Since it was created in 1960, one of the major tasks undertaken by the Wiese Foundation is the support to the development of education and health benefiting those in need. Thus, building a welfare center for families in need was a project —and a dream— long awaited. After thorough analysis and studies in order to secure its feasibility, the district of Puente Piedra in the northern area of Lima was chosen to establish the Wiese Solidarity Center (CSW, in Spanish). This area has serious shortages of sanitation services and quality of education, therefore this community center would have a greater impact.

Inaugurated in 2008, the CSW was created with the objective of assisting the needs of the poorest families in Puente Piedra, in essential areas for the enhancement of the quality of life. Medical assistance, family counseling and education are the main areas on which this community center works. Its management has been appointed to the Christian association Solidaridad en Marcha [Solidarity on the Run]. This way, a private institution and a religious one work together for the benefit of the community.

The studies carried out before the construction of the CSW showed that an important part of the population of Puente Piedra cannot access sanitation and educative services of satisfactory quality. The most frequent problems mentioned by the interviewees were the high costs of the facilities, the distance and the poor service provided. In order to deal with these shortages, the Wiese Foundation thought of the need for a community center which would gather the main services of social welfare, and provide them at low costs by trained professionals with a sense of duty. The study was also useful to define exactly where the center should be established, in order to prevent users from wasting much time or walking long distances to arrive.

Areas of assistance
The main task performed by those working in this state-of-the-art community center is linked to sanitation assistance. Physicians of General Medicine are in charge of basic respiratory and digestive problems, but are also ready to see other medical specialties. A surgery room will soon be installed. This way, physicians, technicians, and nurses will be able to see all the health needs of the population in this area.

The medical specialties are the following: General Medicine, Gynecology, Pediatrics, Odontology, Physical Therapy, Language Therapy, Learning Therapy, Psychological Prophylaxis, Obstetrics, Ophthalmology, Clinical Lab, Ultrasound Scanning, Pharmacy, and Psychology.

The CSW also provides family counseling, for this is one of the needs of the community in Puente Piedra: to have someone who listens to them and to give them advice on their day-to-day situations. This is why the CSW is providing them with a special area of Family Orientation and another one of Growth and Development.

Education is also covered by the CSW, because education, from early education to job training is essential to the quality of life of these families. And since sports is linked to spiritual and cognitive education, sports and recreacional workshops are given to small children —such as karate, cooking, football, dance and handicraft courses.

Contact
Wiese Solidarity Center
Panamericana Norte Km. 36, Puente Piedra, Lima - Perú
Director: Dr. Carlos E. Contreras Ríos
(511) 550 1549
csw@solidaridadenmarcha.org

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