Yesterday I met a delegation from Peru, one of our neighbors to the south. Among the delegation were three government officials and three Buckner Peru Staff. I met them for an orientation to the work here at Buckner Children and Family Services along with Leslie Chace, Randy Daniels, Joann Cole, and Felipe Garza. Dr. Zoila Maxima Zegarra Montes was the first to speak. She is Vice Minister of Women and Social Development of Peru and was representing the Minister of Women and Social Development. Ruth Ampuero Miranda is Director of San Antonio Government Children’s Home, and Graciela Acana Marique is a government social worker. These ladies are professionals in their own right with credentials and experience. We exchanged greetings and introduced ourselves.
Next, I got to meet the Buckner Peru Staff: Rosa Beatriz Arteaga Sato is a sociologist and the Director for Buckner Peru. She is delightful and energetic leader. Claudia Maria Leon Vergarra is missions director for Buckner Peru. Mercedes Milagros Espinoza Bazan is a social worker for Buckner Peru. I was very impressed with all three staffers and proud to know we have such competent leaders for our work in Peru.
I was not prepared to hear about the needs related to children in Peru. Rosa reported that there are 7500 children currently in private homes and 2500 children in government orphanages. However, there are an estimated 50,000 children at risk due to child labor, sexual exploitation, and teen pregnancy, among other issues. The need sounds overwhelming at first, but finite as well. Some of these children need foster care immediately, some children will need to be adopted into forever families, others will require residential care if they have special needs, others will need a safe place to live and gain a new start in life, and still others will need life guidance, vocational support, and a host of other means of help. The evangelical Christian churches in Peru will need to be connected to responding to this national crisis.
Here is the good news! Buckner has 128 years of experience doing this kind of ministry. We believe that institutional residential care is a good start but not the best kind of care for children and we have developed systems to provide the kind of services that best serve the children. Joann Cole, Director of our Foster Care and Adoption Network, Michelle Harris, Director of our Transition Ministries Network, and Randy Daniels, Director of Global Initiatives have already visited Peru and seen the needs. This week the Buckner Peru staff is here along with government officials for training, orientation, and planning for a better future for the children of Peru!
So where do we start to respond to these needs?
Thursday I am headed to Houston to visit with Dr. Luis Campos, a physician, about his ministry in Peru and how we might work with him. We already have 11 mission groups that are headed to Peru this year. Is the Lord moving your heart to respond to Peru? If so, give me a call at 214-758-8191 or email me at [email protected] .
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