My wall is covered with drawings and pictures made by the children. I am proud of their creativity and it makes me smile to have those in front of me. I have a poster that says "No Te Rindas" which means 'Don't Give Up'. It is a reminder that, had I packed up and gone home after my first experience with an NGO upon my arrival to Peru, that was, by many accounts, corrupt, none of the successes that Changes for New Hope experienced would have been realized. Tenacity, shining in the face of all adversity is what makes average men, great men. I have a map of Ancash, the department of Peru where we are, and highlighted in yellow marker, where we want to be established in the near future. I am never more than arm's reach of a pen and paper to jot down ideas which come to me by our dedicated volunteers or that buzz about in my own head. There are several lists I have written, ideas, plans, people that I want to talk to, sponsors to thank, and solutions to adversities that will be soon neutralized.
Sitting side by side at the front of my desk are a small pair of baby shoes and a spent tear gas cannister that was fired by the police at a rioting crowd during the December 2010 protest strikes. In glaring contrast to each other, I wonder if the child who will wear these shoes will grow up in a society that believes that violence is the response to anything objectionable, or will those of us who believe in peaceful change somehow instill a more intelligent way to bring about change.
The clock is ticking and I do not have more than a few years to create something positive in these young minds. Then it is social pressures that will have their turn. The absolute value of education, values and concepts and a creativity to make a better life for themselves and each other must be available so that the regression into violence, hostility and "the evil that men do" is not their sole option. Small mementos sitting on my desk represent the passion of Jim Killon and the future of Changes for New Hope.