In January 2011 Mysmallhelp decided to register as an official non profit organisation in Peru . The decision to register Mysmallhelp Peru was made following a chance meeting with inspirational Lurdes Juno Mamani. 

Leander Hollings, president and founder of Mysmallhelp Peru was introduced to Lurdes in June 2010 and was asked if she could help her in any way. Leander quickly accepted her role as godmother and committed to finding a way for Lurdes to have access to an education, training and a wheel chair.

 Lurdes is eighteen years old and has a condition called osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, which causes bones to break, bend, and twist easily .  Lurdes lives in Rumira with an abusive and alcoholic mother and step father. Her alcoholic father left her mother when she was young. Lurdes suffers from neglect and she can´t walk. Until 9 months ago, Lurdes was immobile and spent all her time at home, never attending school or venturing out into the community.  During the second half of 2010, Lurdes received a wheelchair from a Spanish donor and began to receive private tuition lessons at home from a local teacher and was introduced to a Cusceñan jewellery teacher. Lurdes  jewellery business is growing steadily. She is now out and about in the community more but she still needs support to be able to get in and out of her wheel chair and to access certain areas. Lurdes is very keen to learn to read and write but is progressing slowly because her school teacher is currently only visiting her for 6 hours a week. Mysmallhelp would like to provide Lurdes with a laptop with reading and writing programmes and a private teacher to help Lurdes to learn to read and write a soon possible. Mysmallhelp is also aware of the dramatic changes that have happened to Lurdes in a short period of time and is keen to find psychological support and a more stable home for her. Lurdes has a warm character and is an inspiration to everyone she meets and she is the reason that Mysmallhelp Peru exists and wants to work towards helping to change the lives of more disabled people like Lurdes.

Mysmallhelp has decided to partner with Awamaki, a small community-development NGO based in Ollantaytambo.

Awamaki runs community development programs in Ollantaytambo that encompass cultural preservation, health, education and sustainable tourism.  Awamaki’s health program is dedicated to improving the health of the people in Ollantaytambo, Peru and the surrounding mountain communities of the Sacred Valley.

Established in early 2010, Awamaki Health is in the beginning stages of exploring ways to improve the quality of healthcare available to the population of Ollantaytambo. Awamaki Health supports the primary clinic within Ollanta and three other rural clinics. Their goal is to integrate Awamaki health volunteers into the community, and to create sustainable health programs that encompass education as well as clinical care and other areas that address the needs of the community.

 Disability Outreach Campaign

A project recently undertaken by Awamaki is an assessment of the needs and services provided to disabled person in the Ollantaytambo region.  They worked with the central ministry of health, community leaders, and the municipality to plan their community visits. In December Awamaki was joined by a neurologist, Dr. Sakib Qureshi, who helped lead the census of disabled individuals.

The survey was given by the Awamaki team which included Dr. Qureshi, a  Quechua-Spanish translator and health volunteers. During the visits, the neurologist gave a full examination, made a diagnosis and offered recommendations.  They gathered information regarding each person’s previous care and treatment, and also about their quality of life.  They spent time walking to each person’s house and spending about an hour assessing their medical condition and asking questions. At the end of each interview they thanked the family by giving them a package of basic foodstuffs.

After a month of the outreach campaign Awamaki had talked to 50 people living with disabilities and visited 13 different communities. They found that lives of disabled people in the region are often kept hidden and out of reach of medical care. Poverty, social stigma, unavailability of proper medical attention, and lack of mobility are just a few of the challenges that disabled people regularly face.  Now that Awamaki has begun working with some of these people and learning about their needs, they are seeking support from organizations, groups, and individuals around the world who want to help improve the lives these people.

Please make a donation through this secure Just Giving page to help change the life of Lurdes and other disabled children like her.