Changes for New Hope
“I remember this little girl that humbly and
curiously asked me where do I come from. Europe I replied. She then kindly asked
to take more photographs of her, wondering whether I would take them back to
Europe. I played and told her stories from Transylvania. I think she enjoyed my
company because when I left she couldn’t stop hugging me. This truly was a very
emotional moment for both of us.”
After returning from Huayhuash we spent one day with
Changes for New Hope. This is an
organization situated in Huaraz, preoccupied with
improving the lives of the poor and underprivileged children and their families
in the Peruvian Andes. Through the dedication of Mr Jim Killon, the founder and
president of the organization, along with volunteers and supporters worldwide,
Changes for New Hope aims to help families living in poverty to become
self-sufficient, to develop opportunities for children to reach their fullest
potential and to enhance the level of respect, self-esteem and community
awareness. We met
Jim at Caroline Lodging, a hostel where we stayed while being in Huaraz. Jim
invited us to see some of the children he works with, not very far from the
hostel in an area known as Challua. The area is pretty much situated in the Rio
Santa floodplain and the adobe buildings where the children and their families
live lack electricity, continuous running water and basic sanitation. The
average age interval was between 4 and 12 years old. We were surprised to be
greeted with applauses by the children. They were very happy to see us and
showed great interest in our cameras and tripods. We played with Lego, and
communicated with the children, showing them where we come from on the plastic
Earth as well as photographs from the places we’ve explored so far in Peru.
We’ve also photographed and video recorded every activity observed during our
visit focusing more on the children. I was particularly impressed by some of the
their humble and mannerly behaviour but also their signs of depression and low
self-esteem. Very intelligent, they asked perceptive questions about us. The
main objective of the organization is to educate the children and eliminate
desperation and depression that exists amongst them. Through
art projects, health awareness, nutrition and psychological
assistance, coping skills and support from people all around the
world, these children can become the leaders of tomorrow. “Haz lo
correcto” or do the right thing, respect everyone, respect yourself is their
core message.
By Sergui Jiduc
Our friend Sergui and his team were filming as photojournalist/explorers for National Geographic while in Peru. He is still in contact with us, supports our project and we look forward to the final production of the National Geographic Special that he and his team were kind enough to include us in.