A new Military contingent from Peru has been assisting the civilian population of Haiti’s capital since January 21. This is the 24th Military contingent that Peru has sent to the Caribbean nation since 2004 as part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
A new Peruvian Military contingent has been assisting the civilian population of Port-au-Prince, Haiti since January 21 as part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Peru Company, as the contingent is officially called, operates out of Camp Charlie in Port-au-Prince. Most of the service members are based in that camp, but Peru also has a base on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A total of 216 Troops make up the new contingent, including 110 from the Army, 65 from the Navy, and 41 from the Air Force. They join the 150 Peruvian Troops who were already helping to improve public safety in the Haitian capital.
The Andean nation has participated in the peace and security efforts on the island — conducted by UN peacekeepers in distinctive blue helmets — without interruption for more than a decade, and the latest contingent marks the 24th it has sent as part of the MINUSTAH peacekeeping effort.
“We are always ready to go out into the streets to provide deterrent security by controlling disturbances, and we also conduct routine patrols in our area of responsibility,” said Peruvian Army Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Peña Murillo, commander of the Peruvian Infantry Company in Haiti.
Building relationships with the community
Security is one of the primary tasks of the Peruvian contingent, but the service members also help the civilian population of Haiti in other ways.
“Civic actions are focused on persons with health problems; we have medical personnel working on that effort, but we are particularly committed to the children, for whom we provide not only physicians and dentists, but also an art show,” according to the Commander.
The 60-to-90-minute-long show consists of a variety of games, dances, songs, and a special appearance by a clown.
“We bring a little bit of happiness to the Haitian children, in addition to medical and dental treatments. We also donate clothes and food, and we even provide haircuts. We try to make these civic actions frequent, at least once a week,” Lt. Col. Peña said.
The contingent also helps children by providing humanitarian assistance to Haitian schools. For instance, Lt. Col. Peña cited the precarious situation of the Republic of Peru High School, which was built in 2009 with the help of the Andean country and was hard hit by the devastating 2010 earthquake.
“Today, it does not have water, sewage, electricity, or toilets. There are no blackboards, and five or six children must share the two-person seats,” he said.
Peru Company is looking for support for its goal of helping the school.
“Everything we could ever possibly give them will be too little to cover the people’s needs, especially the children’s,” Lt. Col. Peña added. “We therefore appeal to solidarity, and if we can channel some extra help for them through our Company, they would be eternally grateful.”
Peru’s female service members make a strong showing
In these efforts, the women of Peru Company’s Troops have made key contributions.
“Our Company has 20 female Sergeants and four Officers, including an Air Force physician, Peruvian Air Force Major Flor de Mercedes Vento Calero. They perform the same work as the male service members; some are administrative and others, because of their specialties, also participate in a patrol or force. And they have passed the same training as the male personnel.”
One such service member, First Lieutenant Gilary Borrero García, is in charge of internal and external communications for the Peruvian contingent in Haiti. She said she felt satisfied and privileged to be part of the humanitarian and security work performed.
“We are an example of the empowerment of women in the Armed Forces. In the months we have been here, we have performed our work efficiently, which is much appreciated by the Haitian people and also by the Force Commander, who is very confident in us, and therefore we always participate in joint operations with companies from neighboring countries here in Haiti.”
A new Peruvian Military contingent has been assisting the civilian population of Port-au-Prince, Haiti since January 21 as part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
Peru Company, as the contingent is officially called, operates out of Camp Charlie in Port-au-Prince. Most of the service members are based in that camp, but Peru also has a base on the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A total of 216 Troops make up the new contingent, including 110 from the Army, 65 from the Navy, and 41 from the Air Force. They join the 150 Peruvian Troops who were already helping to improve public safety in the Haitian capital.
The Andean nation has participated in the peace and security efforts on the island — conducted by UN peacekeepers in distinctive blue helmets — without interruption for more than a decade, and the latest contingent marks the 24th it has sent as part of the MINUSTAH peacekeeping effort.
“We are always ready to go out into the streets to provide deterrent security by controlling disturbances, and we also conduct routine patrols in our area of responsibility,” said Peruvian Army Lieutenant Colonel Fernando Peña Murillo, commander of the Peruvian Infantry Company in Haiti.
Building relationships with the community
Security is one of the primary tasks of the Peruvian contingent, but the service members also help the civilian population of Haiti in other ways.
“Civic actions are focused on persons with health problems; we have medical personnel working on that effort, but we are particularly committed to the children, for whom we provide not only physicians and dentists, but also an art show,” according to the Commander.
The 60-to-90-minute-long show consists of a variety of games, dances, songs, and a special appearance by a clown.
“We bring a little bit of happiness to the Haitian children, in addition to medical and dental treatments. We also donate clothes and food, and we even provide haircuts. We try to make these civic actions frequent, at least once a week,” Lt. Col. Peña said.
The contingent also helps children by providing humanitarian assistance to Haitian schools. For instance, Lt. Col. Peña cited the precarious situation of the Republic of Peru High School, which was built in 2009 with the help of the Andean country and was hard hit by the devastating 2010 earthquake.
“Today, it does not have water, sewage, electricity, or toilets. There are no blackboards, and five or six children must share the two-person seats,” he said.
Peru Company is looking for support for its goal of helping the school.
“Everything we could ever possibly give them will be too little to cover the people’s needs, especially the children’s,” Lt. Col. Peña added. “We therefore appeal to solidarity, and if we can channel some extra help for them through our Company, they would be eternally grateful.”
Peru’s female service members make a strong showing
In these efforts, the women of Peru Company’s Troops have made key contributions.
“Our Company has 20 female Sergeants and four Officers, including an Air Force physician, Peruvian Air Force Major Flor de Mercedes Vento Calero. They perform the same work as the male service members; some are administrative and others, because of their specialties, also participate in a patrol or force. And they have passed the same training as the male personnel.”
One such service member, First Lieutenant Gilary Borrero García, is in charge of internal and external communications for the Peruvian contingent in Haiti. She said she felt satisfied and privileged to be part of the humanitarian and security work performed.
“We are an example of the empowerment of women in the Armed Forces. In the months we have been here, we have performed our work efficiently, which is much appreciated by the Haitian people and also by the Force Commander, who is very confident in us, and therefore we always participate in joint operations with companies from neighboring countries here in Haiti.”
Peruvian pride needs to be all over the world through positive action showing that we are able to move forward with culture, skill and humility PERU’S ARMED FORCES ARE ABLE TO CARRY OUT ALL KINDS OF MISSIONS, AND THE PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD EXPAND THEIR ENGAGEMENT INTO MORE COUNTRIES, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE PUBLICATION.