Sometime in July I was watching our local TV station, Citytv, and I took a part of a report on a pair of Toronto, that their house remortgaged a non-profit community development was a small town on the Pacific coast of Peru to begin. I have your name or contact information, only the site: http://www.paraelmundo.org. I used the contact e-mail to the website to try to find this pair and ask for an interview.
I got a reply back, and metDanielle Lafond, the female member of the couple and co-creator of the project in a restaurant in Toronto's Greektown and was beaten by his youthful energy, idealism and commitment to improving this world. The decision to bring their own financial risk and invest at least a year of his life in this Peruvian community had a strong influence on me and I am delighted to be present to you this beautiful young woman in a position: Danielle Lafond.
First Please tell us about yourself where you arefrom, what is your educational background?
I am in my twenty-four years and I have only studied social work at Ryerson University. Before that I studied music and worked and traveled for several years as a tour guide in Canada.
According She has a very strong social conscience. What experiences have shaped your belief system life?
As a black woman, I was always aware, the issues of racism and sexism, but I have always been politically active after the moveToronto and connection with others, has had similar experiences. I also had many personal struggles in my youth, my desire to help others interested.
Third If you are young you were hitchhiking across Canada. Please tell us this trip and what you learned.
I left high school to travel when I was 16. My journey took me most of the country, and I met many interesting people, leading a life very interesting was, what their living conditions in non-traditional ways. Itencouraged me to follow my dream of a life, not just a living. Also, my faith in humanity, in people, completely renovated. I met many people from many walks of life, and almost all were willing to share, to laugh, talk and open their hearts and homes to me. The
The experience showed me the feeling that all people share an essential quality.
Some time ago quarter went to Cuba and has taught ESL classes in exchange for room and board. Please tell usExperience.
Some years ago I went to Cuba without plans and very little understanding of the socio-political situation in Cuba For me it was just another island in the Caribbean. I knew I wanted to do something that usually is not tourist-oriented, so I landed at the University of Havana in the summer months, where I worked very hard to work with someone there to give me space and food stamps in exchange for English lessons a few hours a day. I have $ 500 dollars in the bank, and a returnTicket and I
could last a few months in this way. It 'was an incredibly humbling experience, "Because I saw how people live outside of North America, seen, and I was able to meet and learn from Cuban people. I learned a bit 'in Spanish, and fell in love with Afro-Cuban music and Latin. I had been a musician my whole life, but this trip showed me how music can be used to connect with people on the tongue
and cultural barriers.
Fifth Through your studies in Social Workat Ryerson University, spent some time in Peru, the completion of accommodation for your degree requirements. Where are you and what are you doing there? Which places you must travel in Peru and what have you learned about the culture?
When my third year placement, I decided I wanted to do another international experience and travel plans to travel with a close friend. I knew the experience would be to do social work in South America and emotionally challenging to try, so I wasglad that my friend has agreed to do it together. We spent the first part of our time in the country on the road, Josh, along with my partner. The three of us from the diversity of the country were impressed.
We started in Lima, a city with over 11 million people, with different neighborhoods and cultural practices, then to Arequipa and Cusco, Machu Picchu, Puno and Lake Titicaca, which went completely all cultural groups, languages and foods. Many of the people we met were indigenousPeruvians speak various dialects of Quechua language. Many of them do not speak Spanish at all. The more we drove, the more I was in awe the strength, resilience and resourcefulness of
People who have taken the fight for several hundred years, but also rich in cultural traditions, food, music, art, history and languages.
This sixth time in South America convinced him to stay involved in a more sustainable level with the people of Peru. In particular, youa sort of fishing village called Mancora. Please tell us how you liked the idea, a non-profit organization to establish international development.
After our trip, my friend and I landed in a small fishing village in northern Peru, 19 hours north of Lima, by bus, and about an hour south of the border in Ecuador. Once again we were surprised to see another part of Peru so different from anything we had seen. Mancora is a desert climate is very dry and sunny, andCity has little infrastructure. Many people have no running water, and most who have only a few hours every other day or so. The camera unexpectedly, and be sure to clean water is not available or accessible. There were no social services and very limited access to medical care, unless they could afford to pay.
The branch of a city, once thriving fishing industry is rapidly changing to a branch of tourism. A major El Nino in 1989 caused muchMourning for the city that had been isolated for 15 days, but also created a beautiful beach, which is now popular with surfers all year round.
As students of social work, we worked mainly with women in the community, and we met an incredible couple who had a small organization (NGO non-governmental started looking for non-profit) and help the people of the community in various ways. My friend and I spent the rest of our time in Peru, lives and works with them, work and, What were the most urgent research needs of the community. What we found was from Mancorians interviews
people of the city were affected by the lack of affordable and accessible health care, unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse and domestic violence.
When I returned from my trip, I started discussions with my partner, Josh, a paramedic in Toronto, and a few close friends to start non-profit organization in Canada to help with community servicein Peru. The most important thing was to be able to provide assistance to the people Mancora, as he felt was right for me, and not impose my ideals. The people we worked with last year seemed deeply convinced that having affordable health care was an urgent need in their community, here is focusing most of our energies and resources for our projects in the first year.
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