Peru on world map

Peruvians helping Haitians!

February 24, 2010 - Peru

by Steve Henrichon

Its been a while since I have written on the blog.  If you don’t know me, my name is Steve Henrichon and I am the RMF Country Director for Peru.  Things got a little hectic for me this past year as I started my first year of medical school at UC Davis School of Medicine.  Its been a challenge juggling school work and staying involved with RMF and with the clinic in Peru, but now with my first semester behind me, I am finding it easier to balance that which is important to me.  Speaking of balancing my life, I am recently engaged and my fiance, Sara, and I are busy planning a September wedding.

Sooooo…now when I am not memorizing the adverse side effects of Class 3 antibiotics, or pondering what color flowers to have  for the wedding, or sitting on the couch with Sara watching American Idol, I am busy directing the Policlinico Peruano Americano, our RMF clinic in Peru.  Feel free to check the RMF website for the latest monthly reports from Peru.  By the way, we celebrated the clinic’s 2 year anniversary on December 10, 2009.  The clinic staff celebrated the occasion with a Pisco Sour toast (after hours of course).

Here’s a touching story. Towards the end of January, the clinic staff took the initiative to hold a fundraiser to benefit the victims of the Haiti earthquake. They charged 5 Sol for entrance to the event, which is the equivalent of about $1.35.  They raised $300. Magali, the Administrative Director at the clinic, asked for us to deduct the $300 from their monthly budget and instead use the money for our operation in Haiti. This gesture brought a tear to my eye.

After suffering through an 8.0 earthquake in 2007, the people from Pisco are all too familiar with the horror and despair that comes in the wake of such a disaster. They didnt hesitate when an opportunity arose to open their wallets to help the Haitians. $300 in Peru is a lot of money!  Anyways, this gesture is a testament to the empathy and kindness of the Pisquenos. I have to admit, that I have a great feeling of pride for our clinic staff.

Steve

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