Dr. Willy and his wife, Hilda, have three boys; Paulo, who is a university student studying to become a dentist, Artero, who is 14 and attends high school, and Javier, who is in grade school. The family of five live in Arequipa, Peru. Before Quechua Benefity, Dr. Willy founded the first Red Cross chapter in Peru, located in the Colca Valley. Charity work has always been part of their life. When the Red Cross started, Hilda and the boys worked with Willy every chance they got. They watched the Red Cross grow from mobile service tents to large hospital work rooms.
Dr. Willy started working with Quechua Benefit full time in 2004. He travels to more then 40 villages in Peru and treats 5,000 patients annually.
Dr. Mario Pedroza and Dr. Willy created a new program to promote dental health in the schools of each town. The program teaches the children to brush and floss and aids the teachers with distributing fluoride tablets. Each year the schools are scored on their progress. Dr. Willy says; "The Quechua Benefit volunteers from the United States are like angles that fell from the sky to the Quechua speaking population of the altiplano, where the worst poverty is reflected in my Peru.
This program is long-term and provides hope of a permanent dental health solution. It needs you contributions to survive.
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