HN Issue 16: Sweet Goodbyes: Two Communities Hit Their Ten Year Target!

WRITTEN BY CARISSA YOUSSEF

After years of determination and hard work, two communities—Rinconada del Sol, Peru and San Roque, Philippines— are graduating this year! With the faithful prayer and financial support of hundreds of Canadians, these two communities are celebrating a future that is very different from their past. 

Rinconada del Sol 

Rinconada del Sol was a squatter community that formed by necessity as people fled terrorist violence or sought better jobs. In July 2005 it partnered with FH to work on education, water access, infrastructure, business development, land rights, domestic violence prevention, and gender equality. Nine and a half years later, the Peruvian community is able to turn to other neighbouring communities to help them make similar progress. 

San Roque 

San Roque partnered with FH Canada in 2008. The peri-urban community has long struggled with poverty, poor education and inadequate sanitation. The region also deals with a staggering amount of natural disasters, with several large typhoons and super storms hitting the community in the last six years alone. Since working with FH, community leaders have developed emergency preparedness strategies, stronger educational partnerships, new income generation streams and a network for sanitation and health promotion. 

In both communities, the churches, families and leaders have been empowered to carry forward their own changes so they can continue to make progress long after FH leaves. As with other communities FH has partnered with in the past, it’s always exciting and encouraging to hear how communities are doing five or ten years after the official partnership is over. 

With the graduations in Rinconada del Sol and San Roque, FH Canada has now helped 39 communities reach self-sustainability. Since 1994, FH Canada’s mission has been to end poverty, one community at a time. And when this happens, we celebrate! 

On behalf of the families we’ve partnered with in Peru and the Philippines, we want to extend our deepest thanks to each Canadian family, church, and business that contributed to the poverty-free future of these communities. Your generous investment has changed thousands of lives. 

Major changes in Rinconada Del Sol, Peru:
 

- 60% of secondary school graduates have gone on to technical school or university.
- The local church has become a central player in the community’s development.
- Every home now has electricity.
- The community now has access to clean, easily accessible water.
- A sanitation and sewer system were installed
- With income generation training, most families now have formal employment.
- While the community started as a squatter settlement, they now all own their land and have the property title! This has major implications for their legal rights.

Major changes in San Roque, Philippines:
 
- Early intervention for malnourishment is now part of maternal care and the school system.
- The once-high secondary school dropout rate has virtually disappeared.
- Seminars and health fairs have given families the skills to prevent most common illnesses.
- Oral hygiene training and dental sessions have transformed families’ understanding of oral health and sanitation.
- A tutoring partnership was established between a nearby university and the local primary school.
- Several emergency preparedness plans are in place with a network of trained community members and provision sites.
- Child well-being and violence prevention are now being prioritized.

You as a child sponsor, or your church or business as a formal community partner, can help! Send us a personal message at [email protected] or [email protected].

To receive a copy of the next Hope Notes, email [email protected]!

THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN HOPE NOTES, ISSUE 16.