I am Gloria Chávez, I am the president of the ASOLEU Association, which is in charge of supporting children with leukemia at the Hospital Materno Infantil de San Lorenzo, which is a state hospital that we support.
Gloria: I am convinced that God puts at the end in the place we should be, because from a very young age he always brought me the issue of solidarity, that of helping who at that time I saw weaker as a child, you can imagine how weak it was the other person. From there my taste was born and I always told myself that when I grew up I wanted to have a foundation, an organization where I could help the most needy people, but I never imagined that they would invite me when I grew up to be part of a foundation to help children and much more to children with cancer who are a very needy, very needy and very underprivileged sector in our country.
I am Gloria Chávez, I am the president of the ASOLEU Association, which is responsible for supporting children with leukemia at the San Lorenzo Maternal and Child Hospital, which is a state hospital that we support because, as I had said, the lack of resources Here and protection from the government is little to nothing, so without the help of the foundations I think we are sure that our children, at least those who are in this hospital, would not have any possibility of having a dignified treatment as they deserve and the death rate would be very low, which has not happened for many years. ASOLEU has been working until 26 years ago, we started from a very young age with a group of friends of friends who decided to give at least spiritual assistance to the mothers of these children who were admitted to the hospital, and that’s how it came about; bringing dinners, bringing priests to give them masses, suffering a little with them or many with them, especially to mothers who did not have enough money to buy medicine, because here the medicine is practically not possible to be provided by the government, it is negligible the amount that they provide, so it was to share the cry of a mother that the next day her son needed to undergo chemo and they did not have the money to buy the medicine to undergo that procedure and then it came about like this, and after 26 years thanks to God we are able, we can say that we give comprehensive assistance that we give to these children who we assist in the hospital with a first-world treatment, because we here are governed by a protocol that comes from Italy because it is the reality of our children, it is the one that comes closest with the children of Italy, then the protocol is sent from there and the doctors put it into practice here and thanks to the ASOLEU organization, which eu is the one that totally provides 100% chemotherapy treatment; and the other supplies, either the catheters, we support them with prostheses when there must be a product of a malignant tumor of the knee of an arm, they are things that we also eventually provide that are very expensive that thank God they are occasional, it is not something permanent like chemotherapy, there are also studies that we solve for them, radiotherapy, laboratory, medical studies, special procedures.
Felipe: They finance the whole hospital in short.
Gloria: And we really finance 100% of what is the most expensive, actually what is unattainable for them, a boy leaves us per month normally in dollars it would be about $ 1200 or $ 1300 dollars a month for each child only, when it is only of normal chemotherapy, because when they need special drugs or special vaccines each patient needs $ 8000 dollars, for example, only one treatment and that is very expensive, so that totally takes us out of our scheme, I always say that ASOLEU is not a successful project but a project blessed because whenever we need we already know where the help comes from, literally the help comes from heaven, because never, thank God, 80% of the children who are cured here are testimony to what I am saying because we are having the same high success rate than the first world, in Europe, which is between 75% and 80% and that is what we are trending now at the moment and that is what n always encourages and stimulates us, whenever we are because we all always have good moments and bad moments and sometimes very bad moments where suddenly the evil one tempts us to put aside everything we did.
Felipe: That a lot is effort, and what we were talking about before the interview, which nobody appreciates, we work more than any worker
Gloria: But in this case Felipe always when people, particularly it happens to me, that when people say to me: Gloria, it feels good, what do you feel, giving all that as you said, as without material remuneration, it is a blessing what you are doing, not really the blessing is for me, not for the children, because the satisfaction and joy that one feels when you say to yourself: you remember that boy or Marianna or some name, because we particularly know everyone, so when They tell you that this discharge for us is a really immense joy, that is the prize, but in the meantime also in the hospital or in the shelter, because we have a shelter where they, those who are in the interior of the country, stay in the hospital shelter.
Felipe: Was that what you built 2 years ago? Was it one of your achievements?
Gloria: We already built that 17 years ago, only that we are going to increase it in size each time.
Felipe: So that was an extension
Gloria: Likewise, it was an extension, then as I was telling you to see them so well and suddenly telling people when they say what ASOLEU does and suddenly one begins to name and name and mention, one realizes How much we grew there, we realize how much we grew because we cover a lot, not only in the provision of medicine, but also in psychological and pedagogical assistance because we also have a teacher who assists the children.
Felipe: It’s a little school
Gloria: So they don’t miss the school year. Also the project that we had discussed last year in the alliance on the children’s project What do we do with our children who are of limited resources, that we save their lives with God’s help but what do they do afterwards? project to pay them for university study or to pay for the study of a profession, that they learn professions in which they will be able to work, have a quick job that will not depend on any company or any entity so that they can work in that, I I mean technical things, some study to be carpenters, other hairdressers others to be seamstresses and these are things that we ourselves want to give them the means, then the work elements so that they only, only they can take off, can work and make that change that Every human being needs and to get to what we all need, to have a profession, a way of solving our life to solve, in the case of many men and today too There are already many women, to pay for, to pay for a family in a dignified way and that this is going to be a change, not only in the person, but also in the family, in the neighborhood and everything is going together in the the country and the whole world, because it starts from a very young age but then grows and we want to spread the positive in ASOLEU, that is what we seek in addition to saving their life, we really want that to be complete and give them a chance in life as well.
Felipe: A total and real inclusion.
Glory; Likewise, I would say that it is something of total inclusion.
Felipe: My admiration always with you, I every time you talk about your projects, I think of mine that are little ones I say: wow, I wish I could be like you sometime.
Gloria: No, please don’t say that.
Felipe: But it’s true, you are a good limit to which one can aspire, to say, If ASOLEU succeeded, why can’t we?
Gloria: It’s the same thing I thought when I went to a congress when we were just starting to go out when ASOLEU was starting to go out into the world. I went to a conference and when I listened to other foundations I said, my God, but one day we will be able to be like that, and you really have to dream big, you have to dream big as Walt Disney said: if you can dream it, you can. do, and if one is capable of dreaming, one is capable of doing, you just have to roll up your sleeves a bit and put your hands in the mud and start making the sculpture you want, because nothing is more satisfying than being able to see something that has come to fruition something that one devised, worked on and shaped it and that came out as one thought, means that this can be done and whoever is in front or is part of an NGO, has to allow himself to dream because when I started, I started from Mirona, I realized that I was an insecure person, that I did not want to speak or expose my ideas because I thought they would laugh at me because it was something very big, even that I owe to ASOLEU that has made me grow as a human being because I got the best of me and gave me that security that never I had, because I realize now looking with our team we have achieved it together, but I realized that if it is possible, without having to be a famous person or a powerful person, the power is within oneself, it does not impose it society, nor social status, nor the value of money, here the power is in what one wants, in the strength that one has and in the principles that one has, because if one does well, things well, everything ends well They can never end badly, this goes for all organizations and for all the people who think they are small but no, they really are very big and that is why they are where you are, you are one of them.
Felipe: I will always consider myself small because I like to be small, I don’t like to move a lot, it is better to be small and calm than to be stressed all day; but let’s talk about your country. Let me show you our form, which is very small but I want you to see me to ask you some questions, about Paraguay, we know very little because obviously, probably all the information that you already gave me, is that there is very little in health, so I think that is congruent.
Gloria: You’re putting me in trouble because I can’t see her with glasses.
Gloria: You are putting me in Felipe: Don’t worry, we are going to talk about everything, I got this information from international organizations, information that we have, in fact, are there 7 million inhabitants?
Gloria: Yes, from 7 to 9 million
Felipe: Because I have the amount of 6 million 953 thousand, so it is more or less what we had. They are adhered to the pact of Cultural, Economic and Social Rights, because this pact is so important because it obliges the states to commit to concern themselves with health, which is a matter of pure pride but that the states do not do for what you tell me. you are counting, that they do not care much about the health problem
Felipe: ¿Do you have a president every 5 years?
Gloria So it is.
Felipe: And how does your president work?
Gloria: Really, especially this year 2020 is a very hard year for any president, not only for ours, he has his detractors and he has his followers like everyone else, but here the question is to try to see at least and much more in the In my case, now I am going to give an opinion, try to do it objectively, I do not qualify his management, especially in this case of extreme necessity I think that he has made a very brave timely decision, because making the decision to close the border, to stay in a phase zero, involves many social reactions that it is not necessary to go into details, which we all know, the point is that he made the right decision, thanks to that today we are practically 5 months away and we just, I say just and I hope it continues like this, May God continue to protect us, we have 66 loss of human life, taking into account that now this month is the worst month of the entire pandemic, I think that from this month that reality should begin to decrease.
Felipe: If you ask me, that is a successful presidency, here in Chile we have more deaths per million, but I don’t want to talk about Chile if not about your beautiful country. Let’s keep talking about Paraguay, I want you to join the world of CML Adwork, one of the important reasons we wanted to do this interview is because we are applying for you to be part of this world conglomerate of CML Adwork of all chronic myeloid leukemia patients in the world, because Paraguay was not within CML, José will probably call you later, who is the Director of all Latin America to do the entire registration process, and The Max Foundation is also based in Paraguay with 143 patients who are receiving donations; What worries me is that you spend 4% of GDP and please tell me that I am wrong, in health, the normal is 10% or 12%.
Gloria: Well, yes, unfortunately it is so, we, I could not tell you that it is 4% because I would be lying to you because I do not have exact knowledge that that is the percentage, but I know that we are below, well below what normally it should be. We talk about the issue of corruption, we are not exempt from that, but the good thing about Paraguay is that it is a very fighting people and does not surrender, it tries, indeed, there is a saying that the Paraguayan does not own the world because he does not want to, because he is so ingenious and he always gets out of all situations, he comes out gracefully, so it is another virtue that we have that we are always in a good mood.
Felipe: Every one of these conversations I ask, if they are a happy people?
Gloria: Everyone is a tough face, because we say that we are a happy people despite everything we are a happy people, that is our characteristic, but in any case we are slowly beginning to fight, the Paraguayan is waking up more despite That there is corruption that is also beginning to be noticed in the reaction of the people and is beginning to pressure, to move, to lose fear, to say what they think and fight what they want, we are talking in relation to the authorities, that It also means that they too are beginning to totally change their current way but they are already taking care of themselves, I think that we are starting from zero, little by little, but I think that in another years we could be better than we are today, moreover, There are non-governmental organizations like us and many others, there are many here, and they all help in different areas, but in the area of hemato oncology there is a lot and in the hemato area, we, I am not saying it for nothing. erbia, but because it really is, ASOLEU is the largest foundation that supports those people, those children. We receive an annual item from the State, but it is a third of what we spend on treating these children, that is, it is our third pillar, it is the State, but we with our own funds and with funds that we collect and generate is that we do the most help.
Felipe: I would like that here in Chile and in all countries there is no state fund, very few, but sometimes there is more access, the union of the NGO with the country is complex, right? That middle point, I should be a Buddhist because for me I measure everything at the middle point, between what the State has to do and what the organization has to do
Gloria: Of course, in fact, our function should not be that, because that should be the function of the State, but I take a bit of the blame off the State again since at least it is giving it control of that money. that we receive, it is very strict and we are happy about that, because we are proud to be able to give clear accounts and always have these resources, in any case it is very difficult and every year it is worse, each year it is worse to receive those funds, because each year is a I don’t give you a check, every year it is a thought we have a plan b and a plan c, if we stop perceiving what we are going to do, what cuts are we going to make, there is always an exit plan in our case because every year there is a small threat that we will no longer receive that blush, but when I had an interview with leaders of our country, I always told them, as I demanded that they would always have to comply with us, all orders among other foundations are important, can not speak There is none of these activities if there is no health or education, which I think are the ones that go hand in hand, is what I always demanded of them, that they take care of us, that we are the healthy arm of the law and that they should help us and support us instead of making our lives square, because that is what they normally do what they do when they do not want to give you what has already been approved, that is what they normally do, but hey that is a tug of war in which all I believe that organizations in the world are involved, but in our particular case it is different because as I said, we are the only country that the foundation that provides medicines.
Felipe: Yes, it is very strange, because normally we are supportive, we are more of emotional support, of social process
Gloria: Social paperwork, which is what we want to do, it is our dream, ASOLEU dreams some day not too far away and hopefully we who have been in ASOLEU for so long, the fact that we stop perceiving this item of the State, and that they are in charge of that area and that we can expand in the emotional assistance part, in the part of healing the soul, that they heal the body and that we heal the soul and the human part of those people who They are so deprived in every way, not only are they financially deprived, they cannot receive medical treatment, they have no education, they have no others, they do not have a decent life, they do not have good homes, they do not have decent work, all the shortcomings that one is You can imagine in a human being they have it, and despite that they are an example for us that when we are with them and I mean the children, they always when one leaves and that out of courtesy one asks how are you? , how are you? And they always with a fierce smile say well, does something hurt? and they say, No, nothing hurts, but they are really writhing in pain inside and that’s what we never want to see in any child in the world again, because they deserve the best.
Felipe: As it is always a pleasure to talk to you, I have to talk 2 more things with you that are very important, so I’m going to ask you to get together again, I have more than clear data, then we are going to meet with 2 more countries to have a meeting of 3 countries and on 9/22 we are going to gather all the countries and we are going to make the presentation of this project that we are doing and the data that we have collected.
Gloria: I love it, I don’t answer your call to make me pretty
Felipe: You are always beautiful, it is always a pleasure to talk to you, I think Paraguay is a wonderful country, and thank you for your time. Thanks for listening
Gloria: the only thing I want to leave a message is that all those who are part of an NGO who dream and tell their dream that they do not keep anything saved, everything open that we can all, with the help of the one who is above much more
Felipe: Gloria, it’s always nice to see you, take good care of yourself
Gloria: a hug to all Chileans on your shoulder