People of Peru Project runs crisis center for abandoned girls
The People of Peru Project runs a crisis center for abandoned girls in Iquitos, Peru, which has given the organization a recognized and appreciated presence in the local area. Iquitos has 600,000 residents and is surrounded by thousands of square miles of jungle. It is plagued by poverty, disease, parasites, and malnutrition.It was evident who needed help one day when the crisis center director peeked out of his office. Three people sat outside the office door, while one girl sat alone against a retaining wall in the parking lot.
The girl who sat alone made an awkward jerk when she jumped up, eager to shake the director's hand. She was tall for a Peruvian, but she stooped over as if timid and lacking in confidence. Her story was a simple one.
She was born with epilepsy. Her family lived a humble existence in the jungle, searching daily for food. There was no money for medicine. Her parents kept her home to avoid being publicly humiliated by her unpredictable epileptic seizures. Often the target of other children’s cruelty, the time she spent in school was not very productive.
At 12, she was the victim of an assault. At 18, she believed the smooth words of a man who said he loved her, giving birth to his child. The baby is being raised by someone else.
Months ago she wandered into a church where a local doctor and his family compassionately took her in, effectively demonstrating Christ's love. In their home, she learned to trust others and to worship God for the first time in her life. She came to understand Him as a Father who loves her and is not ashamed of her.
Medication eventually eliminated her seizures, and one day the kind physician and his family brought her to People of Peru Project’s crisis center. It was an awkward beginning to a new life. She had only the clothes on her back and the well-worn bible she clutches close to her heart wherever she goes. She also arrived with a prayer of thanksgiving on her lips.
If only she knew the prayers and support that had already gone up in her behalf—long before she crossed the parking lot.
The People of Peru Project is one of ASI's special offering projects for 2009. It plans to build a new dormitory that will house 15–18 girls and include a kitchen, dining area, laundry, daycare, and director's residence. The dormitory will primarily house older girls in transition to responsible adulthood.
Visit the People of Peru Project website.