Peru
OverviewThe country of Peru is known for its rich cultural heritage and traditions—passed along from the ancient Inca civilization. While a number of people that live here can be considered wealthy, even millionaires—more than half of the population is living in abject poverty and almost 20% are living on less than $1 per day. With its mountain ranges, lakes and ocean views, Peru is beautiful to behold—although you don’t have to look very far to see the slums, diseases and starvation right outside the bustling capital of Lima. For a country with so much wealth, the disparity between the rich and poor is startling. Facts
|
|
||||
Helping the Children
These conditions leave hundreds of thousands of children desperately in need of care and destined to repeat the cycle of poverty.
Currently, Kids Alive provides an education, nutritious meals, medical care and the love of Christ to more than 165 children in Peru. This year, we hope to add 35 children to our Homes and Care Centers. That’s the largest number we’ve ever undertaken in one year. But we’ve prayerfully decided to step out in faith and take up that challenge.
Support Juniper Tree Children's Home, Pachacamac
Juniper Tree Children's Home, Pachacamac
The Lima Children’s Home began in December 1992 in the La Molina district to care for orphaned, abused and abandoned children. The Home officially moved to the district of Pachacamac, on the outskirts of Lima in March of 2010.
The new Juniper Tree Children’s Home in Pachacamac currently has about 30 children in five family homes where their physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs can be met while preparing them to be strong Christians and upstanding citizens in their communities. Eventually six family homes will each house eight children and their house parents. Each home has its own kitchen, dining room, living room, and outside play area. The older boys and their house parents moved from Lima into the first family unit in Pachacamac in March of 2009 and were joined by the other children from the Lima Home a year later. The new space will allow us to begin rescuing additional children and bringing them into the home. The older boys will eventually move to their own property nearby when funds become available.
A number of our graduates, grateful for the opportunities they’ve been given, have a strong desire to work with children at risk in the future.
Support Manchay Oasis Care Center
Manchay Oasis Care Center
The Manchay Oasis Center was started in 2003 to help the many desperately poor mothers who felt forced to abandon their children at the Lima Children’s Home. Manchay is a desert town of over 100,000 people on the outskirts of Lima where many live in one- or two-room shacks with dirt floors but without electricity or running water. The children there are mostly victims of extreme poverty, malnutrition and abuse combined with a lack of positive male role models.
There are almost 90 children registered at the Oasis Center. Half of these come all day for our preschool program and receive two meals a day, Bible lessons and early childhood education. The others come either before or after school for our Homework Club and receive one meal, Bible lessons, help with homework and counselling. We also provide all the children with basic health care. In 2008 Kids Alive started a daily “Moms Helping Moms” program for 19 mothers, expanding the reach of our previous weekly program to mothers of children in our program. Practical work training, discipleship classes, parenting classes and vocational training (jewelry making, sewing, etc...) help these moms to have hope in Jesus Christ and a means to sustain their families.
Support Friends of Peru Children's Home
Friends of Peru Children's Home
Nestled in the Andes mountains, Andahuaylas is one of the poorest cities in Peru. Seventy percent of the population have no access to electricity, running water, or proper sanitation services. Many children cannot attend school and illiteracy rates are high. There are also high rates of infant and maternal mortality, malnutrition, disease, alcoholism and domestic abuse. Even children in stable households often must fend for themselves as parents travel great distances to find work.
In 2009 the Friends of Peru Children’s Home officially became part of Kids Alive. This Home was started in an attempt to help children who were poor, abused, and abandoned or who lived too far out in the mountains to travel to school. The Home now cares for about 20 boys and girls who receive shelter, nutritious food, clothing, education and basic job skill training so they can become self-sufficient. Most important, they learn about God and how they can become His children in a safe and loving environment. The Home also is able to serve over 30 abandoned and abused women daily by providing medical care, education, counselling and skills training to enable them to support their families.
Support Mike and Diane Fietje
Mike and Diane Fietje
Mike and Diane Fietje are field directors of Kids Alive Peru, having joined the Kids Alive staff in 1998. Growing up as an “MK” (missionary kid), Mike spent most of his youth in Southeast Asia before receiving his B.A. degree in International Ministries from Moody Bible Institute. Diane studied physical and health education at the University of Toronto and attended Heritage Baptist Seminary. Before coming to Peru they lived in Ontario, Canada.
“We know what it is like as a child to lose your father and the importance of having solid Christian loved ones helping you through these tough times, pointing you back to God. We are in this ministry because we believe we can make a difference to a child's future in both heaven and earth.” Mike and Diane Fietje
Support Manchay Keeping Families Together
Manchay Keeping Families Together
Kids Alive homes in Latin America often have poor widows or abandoned mothers ask for help to care for their children.
In Peru, we've responded with the Manchay Keeping Families Together initiative that helps widowed and abandoned moms. Their children receive healthy meals, medical care, education and Christian training through the Manchay Care Center. Currently 20 single mothers come to Kids Alive five days a week to receive job skills training and support so they can start small businesses, and also participate in Bible studies and parenting classes. By participating in the Keeping Families Together initiative, the family enjoys a healthly lunch together with the other families.
Support Pucallpa Care Center
Pucallpa Care Center
The Pucallpa Care Center has deep roots in the community. Started 36 years ago as Misión TEC, the early ministry provided technical training and Christian discipleship to young adults to help them break the cycle of poverty while introducing them to Jesus. Many of their graduates have pursued technical careers and are professionals today in and around Pucallpa, Peru. But their greatest joy has been spreading the Christian faith in the community and seeing their graduates lead godly lives.
In 2005, Misión TEC had moved away from their technical training and began a girls club program for about 9 girls in the community of San José. Since then, the numbers have grown to over 150 kids ages 7-17 coming weekly for tutoring, playtime, sports, and bible study. Because of many teen pregnancies, and the pressure for kids to drop out of school and work to provide for their family, children in the community suffer from malnutrition, lack of education and sadly have little hope of ever breaking free from the cycle of poverty.
Kids Alive hopes to change these children’s lives through the Care Center. Working with the current missionaries and staff, we hope to expand the program to provide a nutritious meal for each child as well as provide more after school programs in order to rescue more children in San José and in the surrounding communities. Most of all, in meeting some of these physical needs, our desire is to meet their spiritual need by introducing these young people to Jesus – so that they may know the God who created them and loves them unconditionally.
Please partner with us in this growing opportunity to help bring hope to so many young lives.
Support Dan and Katie Anderson
Dan and Katie Anderson
Dan & Katie Anderson joined Kids Alive in the fall of 2010 and will serve in Lima as the Service Team Coordinator and Sponsorship Coordinator. Katie is originally from Washington and Dan grew up as a missionary kid in Papua New Guinea. They both have degrees from Greenville College in Illinois, Dan in Sociology and Katie in Elementary Education. They were first introduced to Kids Alive in the Dominican Republic, while serving there with a ministry for at-risk teens. The Andersons have three daughters, Lucy, Lydia and Davy. They are excited to be a part of the work of rescuing children in Peru.
Support Kyle and Cristina Thomas
Kyle and Cristina Thomas
Kyle and Cristina Thomas with their two children, Elijah and Abigail have been serving the Lord in Pucallpa, Peru, for the past five years with Kyle administrating the work at Misión TEC during this time. Now, with Kids Alive International, he will assume the responsibility as Pucallpa director, overseeing the work of the Misión TEC Care Center and the Amor y Esperanza Children's Home. Cristina coordinates short term and summer team assignments. Both Kyle and Cristina grew up in ministry, Kyle with Torchbearers International in England, and Cristina at Misión TEC in Peru.
Support José and Christy Chacón
José and Christy Chacón
José and Christy Chacón, with their daughters Noel and Rachel, look forward to serving at the Misión TEC Care Center in Pucallpa, Perú. José and Christy met in the Spanish Club at Liberty University in 1998 and currently live near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During their May 2009 visit to Pucallpa, God convicted them to return to serve the kids at Misión TEC alongside their friends Kyle and Cristina Thomas.
José and Christy have served together on mission trips to Guatemala and Perú and Christy has also been to Mexico and the Ukraine as well.
José will work with the boys in the various ministries and Christy will work with the girls, as well as serve as the nurse for Kids Alive in Pucallpa. They are excited about the future and look forward to God's timing to get to the mission field in Perú.
Support Joel and Giannina Posner
Joel and Giannina Posner
In 2004 Joel and Giannina founded a children's home in the city of Andahuaylas, Peru. They have been providing care and spiritual help to the most impoverished mountain children and women. In 2009 they partnered with Kids Alive to continue showing the love and care of Christ to children at risk.
Joel and Giannina felt the call to continue serving as missionaries for three years. While In Peru, Joel will be working with the boys giving them Biblical training as well as tools they need to grow into healthy working adults. Giannina will be mentoring young women and their moms to grow spiritually through God's word.
Giannina is originally from Peru living in the USA for 16 years. They have 3 children, Diego, Joey and Gabriela.
Support Fredi and Emma Rivero
Fredi and Emma Rivero
Fredi and Emma Rivero have recently joined Kids Alive as a couple, and are working in the Mision TEC Care Centre.
Fredi was born in Tarapoto in Peru, but moved to the Pucallpa area with his family when he was 14 years old, due to terrorism in his land. Fredi attended Mision TEC from 2000 to 2002 as a student, when it was a technical training school, and went on to study and teach English in several institutions in Pucallpa.
Emma was born and raised in Belfast Northern Ireland, but had the opportunity to serve in several different countries before coming to Peru. Initially Emma spent 2 years in Arequipa in the south of Peru, and then headed north to the jungle to serve with Mision TEC. Emma is now entering her third year of service with Mision TEC.
Mision TEC holds a very special place in Emma and Fredi's hearts as they met here and also held their wedding ceremony on the deck of the Mision overlooking the lake. Emma is involved in working with the Girls Clubs and helping with the Parents workshops. Fredi is involved with the Boys Clubs and also is head of security at the mission.
Fredi and Emma are expecting their first baby in November 2011.
Support Juan Pablo and Marianela Garcia
Juan Pablo and Marianela Garcia
Juan Pablo and Marianela Garcia have served together at the Mission TEC Care Center since their marriage in 2005. Before that Juan Pablo had been serving as a single missionary, teaching the mechanics and discipleship program for 5 years.
Before being full time in the ministry, Marianela worked for a national bank and Juan Pablo had his own vehicle maintenance business.
Now, through the ministry of the Mission TEC Care Center, we know that the Lord is using our lives so that children who live in some form of risk or poverty in this part of the Peruvian Amazon can come to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior.
Support Jonathan and Wendy Reid
Jonathan and Wendy Reid
Jonathan and Wendy Reid grew up as missionary kids in Pucallpa, Peru and always felt God would one day call them into full time ministry. After hearing about the needs in Peru, they felt the Lord leading them back to Pucallpa with their three children: Jadon, Carleigh and Claire.
The Reids have been asked to serve in various roles with Kids Alive, as there are currently many needs for the startup of the new children's home. Jonathan has a background in Information Technology, while Wendy has a degree in Psychology from UNC Charlotte.
"We can't wait to see how God will work through us in the lives of the kids there in Pucallpa and are so excited that our children will have a chance to grow up in the same place and culture we did!"
Support Joel Easling
Joel Easling
Growing up in Puyallup, Washington as the seventh of ten children, I have had the opportunity to be around kids of all ages. Homeschooled most of my life, I then graduated from Clover Park Technical College with a degree as an HVAC technician. Mission work has been something I've enjoyed ever since my first exposure to it in 2005.
Kids Alive has been who I have partnered with for the last three years, and I see the value placed on each and every life we work with. I'll be in Peru as the construction supervisor, working on building projects in need of completion. Looking forward to what the Lord has in store while in Peru!
