Jaime Chávez Vizcarra is the Head of Operations for Hombro a Hombro, the OCHA/UNDP Connecting Business initiative (CBi) Member Network in Peru. In the context of the upcoming World Humanitarian Day, he spoke to us about his background and how he went from Air Force pilot to becoming a humanitarian. At CBi, the diversity of what it means to be a humanitarian, and what both individuals and businesses can offer to community resilience is what motivates us to share his story. It’s part of a series, and you can read other profiles here.
For the Spanish version of this story, click here.
La versión en español de este articulo esta disponible aquí.
Jaime, what did you want to be when you were little?
We were a big family; I grew up as one of eight siblings! We’re four boys and five girls, and I was the eighth. We didn’t have much, but we had enough to be happy. Two of my brothers are engineers, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps so I could build houses for every family to have one and for the world to be a better place. Growing up, I played a lot with other kids from my neighbourhood, and we always assigned different roles to each other. One day I was a doctor, another day I was a policeman or an engineer. We could be whatever we wanted, but most importantly, we were always together.
Did you have any mentors along the way, or individuals who inspired your journey?
As fate would have it, after my last year in school, I signed up for the military service, starting as the lowest ranking soldier. I didn’t know anything about that life, as no one in my family is part of the military or the police force – everything about it was new to me. However, I loved seeing how we could help people through selfless services when the armed forces put their staff and equipment at their disposal.
One friend in particular who struck a chord was a colonel who told me I could be part of the Air Force. That’s when I really let go of my first dream of becoming an engineer, and became the first military pilot in my family.
That’s how, after a year of military service, I started at the Peru Air Force Officer’s School, a five-year programme from which I graduated as an official helicopter pilot for the Peruvian Air Force.
What are some of the challenges you faced throughout your career?
Being a military man isn’t easy as it also implied my family relocating with me every time I was reassigned. That said, we also got to know wonderful places throughout Peru. I dedicated 35 years of my life to the Airforce, making my way through the ranks to that of Colonel. Every year was worth it.
I participated in many activities, some great and others that had to do with national development priorities or national security. I don’t think wars are ever a good thing, but I was part of a war Peru had with Ecuador, and I did my job the best I could – and for that, I was decorated by Peru as a Hero of War, and given the title of Qualified Defender of the Nation. I also worked against drug trafficking and terrorism, two scourges that hurt everyone in the population.
Beyond that, Peru, due to its geography, is very difficult to access by land, because of the Andes Mountain range which is so high that it makes it very challenging to reach the segment of the population living at high altitude. On the other hand, in the jungle there are also communities that are hard to reach. In that sense, the Airforce accomplishes a critical function as it allows the integration of the whole territory as one, and I – as a helicopter pilot – was able to participate in many related activities, from medical evacuations from hard-to-reach communities to offering support to people affected by natural hazards such as earthquakes, landslides, or the El Nino phenomenon among others.
I also worked hard on aid programmes with other countries, like for instance when the Airforce sent me as Head of the Peruvian Detachment to Colombia to participate in a big training on population support, a multinational exercise called “Angel of the Andes”.
That’s when I realized just how important it was to me to help others, not feeling in any way superior to them, but full of empathy that allowed me to approach the activities with enthusiasm and an ability to connect with the mix of feelings the affected people felt at that time.
How did you start working in disaster risk management, and was there a particular moment when you realized how important this kind of work was for Peru overall?
After 35 years as a helicopter pilot for the Peruvian Air Force, my military career came to an end. I thought with that came the end of the most dignified way in which I could imagine helping the population of Peru – but once again, fate smiled at me and gave me another way to continue this work. That’s when I joined this incredible organization that is the non-governmental organization (NGO) Hombro a Hombro.
Through Hombro a Hombro, I’ve been able to work on many different initiatives, from prevention, through workshops that prepare families for high magnitude earthquakes, to the challenge as head of operations of reaching an affected area as soon as possible after a disaster to observe the impact and determine the needs of the affected population so we can provide the right kind of aid, efficiently.
With these activities, my work in service of the population continues, and belonging to Hombro a Hombro has allowed me to feel like I am really standing shoulder to shoulder with people in need, and how valuable it is to distribute aid that comes from the heart and goes hand in hand with the message that they are not alone in their moments of greatest vulnerability.
Do you consider yourself a humanitarian? Why or why not?
I do, because I’ve dedicated my life to the service of others. I think everyone has it in them to help others, one way or the other. I’ve been fortunate to do so by providing support to people in some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and to be able to alleviate their suffering somewhat. That’s incredibly powerful.
What’s one thing that people don’t know about you or get wrong about you?
It has happened to me a few times that, because of my military background, my way of talking and expressing myself comes across as harsh. Sometimes people don’t understand that the edge in my voice is to try and get things done in as transparent and effective way as is possible, because we cannot afford to make mistakes when we’re bringing aid to those in need.
What’s your message to young people who are faced with the challenges of today’s world, from COVID to climate change, unemployment, and more?
My message to young people is that they should find a meaning to their lives, so they understand why they are here and what their goals are; for them to think about what they Will leave as a legacy to those that come after them, because with a grain of sand they can achieve great things.
Young people hold the future of the world in their hands, a world they can improve by creating new things.
If you had a magic wand, what would you change and why?
This is a hard question, because I’ve experienced things I would love to change – like being able to give people a maximum sense of responsibility so that they stop destroying nature and the planet with their sometimes thoughtless actions. It seems to me that many of the big challenges we’re facing today – pandemics and extreme weather events to name but two – are a by-product of that. If we don’t take care of the world we live in, we’ll end up destroying it, and ourselves along with it.
Why is it so important for businesses to be engaged in the humanitarian response and disaster management in Peru?
The private sector plays a key role in society. They are present throughout the country and cover every sector. What’s more, business has experience in affording aid to populations in need, and does so efficiently whether it’s based on their ability and willingness to provide goods, services, financial contributions, or knowledge in the case of a climate-related event of great magnitude.
Building this country-level private sector network was required to get properly organized, and in that sense Hombro a Hombro is bringing together many businesses to this end. With CBi’s help, the Peruvian network can grow and coordinate different types of interventions with international support from all CBi Member Networks worldwide.
After the recent activities carried out by the private sector in Peru, whether it be related to COVID or events such as earthquakes, businesses now know how to work hand in hand with the Government for a much more coordinated and efficient delivery.
Thank you, Jaime, for sharing your story with us!
All photos by Hombro a Hombro. Featured image: Col. Jaime Chávez Vizcarra, through his work with CBi Member Network Hombro a Hombro, did a lot to help vulnerable populations in Peru during the pandemic. Hombro a Hombro was part of the efforts to bring the first million vaccines to Peru, accelerating the national vaccination programme by at least two months.