By Benjamin Vuilleminroy
MiraVe was created in October 2020 in Virginia, USA, in honor of Jesus Martinez Vda. De Castillo (1934-2020), a dear friend, mother, and grandmother of our organization's creators. Since the beginning, MiraVe had a clear view of its main mission: to improve the education, health, and quality of life of underprivileged people who need it most.
We had the will, the team, and now we were seeking those whom we could help.
In the world of nonprofit organizations, collaboration is key to achieving common goals and making a meaningful impact on society. In 2020, we had the chance to meet Federico Cardona in Lima, Peru, who was the acting director of Casa Vida Group Home at the time, and he shared his vision and daily work, which was truly inspiring and guided our questions about whom we could help.
This shelter was founded in 2012 by a Spanish missionary, Father Eugenio García Juliá, in Peru and named Casa Vida. He detected the need to help many children and adults who are alone and in situations of vulnerability and abandonment.
Casa Vida, translated as "Life House," is a home that welcomes children, adolescents, people with disabilities, and the elderly in vulnerable situations and at risk of social exclusion. Through the work of educators, they try to make the lives of those we welcome in a suitable family environment more pleasant, giving them a better quality of life.
Our common goal of helping children was set, and it was clear that we could achieve more by working together than by working independently, thanks to our resources. Our collaboration began with a meeting between the leaders of the two organizations. We discussed our respective missions and ideas and identified what could be done together.
Our cooperation led to significant improvements in their quality of life in 2021 and 2022:
Rebuilt the kitchen
Worked with a professional nutritionist to set the perfect meal plan
Provided varied and healthy food every week from local distributors
Provided laptops, tablets, and internet
The partnership has been a success on many levels, and more importantly, our collaboration between MiraVe and Casa Vida was a great example of how two nonprofits with different specializations but similar missions can work together towards a common goal. By pooling our resources and expertise, we were able to achieve more than we could have done independently. MiraVe also learned a lot as an organization from this experience with Casa Vida, and we remain grateful to have had the opportunity to partner with such a longstanding and respected organization in the Pachacamac community.
Casa Vida continues to grow and develop new and exciting programs and services for its residents as they kick off 2023. Now led by Father Eugenio and Luis Alejandro Escudero, we look forward to seeing their home grow and continue to change the lives of many young boys in Pachacamac, Peru.
SO, WHAT CAN YOU DO?
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We are humans in need of each other. Let’s be better humans every day.
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