The following is a guest post by Jim Killon who runs Changes for a New Hope. Below is his story. There are many other organisations out there for people who want to volunteer in Peru.
I'm from Baltimore, Maryland. In 2009, I fulfilled a long-time dream of developing a project for the benefit of children living in a 3rd world country. I am an exhibited artist and photographer, writer/author and a social activist. I wrote an article about how volunteers have helped out. You can read the article at
Volunteer Match.
The “Haz lo Correcto – Do the Right Thing” campaign in Huaraz, Peru has increased community awareness toward positive development there. I just wrote an e-book, “A Gringo in Peru – A Story of Compassion in Action,” and it has already reached readers in seven countries. You can find it on
Amazon or
Lulu.
Everybody wants to feel good don´t they? Everybody would like life to
be a tad more convenient and manageable and in the shortest amount of
time possible. And why not? After all we deserve it.
I
was on a visa run to Toronto, Canada in November visiting with some
wonderful friends who have supported this project for years now. While
staying at their home, I was reacquainted with what has come to be
strange to me because my day to day living in the Peruvian Andes is so
different. Heated homes for one example. Floors with carpeting. Hot
running water and a refrigerator, with food. A bed. Cars that were not
10 years old and beat up. Stores with thousands of choices and
restaurants with page after page of options. Those everyday conveniences
I had in my first 50 years spent in the U.S. has almost completely
vanished from my memory, the impression of Peruvian living in the Andes,
over the last 5 years, has replaced every nook and cranny of my
thinking.
Every person´s definition of comfort is
different. What makes each of us feel really great is also different. A
pair of shoes that fit, warm clothing, basic hygienic supplies, soap and
shampoo, deodorant and fingernail clippers are normal for most folks in
developed countries. Where I live, it is barely a consideration. To
have those things, for the children that we reach out to, is a luxury.
But it would make them feel really good to have them.
I
was able to bring back a few hundred pounds of materials and supplies
into Peru for the children thanks to my Toronto friends and many others
like them. This is what makes them feel good.
As good
as in a fine meal at a nice restaurant or soaking in a Jacuzzi hot tub?
No, it is different. It feels good on the inside, in a very special way
and in a very special place in your heart. That´s how my friends and our
supporters describe it to me. That is how I feel everyday, waking up in
an unheated house, solid concrete walls in Huaraz, Peru. A bare light
bulb hangs from the ceiling, water may or may not come out of a facet
and is cold only. I adjusted, I manage, I never complain because I chose
this life to be able to create the project called
Changes for New Hope.
I never regretted this decision. It is what makes me feel good inside,
in that very special place. It is such an overwhelming feeling, the
compassion and love in such a dynamic way that I generally forget the
minor inconveniences that had replaced my North American life which was
very comfortable.
We do what makes us feel good, gives
us a sense of purpose and happiness. Some need to find it externally in
some form or fashion. Others, a few unique individuals have found that
special oasis of peace and tranquility and love deep within themselves
by touching the lives of others who need them. Sometimes it is a post
card with a message of heartfelt hope. Sometimes it is a box of
materials and supplies like the ones I just mentioned. Sometimes it is a
visit to help in a hands-on volunteering way. Sometimes it is funds. No
matter what manner your heart is sharing, the feeling is incredible. It
is real. It does´t end with a hangover, or a breakup text message or
the shakes. It is a wonderful feeling of having found a purpose and it
does not diminish or fade.
I invite each one of you
who may be considering how to feel wonderful, deep within yourself, to
try this experience, touch this piece of the world and the children who
only want to feel good and share the comfort of your own heart with
theirs.
Disclaimer:
