Stories of Our Success: Maria Jesus

Recent visit to Peru emphasizes impact of CBM’s work with persons with disabilities, their families, and their communities

Trip Report: CBM Reaching the Most Vulnerable in Peru

In February, CBM-US CEO Ron Nabors and Chairman of the Board, Loretta Dodgen, traveled to Peru to visit CBM’s projects there. From the vast slums of Lima to the remote villages high in the Andes, time and again they encountered families whose stories were remarkably similar. Before CBM, these families endured unimaginable pain and despair as they watched their children suffer with a disability, unable to provide the rehabilitation or medical care their loved ones needed. Yet with help from CBM, each of these families experienced extraordinary change. For Dodgen, seeing this transformation first-hand was something she will never forget.

“Before I traveled to Peru, I had a heart for CBM and our vital work with the most vulnerable group of people in the world,” she says. “However, it wasn’t until I visited these projects in person that I truly grasped the profound impact CBM--through donor investments--makes on lives and the breadth of the services we provide.

During her travels, Dodgen was impressed by the commitment of CBM’s international staff, especially the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) workers. These individuals not only make an impact on the person receiving the service, but on the entire family and community. CBR workers in Peru often travel hundreds of miles away from home each week to reach those in desperate need of help. Some, especially those working in the slums of Lima, risk their own safety. Yet they remain undeterred. Working hand in hand with local Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) as well as local governments, they ensure the full inclusion of people with disabilities into communities and societies.

“My experience wasn’t just about people with disabilities,“ Dodgen says. “It was about CBM workers--people who have given their lives to provide support and encouragement to those who are less fortunate. Seeing their commitment and dedication was a life-altering experience for me.”

Here, a CBM CBR worker spends time practicing techniques designed to help Maria Jesus follow sound using her eyes.

On their first day in Peru, Dodgen and Nabors witnessed the powerful impact CBR workers have on families when they met Maria Jesus, a toddler living deep within the slums of Lima.

Maria Jesus suffers from Cerebral Palsy, also known as CP. For Maria Jesus and other children with CP living in the poorest countries of the world, lack of access to proper resources means that little can be done to help them. Yet, early intervention is critical in helping children with CP. Before CBR workers found Maria Jesus, she spent the majority of her days lying limp in an egg-shaped plastic tub. Because she lived in isolation, hidden away from the world, she shied away from all human touch. Though her family desperately wanted to help her, they simply did not have the financial resources to do so.

By teaching Maria Jesus’ parents simple techniques designed to stimulate and support her development, the CBR workers have empowered them to help their little girl. The parents have learned that simple household items are valuable therapeutic tools. A plastic bottle filled with pebbles, for example, is teaching Maria Jesus how to follow sound using her eyes. She now sits upright thanks to the support of an old, stuffed pair of blue jeans. By using items readily available, her family can take an active role in her rehabilitation.

In addition to Maria Jesus’ treatment, her mother has joined a support group for parents of children with disabilities. Where she once felt depressed and alone, she now feels a strong sense of inclusion and looks forward to the weekly meetings.

Support groups for parents of children with disabilities are just once aspect of CBM’s goal to empower entire families and communities. By providing micro-credit and income generation opportunities to those who qualify, people with disabilities and their families are lifted out of poverty.

CBM partners in Cusco, for example, work to alleviate poverty and other health issues. Dodgen and Nabors visited 20 people with disabilities and their families who have been enrolled in the Healthy Homes Initiative. The program plans to reach an additional 100 families in the next two years.

Thanks to CBM's assistance, Wilfredo's elderly mother no longer has to worry about what will happen to him when she's gone. He is learning valuable skills in shoe repair, a trade that will allow him to support himself and live independently when his mother is no longer around.

These types of programs are important for individuals like Wilfredo, a man in his 20s suffering from a mental impairment and living alone with his elderly mother. For the past few years, she has agonized over what will happen to her son once she is gone. Now, she no longer has to. CBM enrolled Wilfredo in a shoemaking and repair course. With his new profession, Wilfredo will be able to support the family and will be able to live independently when his mother is no longer around. The family also has taken part in the Healthy Homes Initiative and has made significant improvements to their living conditions.

Through these comprehensive programs, CBM strives to raise entire communities out of poverty. This holistic approach is what made a lasting impression on Dodgen. Seeing CBM’s work first-hand has given her a greater desire to spread awareness of its vital programs.

“For people with disabilities living in the poorest countries of the world, help is nonexistent,” Dodgen says. “They literally have nowhere else to turn. We have a responsibility as Christians and citizens of the world not to ignore them.”

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Stories of Our Success: Maria Jesus

Recent visit to Peru emphasizes impact of CBM’s work with persons with disabilities, their families, and their communities

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