On December 7, hours before what was to be his third impeachment hearing in the short 17 months he has occupied the office, President Pedro Castillo moved to dissolve Congress. He was arrested the same day, and shortly afterward Vice President Dina Bularte assumed his office. She is Peru’s sixth president in six years.

On learning of Castillo’s arrest, thousands of Peruvians took to the streets to protest his ouster. At least seven Castillo supporters have died so far in the violence.

Chronic instability has had and continues to have dire consequences for the Peruvian population. Any action by government is stalled, services are delayed. Much-needed development and reform is postponed indefinately. Civic unrest, which at least initially was concentrated mostly in the South, has disrupted supply lines and increased already high transporation fares. Food is not getting to market.

For our partners in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca, the current crisis has made already difficult conditions much more difficult. They know that vulnerable populations are always the most hurt. They also see that their programs to foster ethical and democratic leadership, to build resilient sustainable communities and to attend to basic needs, including food, among other initiatives, help people in their communities ride out crises like these and plant the seeds of a better future.

Heart-Links expresses our solidarity with the Peruvian people, who deserve so much better from their representatives in government. We are encouraged by the compassion, integrity and commitment of people like the leaders of Madre Oliva Association, Latidos, ACIES, Rural Libraries, Centro Santa Angela and Centro Esperanza—our partners. Their work offers hope for a better world for Peruvians and inspiration for people everywhere.

That was the sentiment expressed by one of our partners during Heart-Links’ recent and first-ever Solidarity Trip Reunion. Last Saturday, alumni of our Solidarity and Work/Awareness Trips connected by zoom with some of the people they’d met during those visits to share memories of their time together and what it meant to each of them.

We also talked about our lives today and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in our communities.

Friends from our partner organizations in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca spoke about their memories of sharing their work and their daily lives with visitors from Canada, noting that such exchanges have strengthened their organizations and enriched their work. Delicia Romero recalled that she has never missed a single one, from the very first visits led by Sister Janet Zadorsky in the 1990s to the 2018 Solidarity Trip—the last before the pandemic hit.

Zaña artist Dimas Gil also dropped by to say hello, as did Lucho and Cristina and family, tuning in from the hostel where trip participants often stay.

For the Canadian visitors, the trips have also had a profound impact. Whether working in a community kitchen, helping to build a community-designed playground or climbing a sacred mountain in Cajamarca, trip participants said they learned as much about themselves and their communities in Canada as they did about the people and places they visited.

Several participants said they were awakened to “the power of community,” a lesson that led them to greater community involvement on their return home. Susan Price, a librarian herself, was especially impressed by the work of the Rural Libraries Network. “They’re exactly what libraries should be,” she said. For other participants, the trip informed or inspired their career choices.

Concern about the ravages caused in Peru by the pandemic was top of mind. One of our partners is currently recovering from the illness. Another had to miss the reunion because she was busy trying to buy oxygen for sick relatives and to get a friend into the overcrowded ICU. In Cajamarca, the virus has now spread to the remote mountain villages. The hardship and pain the pandemic is causing our partners, their families and friends and their communities was clear.

But the affection among these old acquaintances and the joy of jointly revisiting significant moments in their lives was also palpable. It’s one reason Heart-Links is finding ways like this so we can listen to and learn from each other and express our solidarity even when in-person visits are not possible.

• No poverty
• Zero Hunger
• Good Health and Well-being
• Quality Education
• Gender Equality
• Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

To celebrate, Heart-Links is taking part in a host of #IDW2021 activities, and starting today, you can, too! Here’s what’s on our calendar:

SUNDAY

Bidding is open now at our Share the Love @ Home online silent auction. Win spectacular prizes and support Heart-Links projects in Peru. It’s a win-win. Auction closes end of day Friday.
START BIDDING HERE

If you speak Spanish, tune in at 4 p.m. today to Radio Western’s La Voz Hispana (94.9FM) to hear Heart-Links chat with guest host José Merino about why international cooperation is important.

MONDAY

The Ontario Council of International Cooperation’s multimedia storytelling initiative Tapestry 2030 launches in the wee hours Monday morning. First up in this series focused on the future of international cooperation and global solidarity is Bhutan Canada Foundation and a conversation about Building Sustainable Tourism in Bhutan. Subscribe to the series here or here or anywhere else you listen to podcasts so you can also catch Heart-Links’ episode when it airs later this week.

If you want to learn more about the series and the multimedia artists and organizations involved, join us and other OCIC members at 12 noon for a lunchtime launch event.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE

THURSDAY

Listen to Tapestry 2030 to hear Heart-Links chat with Erla Hoyos, of Centro Santa Angela, about Leadership in Action in Peru. The episode airs at midnight here and here and anywhere else you listen to podcasts. (Don’t forget to subscribe so you can hear two episodes a week all the way to International Women’s Day.)

FRIDAY

It’s finally here! Share the Love @ Home starts on zoom webinar at 7 p.m. sharp.
REGISTER FREE HERE

For the first time ever, our partners in Peru will join us for our annual free-admission fiesta: Delicia Romero and Cecilia Odar, of Madre Oliva Association will speak to us from Zaña; Isabel Gutiérrez, of ACIES, will join from Cajamarca, and Fely Ramírez from Centro Esperanza in Chiclayo will take part, too. All four women will speak about the difficult year just past and the needs their organizations hope to address in 2021 as Peru faces the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Live from Zaña, Yim Rodríguez will enchant with Afro-Peruvian music from the region. Both musician and visual artist, Yim is best known in London for painting the mural that graces King’s University library.

This is also the last day for bidding in our online silent auction. Get those bids in—or make a donation. We can get involved and help make this a more just world. Our silent auction closes when the clock strikes 12.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEEK,
FROM HEART-LINKS TO YOU!

Early projects focused on developing women-led spaces such as the community kitchens in Zaña. In these spaces, women supported each other and took on leadership roles.

As conditions in northern Peru changed, the projects Heart-Links supported also changed. But our commitment to promoting gender equality and ending gender-based violence did not.

Empowerment, leadership training, income generation and skills development for women and girls are still a top priority. In recent years, Heart-Links has also started supporting projects that work with men to end gender-based violence and discrimination.

Run by Heart-Links’ partner Centro Santa Angela and financed by Cambia Development Foundation, this work with men is breaking new ground in Peru. A permanent network of men who support gender equality was created in Chiclayo and this network has connected with others in the region and across Latin America.

Men who participate learn about the social and cultural roots of machismo, what gender-base violence is and how to eradicate it from their own relationships, paternal responsibility, sexuality and managing emotions and, most recently, violence against women in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To reach other men as well, they are developing videos, radio spots, and a teaching guide for use in high school. As one of the young men in the video above says, “This is a place where you can remake yourself in ways that are more just, more equal, showing more empathy, able to show your emotions.”

You can follow the network on Facebook.

Join us for an unforgettable 3-week adventure in solidarity with communities in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca, in northern Peru. Meet the amazing people Heart-Links works with in each location and exchange views and experiences. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the challenges Peruvians face and their work to build community, pursue social justice and protect the environment.

This trip is right for you if you’d like to

• Experience a new culture and community
• Learn about Peru’s social and environmental issues
• Explore your own interests in creating change
• Join a growing movement of changemakers
• Volunteer with Heart-Links or your community

More Information about our annual Solidarity Trip can be found here.

How to Apply

• Contact info@heart-links.org if you would like to meet or ask questions before applying
• Complete our application form by December 31, 2019

Itinerary

7 nights in Cajamarca: We will fly from Lima to Cajamarca, in Peru’s Andes mountains. Our partner-hosts will share with us about Indigenous culture and social and environmental issues the region faces. Participants will devote four days to accompanying a program run by one of our partner agencies.

7 nights in Chiclayo: Following a breathtaking bus ride out of the mountains, we will arrive in the bustling city of Chiclayo. We will be exposed to the political, social and economic realities of life in the city, while spending time with one of the projects by our inspiring and progressive partner agencies.

7 nights in Zaña: The Zaña Valley is a slower-paced small town experience that will include visiting families and Heart-Links’ friends who have been our partners for more than 20 years. Our Heart-Links’ partners in Zaña are working towards empowering children, youth and women in this region.

Itinerary subject to minor changes. Participants will be invited to contribute ideas about how to spend 2 flex days in each location. There will be time for exploring local archaeology and for beautiful hiking. Participants are welcome to extend the trip to see more of the country on their own.

Flight arrangements will be booked with Ellison Travel & Tours
TICO registration 2392471

Every year Heart-Links offers a small group of Canadians and Canadian residents an unforgettable experience in solidarity. Our 3-week trip to Peru will introduce you to our partners and friends in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca and to the important work they do. You’ll visit some of the community development projects HLs supports and exchange views and experiences with the people those projects serve.

Explore your potential to engage in international development.

Apply Now!

The 2019 trip is scheduled to run from June 23 to July 14.

The deadline for applications is January 31. Applicants must be available for three planning meetings before the trip. More Information about our annual Solidarity Trip can be found here. Or email Ruth Taylor at info@heart-links.org or call 226-884-2845.

Don’t need more convincing? Apply Now!

Your ongoing support is what makes our work possible. With it we have been able to gradually reach out to new communities and expand the number of programs we support.

Heart-Links currently funds all or part of 12 projects in northern Peru. We have sent $150,000 to Peru this year to finance these projects, and we expect to spend a similar amount there next year.

Your dollars have led to real improvements in the lives of real people: a little boy in Cajamarca has a safe space to express himself, a mother in Zaña is building her self-esteem, her support network and her earnings by producing and selling traditional crafts with a women’s circle, a young man in Chiclayo has become an ally in the struggle against violence against women.

Thank you for taking this journey of solidarity with us, for saying to people in another part of the world, “I see you and I am with you.”

To keep our work going strong into 2019 and beyond, we ask you to consider becoming a monthly donor. Even a small monthly donation goes a long, long way at Heart-Links.

Here are some examples of what your gift can do:

$10/month

Reprint 100 copies of a book that preserves the culture of Indigenous communities and fosters literacy in the mountains of Cajamarca.

$20/month

Give a child in the Zaña Valley the opportunity to attend an after-school program proven to improve participant behaviour and learning outcomes in their regular school program.

$30/month

Give a teenager in the Zaña Valley the opportunity to engage with peers in workshops on self-esteem, healthy sexuality, social media etiquette, cultural identity and more.

$45/month

Fund 30 days of a community-led action plan to rehabilitate parks, plant trees, clean up garbage and reduce waste in an impoverished neighbourhood of 100 families in Chiclayo.

Please use our printable Donor Form, choosing either a monthly donation or a one-time gift. Or Donate Now using our online form.

In solidarity,

Heart-Links Lazos de Corazón

Heart-Links raised $21,390 for flood relief and reconstruction in the communities where our partners work. Here are some of the things your dollars accomplished:

• Centro Esperanza delivered chlorine tablets, plastic tarps, detergent, mosquito nets, and medicine to 15 families in Chiclayo affected by the flooding. They also provided temporary shelter for people who were displaced by the rains and supplied materials for rebuilding.
• Latidos provided support to 100 families in the more remote villages of the Zaña Valley to supplement the often incomplete government assistance. Supplies delivered included potable water, roofing materials, and support materials for emergency brigades. Latidos also organized brigades and trained them in emergency response.
• Centro Santa Angela, which worked as first responders in neighbourhoods in Chiclayo, purchased water pumps, fuel, boots, face masks, and food for people in need and assisted with cleanup following the floods. They delivered mattresses to 60 homeless families living in tents.

This emergency was very hard on the communities where Heart-Links works and on the partners we work with. Yet the disaster also highlighted the strength of community solidarity and what is possible when people organize and work together. Our partners worked alongside other organizations—both governmental and nongovernmental—to assist the most vulnerable. They made new contacts and gained access to new resources and information.

In the marginal neighbourhood of San Borja, for example, the women’s committee applied the leadership skills they have acquired in workshops run by Centro Esperanza, demonstrating accountability and credibility and deepening their ties with others in their community. Centro Santa Angela also reported that the emergency has provided participants in their leadership schools and ecological programs with an opportunity to apply the training that they have received.

Donations from the Emergency Fund will continue to support efforts to help people affected by the flooding rebuild their homes and communities.