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Joining hearts to save lives: MagIcaPeru alongside our brave firefighters.
MagIcaPeru started with a phone call from Jose Luis of Ica Peru who called me to see if I could get him a used fireman pair of pants he had found online in the Toronto and Edmonton area.
Not knowing I had moved to Nova Scotia with my best friend Jeremy for personal and medical reasons told Jose Luis the pants he had found didn’t look that great and were expensive at $ 300
This is when I learned in Peru the fire department gets very little or no help from the government. In Ica the firemen and woman are all proud to serve their community the best they can with what they have.
With much disbelief learned they all have to buy their own gear with their volunteer salary. All need a job to survive whith their very low salary that average about 1300 soles per month.
The lucky ones can make 2-3000 soles per month to support their families. Like many countries in the world the children become vendors on the street by selling different items they bought in bundles and sell as individuals gums.
I have bought small bags of peanuts they buy in larger quantity and sell as small individual bags, small bags of gum. I even bought black garbage bags sold individually.
The people here are very friendly and acceptin of their situations. On average one will have 2 or 3 jobs to survive and work from 5-6am and finish at 9-10pm. Most work 12 hours and up 7 days a week to earn their small keep.
For them it is a way of life from the time they get up until they go to sleep at night. This is the way of life for too many.
With Jose Luis’s brief history of Peru knew I had to help him
This is when my nephew Michel came to mind. He was an army medic who was now a paramedic in Mont Laurier Quebec.
To call Michel was game changer. Michel had many contacts in fire department of Mont-Laurier region and within a week Michel had managed to find 4 fireman jacket, pants and boots.
At the time of Jose Luis’s call to me in March 2023 for a much needed assistance, I was in the process of selling the house Jeremy and I was going to call home.
Sadly, Jeremy had passed away 60 days after our move to Nova Scotia and as any other human being who lose their best friend was devasted and shocked of his early passing.
It left a great void and changed my life in a way I could never ever have imagined. Jeremy was a kind and loving soul with a big heart.
In my grief and for my sanity needed to leave the historical house we called home for a short period of time. Jeremy and I shared 20 great years together. To honor Jeremy made the decision to donate his share to people who were not as fortunate as we have been.
I had already travelled to Peru in February 2023, a month before Jose Luis call for help. My trip to Peru in February was an eye opener for me to see a part of the world I had never been and fell in love with instantly.
On that trip, I was just enjoying my time off from work and getting to know Ica a bit more and decided at that time that this was going to be my new home. In my solitude knew this was the therapy I needed.
Moving to a new country I knew nothing about except for a few visitor’s destionation like Machu Pichu and the Nazca lines of which I haven’t seen yet.
February unlike Canada Ica was very hot and I love it. I also witnessed poverty like in many countries I have visited but here was different I felt like I was home.
This is when the decision was made that I would make this dream a reality by moving to Peru with my dogs that meant everything to me.
With Michel’s contacts and many friends were able to acquire 14 firemen uniforms with boots and was most anxious and very proud to be able to deliver them in person to the people who needed them the most.
The equipment was a generous donation from the Mont Laurier region. the donation came from retired firemen and from a local fire station where Michel lived.
The gracious donations from a few was handed over to chief of fire Station 22 who is responsible for then entire region of Ica. It was accepted with tears and joy. Many fireman had 0 equipment since unable to purchase any with their volunteer salary.
The donated fire equipment was going to be discarted as trash in Canada. In Canada some provinces replace all the equipment every 10 years due to wear and tear and other provinces are replaced every 5 years.
Here in Ica, the donated equipment will last the life time of the fireman or firewoman who graciously accepted it with humility and much gratitude to the donor.
Michel being a paramedic in Canada today and having experience the war in Yugoslavia in the 90’s was also able to demonstrate army technics he had learned threw his lifetime about quick evacuation and many more life threatening situations when fire strikes was a blessing to many who were able to be present.
With Michel’s life saving skills and contacts knew that we could make a difference.
Founder & Head of MagIcaPeru
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Joining hearts to save lives: MagIcaPeru alongside our brave firefighters…
Founder & Head of MagIcaPeru
Solidarity
Every small action counts and your solidarity can make a big difference in someone's life.
Social Justice
Ica, many people struggle to survive we want to make sure they have access to resources and opportunities.
Respectful
In all our projects we guarantee absolute respect for the population of Ica, its Culture and traditions.
Collaborative
MagIcaPeru and firefighters unite for a safer, supported community and the children of ica.
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