Monday, July 1, 2019

Self Defense Training


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Written by Michael Passino

When the Sisters visited us in 2018, they learned that I am a member of the Martial Arts Veterans Project ( http://www.themavp.com/). MAVP is a team of Black Belts teaching martial arts to veterans undergoing treatment and therapy at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee.

As part of our medical mission to Paita, Peru, the Sisters asked me to teach self-defense classes to the high school students at Santa Clara School.

The Sisters viewed the training as a very important part of our mission. The World Health Organization reported that 69 percent of Peruvian women said they had suffered from some form of physical violence in their lives. Wikipedia notes that in Peru “…traditional attitudes toward women aggravated the problems of rape and sexual abuse - particularly in rural areas.”





Working with the Santa Clara high school students was very rewarding for me. These young men and women were amazing to work with - such energy, enthusiasm and laughter! 

Thanks to Jon W. for his invaluable assistance - although he DID prove to be a significant distraction to many of the young ladies! 





The young ladies took the classes very seriously - it's a sad comment that regardless the country or culture, young women are at such risk today.

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