Ayacucho was the city where the Shining Path terroristic group was born and terrorism florished between the 80s and the 90s. The city lived a very dark age marked by attacks to the population and losses of tens of thousands of men. Puericultorio Juan Andres Vivanco Amorin was the first place established during the decades of terrorism to help families and orphans. The nuns speak about days when in the morning noise of guns or bombs was heard, and in the afternoon lonely kids were taken to the puericultorio.
Since 1980, 2011 kids received the care of the nuns of Sant’Anna. With positive energy and a big smile they welcome kids and young women with any kind of background: violated, abandoned, abused.
At the moment four nuns are taking care of more than 70 kids. The institute hosts kids that are newborn until the age of 18-19. They are supported with housing, education and daily meals. Many ex-kids come back to thank the nuns and give a monetary help to the institute.
There is big space for improvement: the walls need new painting, many structures need maintenance, the kitchen where food is prepared for all the kids is equipped with very old machinery, resulting unsafe. Another goal is to prepare a small house for the young women who at the moment are living with the young kids and try to study and do their homework without a proper space for it.
If you wish to help you can send directly goods, toys, old clothes to this address:
Avenida Arenales N° 600 Distrito San Juan Bautista, Huamanga – Ayacucho,
or if you wish to help monetary, please use this bank account:
Dollars: 220-25485821-1-54
Peruvian soles: 220-25485807-0-40
Swift code : BCPLPEPL
the email contact is: anajava26@yahoo.com
Volunteers of any age are very welcome. You will be teaching kids in the school, or helping with the newborn kids, or preparing food.
About the experience of volunteering, here there is a bite of mine: we were six volunteers and we decided to prepare pizza for all the kids. These kids have never seen a pizza before. After a long preparation of dough, sauce and toppings, five huge pizzas served as the afternoon “refrigerio” (snack) and the surprise and curiosity and smile of the kids was just priceless.
Lovely pictures, Elena.