Would you like to work closely with community leaders in Peru as they build a better future?

Would you like to strengthen Canada-Peru solidarity and help it grow?

Heart-Links Lazos de Corazón is recruiting up to three volunteers to join our Board of Directors.

What we’re looking for:

• A commitment to social justice and community-led international development
• Experience in any of the following areas: human resources, fundraising, communications or social media, finance, governance
• Previous board experience is welcome but not required
• Some knowledge of Spanish is an asset

Time commitment:

• 5 Board meetings a year (September, November, January, March and May), typically on a Wednesday, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Attendance at these meetings is very important.
• All Board members are asked to sit on a permanent committee, which typically meets monthly. We currently have openings on the following committees: Fund Development, Finance, Governance, Executive.
• Average time commitment is 1 to 2 hours per week.
• 3-year term, renewable.

Board profile:

• 9 to 12 community members
• One part-time staff (3 days a week)
• Governed by the Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act

Please send letter of interest and resume to info@heart-links.org by March 31, 2024.

For the first time ever, Heart-Links’ Annual General Meeting will be hybrid.

What does that mean?

It means that we will celebrate with our community IN PERSON for the first time in three years.

When: Sunday, May 28, at 1:30 p.m. EDT
Where: Innovation Works, 201 King Street, London, Ontario

But that’s not all hybrid means.

Can’t make it to the meeting? Don’t live in the London area? You can attend remotely by Zoom! 

What can you expect at this fee-admission event?

• Messages from our Board Chair, Treasurer and Projects Committee
• Introduction to our 2023 Board of Directors
• Presentation of our 2022 Impact Report
• Special guest speaker Erla Hoyos, of Centro Santa Angela (joining us virtually from Peru)

We are very excited to share with you the impacts of the work you supported in Peru last year. And we are thrilled to have Erla Hoyos join us. Erla will fill us in on the current situation in northern Peru and tell us about how Centro Santa Angela’s Leadership School is changing lives there. (Translation will be provided.)

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone again and to seeing new faces as well!  

Register for IN-PERSON attendance here.

Register for ZOOM attendance here.

If you questions, email info@heart-links.org or phone 226-884-2845.

Would you like to work closely with community leaders in Peru as they build a better future?

Would you like to strengthen Canada-Peru solidarity and help it grow?

Heart-Links Lazos de Corazón is recruiting up to three volunteers to join our Board of Directors.

What we’re looking for:

• A commitment to social justice and international development
• Experience in any of the following areas: fundraising, communications or social media, finance, special events, governance, human resources
• Previous board experience is welcome but not required
• Some knowledge of Spanish is an asset

Time commitment:

• 5 Board meetings a year (September, November, January, March and May), typically on a Wednesday, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Attendance at these meetings is very important.
• All Board members are asked to sit on a permanent committee, which typically meet monthly. We currently have openings on the following committees: Fund Development, Community Engagement/ Special Events, Finance, Governance.
• Average time commitment is 1 to 2 hours per week.
• 3-year term, renewable.

Board profile:

• 9 to 12 community members
• One part-time staff (3 days a week)
• Governed by the Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act

Please send letter of interest and resume to info@heart-links.org by February 10, 2023.

Cecilia Inguanse knows what it means to grow and nurture a grassroots vision—the kind of vision Heart-Links has embraced for over 25 years.

Passionate about supporting people who face multiple and complex needs, Cecilia has spent her professional life helping women and other individuals challenged by issues such as physical or mental health problems, abuse, trauma, addiction and poverty to improve their quality of life. It is paramount to Cecilia that all people feel seen and heard and know that they matter.

As a transitional case manager at CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Heath Services – My Sisters’ Place, Cecilia offers support, advocacy and connections to women and other vulnerable populations. She believes in the power of connection and inclusion to create a strong community that can meet people’s needs. At My Sister’s Place’s inception 17 years ago, she was the very first transitional case worker of this incredibly vital supportive community.

Peru is Cecilia’s home country. Graduating from San Martin de Porres University with a Bachelor of Social Work, she practised in Peru for over eight years before coming to Canada in 1994. She was awarded degree equivalency by the University of Toronto and then completed her Social Service Work Diploma at Fanshawe College.

Cecilia carries out her work with strong values of solidarity and friendship. That’s what captured her attention about Heart-Links. She joined our team close to eight years ago, initially as a member of the Peru Projects Committee. This committee reviews the projects presented to Heart-Links by our partners in Peru and then makes recommendations to the board. They also check-in regularly with our partners throughout the year.

These strong connections with the Peruvian community, Cecilia notes, have been particularly important during the pandemic. She admires the creativity our community partners in Peru have shown with the limited resources at their disposal during this extremely challenging experience.

Cecilia has sat on Heart-Links’ board of directors for the past five years—longer than any other current director. She appreciates Heart-Links’ approach to empowering our partner communities in Peru to engage in meaningful change and transformational growth. Important, too, is recognizing that change takes time and needs to be driven by the insider wisdom of our Peruvian partners.  

Cecilia generously shares her time and talents not only in her work at My Sister’s Place and as a Heart-Links volunteer, but also as a member of the London-Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership through London City Hall.  This committee is responsible for supporting the successful integration of new immigrants and refugees. Cecilia applies psychosocial education to facilitate the inclusion and integration of these multicultural communities to their new home. In 2021, she was recognized with an Ontario Volunteer Service Award.

When asked about her work and volunteering, Cecilia said that she does it “with all my heart.”

Thank you for your heartfelt commitment, Cecilia, and for the values and experience you bring to our work.

Want to learn more about the Heart-Links board and the work we support in northern Peru? Join us Sunday, May 29 at 1:30 p.m. for our virtual AGM. Register here.

Thanks to you and to our partners in Peru, communities in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca received support to strengthen education and literacy, to attend to people’s physical and mental well being, to improve environmental conditions, to develop leadership, to empower women, and to build sustainable communities.

Do want to learn more about what your support means to people in Peru? Join us for our annual general assembly.

When: Sunday, May 29, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT

Where: Zoom Meeting (link to come)

As an extra-special treat, Delicia Romero and Cecilia Odar, of Madre Oliva Association, will join us to tell us about their work in Zaña to improve the lives of individuals with developmental and other disabilities and about their plans for the coming year.

Our AGM will also include

• Messages from our chair, our Peru Projects Committee, and our treasurer
• Presentation of our 2021 Impact Report.
• Introduction to our 2022 Board of Directors

We love to meet and hear from our supporters in Canada and to make new connections. We also love to introduce our community in Canada to the people we work with in Peru. Together, you are helping build a more just world.

Hope to see you on May 29!

Heart-Links Lazos de Corazón has two volunteer board positions opening up this spring. To fill them, we are looking for people who are committed to community, social justice and our common global welfare.

Heart-Links funds community-led initiatives in northern Peru in the following areas:

• Gender Equality
• Literacy and Education
• Leadership Training
• Indigenous and Cultural Rights
• Health and Wellness

What we’re looking for:

• A commitment to social justice and international development
• Experience in any of the following areas: communications, social media, special events, public engagement, fundraising
• Perspectives of grassroots, Indigenous, Latin American or educational communities is a plus
• Previous board experience is welcome but not required
• Knowledge of Spanish is an asset

Time commitment:

• 5 Board meetings a year (September, November, late January, March and June), typically on a Wednesday, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., plus the AGM in May
• All board members are asked to chair or co-chair a standing committee (Fund Development, Community Engagement, Finance, Peru Projects, Solidarity Trip), which typically meets monthly
• Average time commitment is 1 to 2 hours per week

Board profile:

• 9 to 12 community members
• One part-time staff (3 days a week)
• Governed by the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act

If you are interested in applying for this volunteer position, please send your letter of interest and resume to info@heart-links.org by April 22. NEW DEADLINE

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY

Today, we’d like to hightlight what that experience was like for Heart-Links board director Julia Rolo.

Julia was working as a chef in Berlin when the world started going sideways from the coronavirus pandemic. It was March 2020, and Prime Minister Trudeau was telling Canadians abroad to get home. Julia didn’t delay. She sold her things, got out of her apartment lease, and hopped on the next flight out of Germany.

She remembers moving into her mom’s basement in London and thinking she needed to “do something” to help the community. “Why didn’t I go to medical school?” she asked herself. “Why don’t I go do grocery shopping to help?”

Then she saw Heart-Links’ posting for new board members on the Innovation Works website.

Fast forward to 2021: Julia has been on the Heart-Links Board of Directors, serving also on our Fund Development Committee, for almost a year. She just completed a research coordinator position studying transnational care-giving experiences among immigrants in London, and she is currently working in long-term care as a personal support assistant for a client with limited mobility.

Seeing the frontline during this pandemic has only emboldened Julia to do more for communities in both Canada and in Peru.

Why was Julia drawn to Heart-Links? “When you have smaller or grassroots organizations,” she says, “it gives you real flexibility and you honour what people are seeking, a more fair and egalitarian approach.”

In Julia’s view, “We need more Heart-Links in the world. They do their little piece and it is very important.”

As a graduate in International Development from the University of Ottawa, Julia is a tremendous asset to our team. She understands that equitable and sustainable international development depends on relationships built on trust and respect. She loves that Heart-Links trusts our partners to know where to direct the financial support we provide. “It’s something special, the trust relationship,” she says. “What they have built is unique and it helps give people ownership over their lives.”

Joining Heart-Links’ Board of Directors during a pandemic had challenges. Meetings went strictly virtual and normal face-to-face connection was eliminated. What has Julia learned so far? “I really like the team,” she says, “and look forward to meeting in person one day. Many of our directors have a real connection and real experience on the ground with our partners. There is more emotion and capacity on our board, with the flexibility and ability to pivot to help our partners.”

What are a few other things we can tell you about Julia? She has a cat named Lasagna. She loves cooking at home. And her favourite place in the world is Sophia, Bulgaria.

Heart-Links would like to thank Julia Rolo and all our directors and committee volunteers for their hard work and dedication during this challenging year. Because of people like you, a more just and equitable world is possible.

You can meet Heart-Links 2021 board of directors and learn more about our work in Peru by joining us for our AGM. Learn more here.

The goal? To enlist men and boys in the struggle to end violence against women by promoting concepts of masculinity that embrace relationships of equality and respect.

“We start by recognizing that in the matter of gender-based violence, the ones who suffer most from it are women, and the people who perpetrate this violence are mostly men,” says project coordinator Anthony Peña Flores. In the interview, Anthony describes how one young man overcame homophobic misconceptions and learned that its’ okay, even good for you, to show emotion and tenderness to other men.

Topics addressed in the masculinities workshops include the social and cultural roots of machismo, what gender-base violence is and how to eradicate it from personal relationships, fatherhood, sexuality and managing emotions, and violence against women in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marleny Constantino Lucumí, who coordinates programs to end gender-based violence at Centro Santa Angela, acknowledged that achieving gender equality is an uphill battle. The empowerment of women is also key. “It’s difficult, but not impossible,” she say. “It’s a matter of advancing little by little so that women come to understand their rights . . . and how to defend them.”

Heart-Links board director Sara Alva Lizarraga agrees that the kind of changes Heart-Links projects support do not happen overnight. Yet the projects Heart-Links finances with the donations we receive often lead to larger changes down the road. “It’s great for us to see how this seed we have supplied begins to grow and to generate programs that become self-sustaining,” she says.

You can watch the whole interview below. Follow the instructions to add English subtitles.

If you’d like to watch more news from Correo Canadiense, subscribe to their YouTube channel here.

Heart-Links is grateful to the Cambia Development Foundation for their financial support of the Men for Gender Equality project.

This is a great opportunity to contribute to social justice at the grassroots. Heart-Links’ treasurer is a key contributor to the financial health, accountability and sustainability of our organization.

Some of the initiative Heart-Links funds:

• Supporting People with Disabilities
• Environmental Action Plan
• Leadership Training
• Men for Gender Equity
• COVID-19 Response

What we’re looking for:

• Knowledge of financial reporting, accounting and analysis
• Knowledge of budgeting, including budget setting and monitoring
• Understanding of basic internal controls
• A commitment to social justice and international development
• Previous board experience is welcome but not required

Time commitment:

• 3-year term, renewable
• 5 board meetings a year (September, November, late January, March and June), typically on a Wednesday, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and the AGM in May
• One executive meeting per month (except in summertime)
• Biannual meetings of the Finance Committee (typically by email)
• Average time commitment is 1 to 2 hours per week, most of it by phone or email

Duties:

• Chair the Finance Committee
• Work collaboratively with the board chair
• Liaise with investment and bank account managers and external accountants
• Prepare the annual budget
• Advise the board on financial matters
• Prepare and provide to our external accountants a year-end (December 31) file for review and the necessary information for preparing our annual Charity Information Return
• Oversee the bookkeeper 
• Monitor cash flow to ensure all needs are met, including our investment needs
• Periodically review investment activity
• Prepare and send international wires
• Act as one of two signers or authorizers for cheques, payroll and credit card payments
• Add, update or remove EFT profiles
• Perform other duties, as assigned

Board profile:

• 9 to 12 community members
• One part-time staff (3 days a week)
• Governed by the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act

The successful applicant will be required to present a Criminal Records and Judicial Matters Check (available from your local police services) before assuming the position.

Please send letter of interest and resume to info@heart-links.org by February 28, 2021.

Elisa also brings a personal commitment to connecting local and global. Her cultural values and her knowledge of Latin America enrich our local community and strengthen Heart-Links’ work.

“I’ve seen the poverty in El Salvador,” she says. “We’re privileged in Canada to be able to help organizations in another country. It’s that local-to-global factor of asking what we can we do to help people in a situation different from our own.”

As a new board members and a welcome addition to our community engagement committee, Elisa is excited to be working among like-minded people who are passionate about what they do. She can already see that passionate people in the community are what makes Heart-Links thrive.

“We are a small non-profit that is doing really significant and quality work in Peru by giving the local organizations the voice and narrative,” she says. “They understand their communities, so we are supporting them to do what they know how to do best.”

One goal Elisa has as a board member is to see Heart-Links making an even greater impact and writing even more stories of success.

Though she loves her job in access services for Western University, Elisa believes Heart-Links will give her new foundations, presenting new challenges and new ways of reaching a goal. “Skills of volunteerism and empathy are so important,” she says. “I’m really excited to see that energy of awareness and selflessness spread, especially with the uncertainty that we are facing globally . . . What better opportunity for us to learn to understand and to support one another?”

Ever the optimist and always willing to help out, Elisa makes a great addition to our team.