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OUR MISSION STATEMENT:

​ "WE WILL DEVELOP THE LIVES OF CHILDREN FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
​FROM DESPAIR AND DESTITUTION TO HOPE AND OPPORTUNITIES."  

Welcome to.....

CHANGES FOR NEW HOPE

 

   "If you want to see the impossible accomplished,

attempt the impossible." 

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Our Core Value

Haz Lo Correcto

Do the Right Thing

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Building Self Esteem

         Art Projects                      and public exhibitions

Personal Development

Mindfulness, Meditation and Motivation

    Fighting Anemia and Malnutrition

Vitamin program and

Anti-parasite medicine

A Bit of Background

Changes for New Hope
at a glance

Changes for New Hope was created by Jim Killon, an American born humanitarian, author and artist, in 2009. Why this project was created is a powerful story. After visiting Latin American countries and seeing the destitution of the children and their vulnerability, Jim realized that there were too few organizations or people doing anything about it. He believed that every child deserves an education, to be healthy and grow up with opportunities to develop their own dreams. With his own life savings and personal effort, he created this project in the Peruvian Andes. His vision was to enhance the lives and opportunities for children living in destitution and extreme conditions. Over 6000 disadvantaged children have been reached since that time. Value based goal oriented living, self esteem building and health concerns such as anemia are among the many issues that are being addressed today.

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Thank you for visiting our project website

We are looking forward to reaching hundreds more children each year who are tucked away in the outbacks of the Peruvian Andes where other NGOs and government agencies have yet to visit.  We share our core value, "Do the Right Thing" to encourage positive changes and share opportunities.

We have a powerful "WHY" that gets us out of bed every morning...
 the "whats" and "hows" seem to unfold before us.
 
Children that are afforded an education, especially girls, are more productive and beneficial in their communities, are less likely to fall into criminal activity, have fewer unwanted pregnancies and are better prepared to escape the perils of impoverishment and destitution. It has been proven that small NGOs dotted around the world, such as ours, are the first influence to an effective defense against terrorism, disease and global instability  

​We Love Solutions!

 

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                                               Changes for New Hope -- Mission Accomplished
                                                                              What is Next?
 
We are proud to announce that Changes for New Hope has accomplished what we set out to do in 2009. Our latest and last campaign was in the high Andes at San Marcos, Peru for 300 children in December 2019 just before the school hiatus and the Peruvian government issued lockdown orders due to the Covid-19 outbreak. 2020 and now into 2021 we continue to be in quarantine restriction mode which does not allow large groups to gather yet.
 
Therefore what will the future of Changes for New Hope look like? 

  I have re-evaluated our effectiveness over the ten years that our project has been working. Through trial and error I found out what works and what doesn't. Every situation is unique, every village has their special issues. In the beginning there were so many needs that I attempted to be all "Wal-Mart" by trying to provide all things for all villages. Then we fine tuned our efforts to provide specific aid and determine what would be the most effective impact with the limited resources we had available to us. We found that anti-parasite medicine, vitamin A for eyesight health, school supplies and shoes were most needed. As other materials were available, we would distribute them as well. This streamlined our programs.

I looked at the effectiveness of young international volunteers as objectively as possible and frankly, with 20/20 hindsight, most should have stayed home. The teachers in local schools that I go to are dedicated, well trained and have a vested interest in the children in their classes. We accomplished more in a week with them than what I could in two months carrying a team of delicate 20-somethings who were glued to their phones, and resisted rising before the crack of 9am. Our partnership with government agencies had also proven to tremendously advance our mutual objectives. 
 
  I also re-evaluated the donors who support us. Obviously, anyone who shares their resources with us must have a degree of altruism and compassion for the less fortunate in the world. My deepest gratitude goes out to those who have given selflessly over the years whether as a one time gift or on a continuing basis. Donations however, were never consistant month to month so we had no idea how to best plan projects past the next week. We stretched out every dollar as far as it could possibly go and when funds just weren't there, we had to regress from some pueblos with apologies to the children. Even so, we were able to be creative with what we had for as many as we could reach and in our ten years over 6000 children received aid and support from this project. As you will read below, we no longer request donations. 
 
  Then I re-evaluated myself. I arrived in Peru completely unaware of what I was walking into. I did not speak Spanish, did not understand the culture and customs which makes for some very funny stories now but at the time, it was surreal. The adjustment to apartments without heat, hot water, carpeting, eating food I couldn't identify, and constant, loud construction all around me was nerve racking. However, if my vision was a Must and not "just a good idea", I had to learn what I needed to learn, do what I had to do and go with the flow.
As a result, I became a minimalist, eating one meal a day initially to save money, now because it is healthier. For years I slept in one room on a mattress on the floor. I never complained because I saw this as part of the adventure I stepped into voluntarily. I used my life savings to create, develop and build the project because no one else initially would. Money not used for daily needs or the benefit of our Human Family was just dirty paper being hoarded. I was completely unaware that I would face resistance to my humanitarian project at the hands of extortionists, grifters and those who promised what they had no intention of doing. I referred to it as a reverse Julius Ceasar, "I came, I saw, I ran like hell." It was all part of the adventure I told myself.
 
Against all odds, Changes for New Hope grew from one group of 15 children to several groups numbering over 200 and then continuous visits to over 50 neighboring villages throughout Ancash to reach the 6000 I mentioned earlier. The whole experience, every challenge, the good and not so good, developed me as a more profound man, as a more aware human being, as a person of deeper compassion and love than I could have ever imagined. I failed more than I succeeded as any person who attempted the impossible has done. I made mistakes that taught me better ways to accomplish goals, who to trust, what worked and what didn't. I learned that if I wanted to see the impossible accomplished, I had to attempt the impossible. I learned how to become limitless.

  I was so filled up with a sense of awareness that I wrote my first e-book, "A Gringo in Peru-A Story of Compassion in Action" in 2013. Nine more books followed, we held eight art exhibitions and one virtual exhibition. Two chess tournaments, distributed over nine tons of school supplies and other materials, vitamin A to save eyesight, albendozole to combat parasite infection to thousands. Our "Do the Right Thing" campaign was city-wide.
 
During this pandemic, I was unable to go anywhere so I began studying books about Eastern philosophy. The Tao Te Ching, Zen living, minimalism, earthing/grounding, Qigong, personal development and healthy eating habits. I was amazed that much of what I read I was doing already, so I just adjusted my meditation and mindfulness to a more structured path. Instead of becoming "great" as a result of so many accomplishments, I have become,"No-Thing." I have no title, no position, no egocentric identity. There is no one to impress nor to be impressed by. I have become the emptiness of a bowl. Why? Because it is where the soup goes that feeds the hungry. I have become the holes in a wall. Why? Because they become the doors and windows for people to walk through and see out of. Think about it. When you no longer are attached to a persona to defend and declare, you allow yourself to become all things and experience life without walls, borders, limitations or self imposed regulations. 
 
For years I thought it was important to present myself as a larger than life leader of a successful project so people would see it, follow our footsteps and perhaps also lead their own humanitarian project. I wanted people to know what we were doing so they would not hesitate to support us. Ironically, becoming No-Thing, the emptiness of a bowl, is how we get filled, internally then outwardly. If no one else ever becomes a humanitarian, if no one else ever supports this or any other project, that is upon them. The only thing that will outlast our physical presence on this earth is our contribution toward making the world a better place. Those who selflessly realize this are the ones who actually lived and did not just exist to earn a living, accumulate possessions, pay taxes and die one day. 

The future of post-pandemic Changes for New Hope, will reach into the hearts of people who care to learn and grow from the inside out. I will teach mindfulness, meditation and personal development so people can help themselves in the future. I will teach people, as I have learned, to flow like water, take the form of the environs and adapt, roll smoothly and effortlessly around rocks and obstacles in their lives. I have become aware that people are suffering from depressions and anxieties and this is making them sick. It is ill-affecting every aspect of their lives. If we would change our thinking, we can change our lives. We can accomplish this virtually, or in retreat settings without needing donations or volunteers.  My latest book available on Amazon about this is "Mindfulness, Meditation and Motivation" the link is below.
  As new funding and community co-operation avails itself, we plan on providing Fog Collector systems in desert communities that have no way of accessing drinkable water. One such unit erected can provide water to a community of hundreds of residents for up to ten years absolutely free. Compassion in action!
What a beautiful world my friends.... and now onto our next adventure! 

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Silver Linings

Words of encouragement, love and being limitless

March  2018

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We all want a life that is fulfilling, prosperous and built on a sense of loving purpose. This new book is offered to you as a tool to read and go back to any time that you need a booster rocket in your life. The motivation and encouragement that this book shares is an antithesis to the struggles and disappointments which has become solid victories because winners don't quit. Let these foresights become your hindsight as you plow ahead toward your own life victories and success. Enjoy! 

                                   October 2019

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When "Bad" Things Happen

To Good People...Like You!

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You have life rolling along like a dream and then BAM! Disaster, Tragedy, Disappointment and Despair, out of the blue! What are we supposed to do about it? Why did it happen to such a good person like you? This eyeopening e-book will share how to cope and manage your life's deep drops back into stability and realign yourself so that you can ride the waves of life's tsunamis instead of drowning under them. Tomorrow the sun will rise and it rises for YOU!  This book is your guide to use whenever life becomes overwhelming, like it did just last week! 

June 2020 Our New E-Book

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Mindfulness, Meditation and Motivation

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Your Amazing Journey Within Starts Now

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Stress and anxiety have become an epidemic in modern society. People need coping methods that support them and work better than conventional Western culture "solutions." What people are finding in mindfulness, meditation and motivation practices are benefits that can be acheived easily, simply and effectively within their own conscious awareness. A few minutes a day can develop your mindset and create a life that will bring you closer to the person that you have always wanted to become, and beyond. Jim Killon shares his own experiences and results with you in this book with the hope that your own personal growth will be as beautifully evident. Enjoy!

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Julian Lennon's White Feather Foundation  supports Changes for New Hope

Since 2011

Julian Lennon, son of John and Cynthia Lennon, brought Changes for New Hope out of obscurity of the Andes and into international recognition when White Feather Foundation supported our project and published our stories and photos to his  hundreds of thousands of followers of his project.

Fog Collection Systems can provide water for hundreds of people living in the Peruvian desert

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Ok friends here it is! We take for granted that when we turn on a faucet water will pour out. In the desert communities that I have visited over the years, there is no water, no faucet and what water they can acquire either gets tanker trucked in which is loaded with sludge and rust or they walk for many miles to a town with whatever they can carry that will hold water and carry it back to their village. Water is a human right and we can not live very long without adequate access to it. 

 My first solution was to drill for it at a cost that I was initially quoted  at $50 per meter. A week later I was quoted $200 per meter and a week after that, $600 per meter which is typical in Peru. (In the U.S. drilling through solid rock is only $50 per foot) Their outrageous grifting had me looking into other options. 

  In the Peruvian coast it is cloudy most of the time. Fog Collectors have been used successfully in desert communities to trap fog in fine mesh nets and the trickling water runs into a collection tank. 

   My ten years serving the Peruvian communities has taught me quite a few valuable lessons. First, desperate and destitute people will say and do anything to advance themselves regardless of laws, morality or consequences. Secondly, people in the international communities who have more wealth than they can ever reasonably spend in their lifetimes prefer to keep it and will. The destitute of the world is not their problem as they have clearly informed me. Thirdly, international volunteers tend to arrive and look around in awe at the situation on the ground here. However no amount of pleading, urging or reasoning will create motivation in them. The first "ding" on their phones and they are done for the day. Fourthly, compassion never takes a holiday. The situation, such as acquiring drinkable water to desert communities, does not change, so it will be dedicated and altrusitic individuals (and apparently only dedicated and altruistic individuals) who will roll up our sleeves and dive into the solutions that are now available. As Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small committed group of citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

  These Fog Collection systems are pure genius and it will not require international volunteers, international donors/sponsors nor continuous community interaction on-site. Each unit lasts ten years. We can erect the system, assure it is productive and say our goodbyes to move onto the next community. 

I want to launch our first project, contingent on private funding and Covid-19 restrictions, in 2022. Wish me luck! 

Introducing Mindfulness, Meditation and Motivation

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Changes for New Hope has consistently looked for new opportunities to serve our human family. For ten years we have become a well known and regarded humanitarian project for the disadvantaged children here in the Peruvian Andes. Now we are embarking on a much broader reach into the worldwide community. 

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 It became apparent that the issues that the children and their families struggled with are the same issues that people are struggling with around the world in modernized and first world environs. Perhaps the material issues are vastly different but the intrinsic issues such as self esteem, fears, trauma, overcoming social anxieties, goal setting and personal development were almost identical. Therefore we have decided to create a new direction for our project which we hope to roll out in 2020, mindfulness, meditation and motivation. This will include weekly videos, written articles and social media content that will focus on becoming  your best and most successful selves. 

 

 In short, mindfulness is the skill of focusing on the present moment and the tasks at hand. Yesterday's drama is gone and tomorrow's anxiety filled concerns are not your challenge right now. We lose our days to what isn't here anymore and miss what is in front of us to manage, enjoy and work with to develop our most productive lives.                                                                                                                                               

Meditation is a tool used worldwide to become clear minded, centered and focused in our daily lives. The benefit is multi-faceted. Just ten minutes a day in meditation helps us to deal with and prepare us for the day's stresses and annoyances and develops a tolerance, positive attitude and helps us find the solutions we need to succeed  and accomplish our goals. It also re-boots our brains to raise our immune systems, lower stress hormones, lower blood pressure and enhances creativity. Medical science is now supporting the benefits of meditation. Motivation techniques will put this all together and take the skills accquired and launch you forward toward practical uses and applications so that your value to others in this world leaves an indelible footprint on this world for others to follow. 

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What has worked so well in small groups here in Peru and with individuals globally who have asked us to share these methods with them, will now be formalized as a part of our overall plan to reach around the world in a loving embrace so that we can all realize our fullest potential. We have a definate course of action that we want to put into place and we believe that you will be quite grateful for being a participant in it. 

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                                                                                             AUGUST 2020

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I am grateful to partner with Travel and Living in Peru Magazine to share strategies and solutions during this time of crisis and uncertainties. Living large, living deliberately!

 

Join us on this three-part mindfulness retreat, presented by Jim Killon, author and mindfulness coach. This first session will answer the question what is mindfulness, and how to use breathing techniques to allow our mind to be at peace.

 

Jim lives in Huaraz, where he founded a non-profit project for children, Changes for Hope. He writes books and coaches on techniques to manage anxiety in order to live a more fulfilling life. 

 

See the latest video at :  https://www.facebook.com/travelingandlivinginperu/videos/1231905277145891/

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San Marcos Campaign December 2019

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Through the kindness of our friend Aurora, over 1000 pairs of beautiful new shoes were donated and distributed to children who desperately needed them. Some children wear recycled tire pieces as shoes, others cut the toes out so they can still wear old shoes when their feet keep growing. One of our campaigns was in San Marcos district in the outback regions. As shown here, over 300 children received new shoes, vitamin A to enhance their health, clothing and school supplies.

 

10 years and over 6000 kids later disadvantaged children now live better lives because of Changes for New Hope and those whose compassion in action reached them.  I am grateful to everyone who continues to help make it possible and for the opportunity to serve these little ones. We can all be heroes else we just sit on this bright blue orb and free ride around the sun again and again and again.... year after year...

                                          

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2017   Jim Killon is awarded the David Chow Humanitarian Award

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The David Chow Humanitarian Award Foundation of California awarded Jim this prestigious award for his work over the years with the children in Peru. 

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2019  Jim Killon is recognized by the Global Goodwill Ambassador organization for his humanitarianism 

 

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Julian Lennon's White Feather Foundation  

supports Changes for New Hope

Since 2011

 

Julian Lennon, son of John and Cynthia Lennon, brought Changes for New Hope out of obscurity of the Andes and into international recognition when White Feather Foundation supported our project and published our stories and photos to his  hundreds of thousands of followers of his project.

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                                                  Books For Peace Special Award 2019 

 

I am honored to accept the Books for Peace Special Award 2019 for the work I have done to promote human rights and peace via my writings and through my project Changes for New Hope. I have been invited to expand my efforts internationally with this organization and I look forward to this exciting new opportunity.  ~~ Jim Killon

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Like these photos? See so many more on our Gallery Page

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Our gratitude to Vitamin Angels and Julian Lennon's White Feather Foundation for their incredible support for these many years. 

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