Transcription
Post, share your experiences.
"Your actions of Peace."
"Daily actions that benefit others."
"People working in favor of Peace."
"Leave your Trace of Peace"
"Recognizing Heroes of Peace."
What is your legacy?
"I propose Projects of Peace."
All of us as Activists for Peace
Traces for Peace
www.embajadadeactivistasporlapaz.com/en
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What do a prominent Ecuadorian scientist about to discover the cure for cancer, a teacher who treks across the mountains of Colombia riding two donkeys, and a medical surgeon who helps special needs children in Bolivia have in common?
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"Look at the sadness."
This scientist has spent his life doing genetic and endocrinology studies, as well as treating and helping his patients for over 28 years, but most of all, he has spent it searching for a treatment for a disease that stunts growth, found within a group of families who have lived in the mountains of southern Ecuador since ancient times.
—Dr. Jaime Guevara Aguirre, Surgeon and Medical Researcher, Ecuador—
"Laron Syndrome involves a mutation, a genetic disorder in the receptor. The growth hormone is intact; it reaches the receptor, but in the receptor it is damaged, so it cannot attach itself and therefore people fail to grow."
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There are over 300 patients worldwide, one-third of whom have been diagnosed by Dr. Guevara.
—Dr. Jaime Guevara Aguirre, Surgeon and Medical Researcher, Ecuador—
"For decades, for hundreds of years. We’ve only had decent roads to Loja for the past six, seven years. And so as a result, those people had no choice but to stay put in their villages, which obviously means that there were more marriages between family members."
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He discovered that, despite their size, they never suffered from cancer or diabetes. His research has been published in seven thousand media outlets and scientific journals around the world, explaining how we could be just a few steps away from discovering a cure for these diseases.
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—Dr. Jaime Guevara Aguirre, Surgeon and Medical Researcher, Ecuador—
"The entire world, governments, pharmaceutical companies, doctors, all of us are indebted to them because they are helping us learn a great deal about diabetes and cancer, and there still isn’t a way to help them."
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This picturesque and magical person began as a teacher in La Gloria, a remote village in the Department of Magdalena in northern Colombia.
—Luis Soriano, Teacher, Colombia—
"I started working as a teacher at 16 years old, as an educator; and well, it was a difficult time because first I taught the parents to read, and then teaching the children wasn’t easy."
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A process that became even more difficult when he was hard on himself for not being able to get the children to do their school work.
—Luis Soriano, Teacher, Colombia—
"I would beat myself up as a teacher: "I'm doing a bad job; I'm a bad educator; I'm a bad teacher," I would say, I would repeat that to myself. So then I went to their homes and I discovered that they had no books, and the few that they had were in bad condition."
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He then decided to fight against the issue of the lack of books in these children’s lives, mounted on a pair of donkeys laden with books. A task he has been doing since 1997, which turned him into a superhero in the flesh, bringing joy and education to children, and teaching them to dream.
—Luis Soriano, Teacher, Colombia—
"The first time I loaded the donkeys, I loaded them up with books, and I went deep into the mountains. I remember arriving at places: "Hi! Hello!" And everyone would say: "Hey, are you crazy?" And on my way out of the houses, I’d leave with the donkeys loaded down with books: "Have you gone crazy? The carnivals are over already!" they’d shout at me."
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Luis Soriano is widely known as the “Donkey-librarian”. His noble work has already resulted in many more people spreading the wonderful world of books.
—Luis Soriano, Teacher, Colombia—
"The indigenous peoples, the Arawak, Kogi, Arsario, Wiwa, who are also Donkey-Librarians, between all of us, we have 22 donkeys. We have to visit families, take books to them, read aloud to them, read together as a family. This is about three thousand people per month."
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—Vanessa Gómez. Physician and Surgeon. Bolivia—
"My name is Vanessa Gómez. I am a surgeon by profession. Six years ago, life blessed me with a child with Down Syndrome."
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Our third stop is Bolivia, where this surgeon exchanged part of her medical profession for a rewarding new vocation.
—Vanessa Gómez. Physician and Surgeon. Bolivia—
"I’ve been a volunteer for five years now, teaching them various things: art, dance, theater, and providing medical support to children who have no resources, seeking international aid so that they can get the surgery or operation they need."
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But she doesn’t just help special needs children; she also supports parents who, like her, are looking for answers.
—Vanessa Gómez. Physician and Surgeon. Bolivia—
"My motto is a verse from the Bible that says: "Love thy neighbor as thyself." I think that's what inspires me the most about being a part of this foundation, and seeing my son reflected in each of those children."
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This new life has shown her a different way of thinking about her purpose in life.
—Vanessa Gómez. Physician and Surgeon. Bolivia—
"I changed the question, “Why me?” into: “For what purpose did it happen to me?” And I know my son was born for a purpose, a divine purpose, which is how I came to work here in this foundation."
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The life and mission of these three people come together in the legacy and trace they leave, impacting those around them every day, by giving the best of themselves through their daily actions.
That is the reason why the Global Embassy of Activists for Peace launched this new campaign: "Traces for Peace," as a tribute to these unsung heroes who change lives and inspire others with their stories.
You can participate by nominating any outstanding Activist you know. Visit:
www.embajadadeactivistasporlapaz.com/en
or our Facebook page:
Global Embassy of Activists for Peace
Those with the most votes will be nominated to have their stories recorded and shared with the world.
Participate in the activities featured on our pages, and become an Activist for Peace, too!
The objectives of this campaign are to raise awareness and promote positive actions, creativity and the use of cultural resources and social networking sites to inspire actions of peace, so that you can also leave your trace for peace.
Traces for Peace