciclopedia Campesina, a project financed by Heart-Links. We stayed at the Rural Libraries guesthouse in Cajamarca. The building is also the home of the main library, offices and meeting rooms.

Also in Cajamarca is ACIES, a community development organization that works in the impoverished city neighborhood of Quiritimayo. In the Quiritimayo Cultural Centre, ACIES offers an afterschool program that includes educational support, ecological workshops and cleanups, reading circles, writing groups, and art classes. ACIES also works with women, delivering workshops in mental health self-care and artisanal training. ACIES runs similar programs in the rural village of Pomabamba, as well an alternative school for impoverished children and youth, where they also learn about water conservation, gardening, and raising small animals.

In Zaña, we met the members of Latidos. In communities up and down the Zaña Valley, this association runs afterschool programs, breakfast and lunch programs, mental health workshops, entrepreneurial training for women and reforestation and forest protection. Latidos is strongly involved in the local business community, including agrobusiness, and works with them to practice corporate social responsibility, such as hiring locally. We stayed in the lovely Latidos guesthouse.

Our other partner in Zaña is Madre Oliva Association. They run an afterschool program in the rural hamlet of Nuevo Mocupe, where children receive educational support and recreation. The association also delivers food aid, clothing, medication and mental health training and counselling  to approximately 20 vulnerable families.

Finally, we went to the bustling metropolis of Chiclayo, and stayed in a charming modest downtown hotel. We first met with members of Centro Esperanza. This agency runs numerous programs from their Chiclayo office and premises, but the program Heart-Links supports is in Coloche, a rural community in Lambayeque. There, Centro Esperanza has started a women’s farming collective called MUFUM (Women for a Better Future). The women of MUFUM raise and market fast-growing guinea pigs. Centro Esperanza has provided production training, ecological workshops, leadership development and mental health programs. The project is thriving.

Our final visit was with Centro Santa Angela. Founded 41 years ago by the Ursuline Sisters of Chatham, the centre promotes ecological communities in the impoverished urban district of José Leonardo Ortiz, assisting local residents to rescue parkland, develop community spirit, and end harmful ecological practices. In its downtown office, Centro Santa Angela runs programs, also sponsored by Heart-Links, aimed at ending family violence and misogyny, developing community leaders and good citizens, and exercising vigilance against corruption.

It was wonderful to see the positive impact our partners are making in the lives of hundreds of children, youth, women and men in northern Peru. We can say with confidence that your donations to Heart-Links are helping create a more just world.

The Enciclopedia is a series of 20 volumes that gathers stories and knowledge from Indigenous communities of the region. The new volumes will now be distributed to those same communities—almost 400 of them. Through informal gatherings and reading circles, community members use the books to help each other learn to read and write. These exchanges foster self-esteem, revitalize cultural traditions and build community—between young and old and between different communities.

Reconnecting through Libraries

The Rural Libraries Network also supplies more than 20 schools in the region with books from the series. And a new program is reconnecting youth with elders by inviting them to speak at the libraries. These initiatives foster intergenerational exchange so that young Peruvians know more about their land and traditions.

Heart-Links is proud to fund this revised edition of the Enciclopedia Campesina. Your donations are promoting literacy in remote rural communities and bringing young Peruvians knowledge of their roots.

The book is called Voces y expresiones de la quebrada que quiero (Voices and Expressions of the Ravine That I Love), and it is as beautiful as it is urgent. Entirely written and illustrated by children from the communities of Quiritimayo and Pomabamba, this publication captures their reflections, observations, and hopes for the ravine that runs through their neighbourhoods; once a source of beauty and play, now deeply polluted.

Thanks to your support, the book and programs that led to this book, are made possible.

“The literacy was grounded in their own experience,” shared Gordon Price, Co-Chair of our Peru Projects Committee. “The children reflected on how they felt about the creek, did drawings, made their own personal books… Isabel [Gutiérrez, ACIES director] has combined those into a single publication. The book is amazing…it’s powerful, it’s full of the children’s reflections.”

Why the Ravine?

ACIES launched this project, Quiere la Quebrada (“Love the Ravine”), to help children build literacy skills, strengthen their environmental awareness, and reclaim their voice through storytelling. From the outset, the approach was immersive: children participated in guided expeditions to the ravine, took note of what they saw — piles of garbage, smoke, even dead animals — and asked the tough questions:

Why is this happening? How can we change it?

These observations became the seeds for their stories.

“La quebrada, antes clara y radiante, ahora con basura abundante. Su belleza se perdió, sin voz ni sonido que calma. Hoy, su silencio, es un vacío que hiela el alma.”
(The ravine, once clear and radiant, now full of garbage. Its beauty is lost, without voice or sound to soothe. Today, its silence is a void that chills the soul.)

— Voces y expresiones de la quebrada que quiero, ACIES, 2025

Through these stories the children developed critical thinking, creativity, and a sense of agency over the spaces they live in.

Real Change, Real Community

With your generosity, ACIES was able to deliver weekly literacy workshops to over 30 children and adolescents, offer access to a cultural and educational hub at the Quiritimayo Cultural Center, and publish 1,000 copies of this stunning bilingual book. Each family in the participating communities will receive a free copy.

But the impact didn’t stop there. As detailed in the final project report, your support also helped fund:

• Weaving workshops for women and youth, turning traditional skills into both therapy and income.
• A psychological support group, coordinated by a local woman and weaver, fostering emotional wellbeing and intergenerational dialogue.
• Teacher training and international exchange, connecting rural educators across Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico.
• Community authorship, giving local youth like Esgard — once bedridden — the encouragement and tools to write, draw, and re-engage with the world. His mother said:

“A desk and a chair got my Esgard out of bed and smiling every day.”

“The projects that Isabel submits are incredible,” Gordon added. “The reports that she sends are so well drafted. Photographs that accompany them really tell a clear story.”

📚 You’re Invited: Celebrate This Story with Us

We’re excited to invite you, our community of supporters, to join ACIES for the virtual launch of Voces y expresiones de la quebrada que quiero.

📅 Saturday, July 5, 2025
🕘 10:00 a.m. Peru time – 11:00 a.m Ontario time
🌍 Hosted by ACIES — https://meet.google.com/bpj-opay-eht

Come hear directly from those involved in the project, meet the facilitators behind the work, and see how your donations are helping shape a generation of readers, writers, and environmental defenders.

When you give to Heart-Links, you give more than funding. You give the gift of voice. Of creativity. Of transformation.

Thank you and we hope to see you at the launch.

In Solidarity,

Dani

Join us on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for:

• Reflections from our Board and Volunteers
• A warm welcome to our 2025 Board of Directors
• Highlights from our 2024 Impact Report

📍 Location: Innovation Works, 201 King Street, London, Ontario
🕠 Time: 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. ET

To let us know that you’re coming, please register here!

If you would like to join virtually, please register here!

We hope to see you there!

Not too long ago, Latidos launched a Book Creation Contest with local schools. The response from this has been amazing. Both primary and secondary students jumped in right away, full of ideas and energy. Tnd the Latidos team has been going around visiting them and handing out copies of Fanny’s Storybook to help spark ideas. Sharing this book is a simple but powerful way to spark creativity and remind kids that their stories matter as Fanny shared with us back at Share The Love this past April.

This all ties back to the bigger picture of the Crecer Project, which Heart-Links supported throughout 2023–2024. We’re getting the final reports soon, but even before that, the results speak for themselves. What’s really standing out is how much of this work is sticking. The kids and teachers aren’t just participating, they’re continuing the work on their own which is exactly the kind of long-term impact we strive for with dedication and intention.

Flor, who leads Latidos, shared how meaningful it’s been to reflect on everything that’s happened:

“As we look back, it’s incredible to see how many lives have been touched and transformed. This isn’t just about numbers—it’s about real people, and real stories.”

Another big highlight happened in early April, when Latidos was invited to be part of Festi CIX 2025 – “Letras sin Límites”, Chiclayo’s first official book fair. Held as part of the city’s anniversary celebrations, the fair brought together writers, publishers, artists and community leaders to celebrate reading and creativity. Latidos was an intergral part of contributing to cultural activities and was recognized both regionally and nationally for their work.

It’s a great reminder that this kind of grassroots, community-led work doesn’t just make a difference locally, ultimately it is all a part of a bigger conversation.

We’re so proud of Latidos, and continue to be so grateful to be able to support them. Watching them create spaces for young voices to be heard, and seeing how far this project has reached is a powerful reminder of why we continue in solidarity with Peru and international development.

What We’re Looking For:

We’re especially seeking individuals with skills in:

• Fundraising
• Event planning
• Communications

Spanish language ability is a strong asset, but not required.

We welcome candidates who bring:

• A deep commitment to social justice and international solidarity
• Experience in finance, human resources, or nonprofit governance
• A passion for working with diverse communities
• Prior board or leadership experience (an asset, but not required)

Board Commitment:

• Five board meetings per year (Wednesdays, 7:00–8:30 p.m. ET)
• Participation in one committee that meets monthly
• Approx. 1–2 hours per week
• 3-year term, with option to renew

You’ll join a dedicated group of 9–12 volunteers and one part-time staff member, working together to create lasting, positive change.

Apply by May 12, 2025
Send your letter of interest and resume to: info@heart-links.org

Be part of something meaningful. Help us grow our impact and build lasting solidarity between communities in Canada and Peru.

This special gathering at Innovation Works, 201 King St., London, Ontario will be an evening of music, inspiring stories, and community. Freddy Almarza will be performing live, setting the tone for a night filled with warmth and connection. We’re also thrilled to welcome special guests from Latidos in Peru, who will be connected online to share updates on the incredible work happening in their communities.

And of course, it wouldn’t be Share the Love without our silent auction—your chance to bid on exciting prizes while supporting meaningful projects in Peru.

Why Come?

• Great music, good company, and inspiring stories from the people making a difference.
• A closer look at the projects you’re helping to support.
• An exciting silent auction with prizes you won’t want to miss.

This event has become a tradition for Heart-Links—a chance to come together, celebrate community, and strengthen our connections across borders. Whether you’ve been part of it before or this is your first time, we promise a meaningful and enjoyable evening.

Event Details

Date: April 3, 2024
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Innovation Works, 201 King St., London, Ontario

We’d love to see you there. Bring a friend, make an evening of it, and help us Share the Love.