“A child is a gift of God. If you do not want him, give him to me.” - Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
St. Mark Peru Mission: Posada de Belén
PERU
Callao
ABOUT POSADA
The St. Mark Mission:
To enable Posada de Belén, a home for boys, to be more successful in their mission through on-site physical support, prayer, fellowship, and financial aid.
What Posada de Belén does:
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Helps boys, victims of family abuse, in a family atmosphere, attending to their needs in a holistic way with the goal that the boys will overcome their emotional wounds
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Provides an afterschool program for boys and girls that offers spiritual formation, tutoring, and recreation in a Christian environment
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Takes the Gospel of Jesus Christ to some of the poorest areas of Lima, and educate and form brothers and sisters in the Christian Faither through the School of Evangelization San Andrés
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Provides medical care, low cost medicine, free medical programs and home visits to people in need
Their Story:
In 1997, inspired by the works of Saint Francis of Assisi, a group of men and women in Lima, Peru founded the Civil Association Hermana Tierra in an attempt to find resources to assist the children of Callao (the port city of Lima) worst affected by physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, as well as those abandoned by their families. Their objective was simple: to provide a home for children, victims of domestic abuse.
Their objective was based on a strong conviction, yet full of illusions because they lacked money and a building in which to provide the children a safe place to live. Ultimately, near the end of 2001, after a long awaited change in political administration, they received recognition from the Ministry of Women and Human Development because of the work they had already performed in raising money and awareness of the situation. They were generously awarded the project home for abused children, now known as Posada de Belén.
However, the building required a great deal of work as it had been abandoned for several years and had become a haven for animals and drug addicts. The building was riddled with broken electrical wires, plumbing, doors, windows, etc. The water and drainage system had collapsed causing the floors to fall apart. In the end, it was deemed necessary to almost completely demolish the building and rebuild rather than try to repair most of the original structure.
In January 2002, they received a very important donation from the foundation ALCOA, which granted them $26,000 US dollars. After 5 months of negotiation they were recognized as tax exempt in April 2002, which greatly reduced their running costs. The doors to the home finally opened in 2003.
