Why I volunteer for Unamonos

My story with the Unamonos Association, a non-profit located in the south of Peru, in the city of Arequipa, started even before I was born. Neither me nor my siblings know life without talking about disability. To understand why it is important for me to stay involved with this non-profit, you have to know the story behind its creation:

My oldest sister, Claudia, was born healthy in 1972 in Lima, Peru, when our parents were only 25 years old. However, a few weeks after she was born, my mother noticed that she was not moving normally and was losing strength in her neck. When she went to the doctor, he told her that “it was nothing, just the nerves of a first-time mother” and sent her home again. But the problems continued and when she went to other doctors, they discovered that my sister, like other babies born in the same hospital, had been infected by staphylococcus. Unfortunately, since it was not detected in time, the meningitis had advanced, causing a series of serious and irreversible damages to Claudia’s brain. They even indicated that she would only live a few years.

When Claudia was almost 2 years old, our parents decided to move to Arequipa, where my grandparents lived and where her care would be simpler. What they didn't think was that Claudia's presence would inspire so much.

Even though Arequipa is one of the largest cities in Peru, my grandparents, along with a group of relatives and friends, noticed that there were almost no services for children with mental disabilities. They knew that there was already a group of women who supported children with mental disabilities from low-income families in a hospital. Inspired by Claudia and other children with disabilities, they decided to join forces. Thus, they officially created a non-profit special education school where these children (and their families) could receive the care they needed. In 1974, the Asociación Unámonos was born, which to this day serves children and adolescents with different mental or cognitive disabilities.

“Our sister had many difficulties: comas, seizures, difficulties communicating, among others, but Claudia’s story taught us a lot about resilience and transformation, changing our lives and the lives of many children and families in southern Peru.”

Just as our sister Claudia exceeded all expectations - living to 51 when her life expectancy was very short, surviving periods in a coma, recurrent seizures, and learning to walk and eat, even though doctors thought she would never be able to do so - the Unámonos Association has also survived and transformed itself in amazing ways over all these years.

Sometimes we wonder how Claudia would have been like without that injury… What would the family dynamic have been like? But we have realized that Claudia and the weight of what her injury meant for our parents and the entire family taught us many things: that strong relationships can be simple, that there are many ways to communicate love, that a loving look is sometimes all that is needed. Her presence and the countless challenges activated a capacity for mutual support in our family, turned us into a highly resilient team, highlighted human courage, full trust, and each in their own way, unconditional love.

Just as our family was transformed by Claudia, the community in Arequipa was transformed by Unamonos. An incredible support network was activated, which began with the family and spread like a wave to friends, colleagues, and the community. Unknowingly and in silence, Claudia's life drew a cord of love that cannot be broken. Today, the Asociación Unamonos school continues to provide educational services to children and adolescents, but complementary services have also been created: early stimulation for babies, guidance for families, activities in the city to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities; as well as labor inclusion programs, which allow young people who have finished their studies to work in different organizations - from restaurants to factories, offices, and manufacturing workshops. In addition, it is the only organization in southern Peru with a band made up 100% of children with mental disabilities.

Over the years, Unámonos has changed the lives of more than 4,000 babies, children and young people, and their families, so that they can develop their skills, find opportunities and feel part of a community. And it has done so by helping mainly low-income families, providing free or low-cost services.

Claudia died at the age of 51 in 2022 and we feel that Unámonos honors her life. Her memory and life continue to remind us that love is unconditional, that even when we cannot communicate verbally, we can understand each other, that we may be different, but we can be united by our humanity. When we arrive at the association, we not only remember that Claudia inspired its creation and attended the school, but we are surprised by how this work that she sowed has spread to other families.

What is my role at Unamonos nowadays…

Geography is an issue. I live in the United States, Unamonos is located in Arequipa, Peru (South America). I, unfortunately can’t be in person often for hand-on events or volunteer work, but technology is awesome, so I am now supporting Unamonos through the Board of Directors. We meet once a month online. Because Unamonos is a non-profit organization, working mostly with low-income families, our goal is to make it sustainable, trying to diversify donations, creating fundraising and awareness events, and involving the business community.