Rosa S. Brem, has a nursing degree from Universidad Privada Antenor Orrego from Trujillo (Peru), with a specialization in Surgery and experience in Mental Health. Rosa has more of 10 years in the NGOs sector, working with community- based programs since 2009. Along with Katie, they founded the non-profit organization Hands on Peru, in 2013, to eventually realize the dream of establishing the country’s first Center for Public Health (CESAPU) in 2016, empowering disadvantaged communities and individuals through a model of community-based programs and public health interventions. Through these programs, the community is provided with tools, knowledge, and equal opportunities to collectively improve the determinants of their health under our guidance. “In these times, where we find countries with completely unhealthy conditions, such as Peru, with a collapsed and weak healthcare system, where the less fortunate suffer the most, often dying from preventable diseases, we believed it was important to strengthen and promote a preventive and health-promoting culture”.
This project led her to gain invaluable leadership, grant writer and international collaboration experience. In 2017, she was a semifinalist for the national prize Protagonists of Change by Universidad de Ciencias Aplicadas UPC, this recognition is given to Peruvians with high social impact initiatives. She received another recognition in 2018 as a Young Leader of America, being a Fellow from a US Department of State-sponsored exchange program for entrepreneurs from Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently Rosa supports us to expand our partnerships in Europe, particularly in Switzerland where she lives full time with her husband Marc and two children, Jeliel & Markito. About once per year, she visits the project in Peru and participate actively in the autumn and Christmas markets in Switzerland selling Chimuk items.
What she says: “I think that CESAPU is the most effective way to generate large-scale impact and to cultivate and expand our new-world ideals of disease prevention in communities where disease management is the unfortunate norm”
