By Marco Paulini and Nelson Peñaherrera
A year ago, we have summoned by One Billion Raising - Peru campaign to coordinate its activities in Piura state, Peru. We didn’t have many references but information available on the media and, at the most, we were able to contribute our proffessional and personal experience related to gender violence and linked issues.
Also, what brought us was the conviction that it is actually possible to produce possitive changes from our role as citizens without a particular charge.
Twelve months of work later, we cannot say we have reached the objective we had assigned ourselves yet but we really have given the first steps for more people to join and bet for an effort that is sustainable, coordinated and based on verifiable indexes before our community and whoever wants us to be accountable for what we have done.
Definetly, two guys fighting to end violence against women and girls can make a difference but not change the history, unless more people and more people have the same conviction, trust their talents, put away their personal and institutional agendas, and decide to join a kind of legion focused on defeating violence once and for all.
Our only weapons, if we can call them weapons, are our conviction, knowledge, research, listening capability, the skill to detect needs, congeniality, affection, democracy and consciousness. We are all human beings, not percentajes or numbers.
In simple words, we wish to live in a better world.
We want to change every mind, heart and soul, one after another, opening them to new concepts of masculinity and to feminism, achieving equality, for it ultimately leads to better lives, no doubt.
This could all be about who began it, but the critically important thing is who and how is this revolution going to continue growing. Because this seed we have helped to seed has to grow up strong, give fruit and spread as the wind spreads thousand of other little seeds which later turn into beautiful forests.
And there is where we need you. Do you want to join this wonderful revolution?
Thanks Mónica Sánchez, Jason Day and the whole national direction team for the opportunity. And one billion thanks to every member of Sullana and Ignacio escudero Local Action Circles for your time, availability, effort, conviction and friendship.
Thanks also to all the people and organizations who have, throughout this year, helped us in this effort.
Thanks a lot and a special hug to Flora Córdova de Talledo, Ocho de Diciembre, José Matías Manzanilla, José Cardó, Carlos Augusto salaverry, José eusebio Merino y Vinces, Amauta and Santa Sofía high-schools for being part of the change. We hope what we shared with you will be applied to your lives, hopefully improving them.
Finally, to you who believe and want to join this revolution of love, our doors are open to you if you want to make possible the world we ever have dreamed of.
Will you join us?
