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International clown volunteers arrive in August for the yearly Belen Festival, a community development project in an impovershed district in Iquitos, Peru.


By John Glick
Director, Gesundheit Global Outreach

The 5th Annual Belen Festival in Iquitos, Peru will be celebrated Aug 4-14, 2010 as 100 clowns from around the world join the people of Belen and local organizations to promote health and happiness through art, play, healthcare, education and collaborative volunteer work.

Belen, population 60,000, is a low income district in the city of Iquitos, Peru in the heart of the Amazon rain forest. Pueblo Libre, the section of Belen closest to the Itaya River, is home for 14,000 people, whose houses either float or are built on stilts, an adaptation to seasonal flooding when the river rises six meters December to April. People living there lack sanitation and  access to clean water. The people of Belen suffer from extreme social violence, crime, alcoholism, illiteracy, lack of jobs, and a variety of health problems. It is a visually beautiful place, and has been referred to as “the Venice of Latin America,” but  because of its social problems, is described by public health officials as “the hell of Peru.”
 
Dr. Patch Adams, founder and director of Gesundheit! Institute and Wendy Ramos, founder and director of Lima-based Bolaroja Clown Doctors, led a group of clowns visiting Iquitos hospitals in 2006. While clowning in the streets of Belen — against the advice of local tour leaders — they were moved by the poverty and the joyful welcome they received. Adams and Ramos pledged to return, and during a community meeting the following year with Belen citizens, Gesundheit and Bolaroja  pledged to bring clowns back once a year to paint every house in Pueblo Libre. Thus the Belen Project was born.

2010 will be the fifth consecutive year in which the clowns — a mix of volunteer teachers, students, doctors, nurses, artists, lawyers, psychologists, painters, dancers, film-makers, executives and more — and the local community will join forces in an effort that has been growing year by year and is now known as the Belen Festival.
 
Over 500 homes have been painted in previous years and another 160 houses on Calle Iquitos, Calle Los Rosales, and Calle Orellana will be painted during this year’s festival. As in years past, other activities include: visits to hospitals, shelters, mental health centers and schools for children with disabilities; free workshops for hundreds of children in theater, dance, percussion, puppetry, and recycled art; mural painting with the help of local youth; a huge talent show, and parades beginning and ending the festival.
 
Through a grant and private donations, Gesundheit Institute funded the purchase of a site in the center of Pueblo Libre for the construction of Belen’s first Community Center. This will serve as a model of safe housing construction and a venue for actively promoting the social development of Belen. This year local and regional architects will meet with Belen citizens to design the structure and function of the center, such that it reflects the needs and dreams of Belen citizens.



Over time, as the children develop creativity skills and positive self esteem, as a planned library opens its doors, as people take pride in the beauty of their community, as the Community Center becomes a resource for community activism, and as new leaders emerge from the community of Belen, the difficult problems facing Belen will be tackled by a new generation of citizens, who can dream and think and act outside the box.

The festival and work of the resulting Belen Network (see more information below) is becoming increasingly comprehensive and provide much needed support for the health, education and welfare of Belen’s people. Yet the fundamental action since the beginning of this project is the volunteer clown, whether as a teacher, painter, doctor, dancer, musician, or organizer. Says Patch Adams, “Clowning is one way to get love close.” Work and play merge during the festival, and is motivated by an intention of loving kindness. Happiness, a direct result of play, is contagious, and in Belen has galvanized a marked increase in social participation among Belen residents year by year, along with a palpably positive spirit of community service and hope for the future.



More information

The Belen Project has gradually expanded into a wider network, called Red por Belen, the Belen Network. The logistic support and guidance of the Pan American Health Organization, now includes the District City Hall of Belen, local and regional governments, the Regional Health Bureau (DIRESA), Pregnancy Education United Services of Peru (UGEL), The Wawa Wasi Program- Ministry of Women and Social Development (MIMDES), Municipal Defense of Child and Adolescents (DEMUNA), churches, and nongovernmental organizations such as La Restinga, La Canoa, Selva Amazónica, Doctors for Orphans, and Amazon Promise, as well as grassroots organizations such as community kitchens, Vaso de Leche (Glass of Milk), and the neighborhood civic associations of Pueblo Libre.  These organizations will provide a variety of comprehensive services including health care, literacy and microcredit initiatives, nutrition, pregnancy and HIV education,family violence prevention, and much more.

The Belen Project has enjoyed  the collaboration and support of the Ministry of Health of Peru, University of Peru Cayetano Heredia Medical School, the Army and Navy of Peru, and the Peruvian Air Force.


Contact:
On the U.S. end, visit patchadams.org, or email John Glick MD, Director, Gesundheit Global Outreach: jawkneemail@comcast.net
On the the Peru end, visit bolaroja.net.

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1 Comments

# Sonia Mey says :
27 July, 2010 [ 08:11 ]

 Congratulations to every single human being involved in this caring and giving initiative ... for the people of Belen!

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