In Peru, the consequences of the pandemic have hit young people and families hard. The work of the Salesians of "Fundación Don Bosco" in Piura, Arequipa, Cusco, Misiones de la Selva, Lima, Chosica and Callao, is a glimmer of hope: they are helping 40,500 families who are in extreme difficulty by sending food and other necessities to help them deal with this infinite emergency.
The Sons of Don Bosco work every day to support as many families as possible, families in need like Vania's, a 9-year-old girl who lives in a poor area of San Juan de Miraflores, in the district of Lima. Her family situation is very difficult. Together with her two brothers, Vania lives in a wooden house without electricity or drinking water or sewerage; in despair, both her parents who, despite all the difficulties, have always done everything for their children, but are now losing all hope.
20 km from San Juan de Miraflores, in the Don Bosco Center for street children, lives Carlos, born in the Cusco region; until a few years ago, his situation was like Vania's. His father - the only one with a job - died, while his mother was without a paying job. Alex, his youngest brother, was born with a serious disability and in few years his condition worsened until he died at an early age. For Carlos it was very a difficult situation, but despite the terrible family problems and the lack of support from the family today, thanks to the Salesians, he can actualise his dream towards a good career.
Carlos is in the 5th semester of the vocational course in Electronics. He is a very sensitive boy with a clear goal: he wants to become a good professional soon. During the period of total lockdown, eager to do practical work, learn the trade by getting his hands dirty, he saw his dream and hope of a new life fade away, but now he is slowly readjusting, despite the health emergency.
“We at Missioni Don Bosco want to help all the children of the 40,500 families, in order to allow girls like Vania to dream like Carlos,” they write from Missioni Don Bosco. “A help that can really make a difference are scholarships, an extraordinary support that allows to relieve at least in part the poorest families from the concern related to child support, but not only that. Long distance adoptions are also a fundamental tool for protecting the right to study and nutrition of many children who risk seeing their future fade.”
Source: Missioni Don Bosco
