Another year has come and gone. As we approach the end of 2023, how do we review this whirlwind of activity that has affected the lives of thousands?
For some, the conclusion of this year is better than it started. For some, the year’s end found them more desperate and closer to losing hope. For some, there is nothing significant from one day to the next. There is no calendar page to turn on, it is a blur of survival each day.
People of Peru Project has pushed hard to lighten the load for those who struggle. We have placed hundreds of water filters in the homes of people who have no access or economy for pure water.
By providing clean water we have reduced the need for medical care to treat bacterial infections and parasites. We eliminated the necessity to purchase water and by doing so, more of the weekly income is available for food, education, and other basic needs. The filtration program, simply put, is a winner and thanks to those of you who sponsored filters, many families are doing much better as we finish 2023.
POPPYS house is at capacity with 20 children who simply have nowhere else
to go. Although their stories are tragic, sad, and brutal, they now have hope.
It is hard to believe how the world has deteriorated to the extent that so many
children’s lives have been dramatically impacted. What is even harder to imagine is
where these children would be if we weren’t here to provide a safe place to live.
Trauma therapy, play, family-structured care, schooling, and opportunities for
spiritual growth have transformed the lives of hundreds of children. Some of them
are now professionals and some of them are in leadership positions in our
organization. No one knows better the struggles of an abandoned and abused child than those who have experienced it first-hand.
Second Generation Mentoring is our newest educational program. The director is a young woman who found strength, comfort, and healing at POPPYS house many years ago. She finished her education and now has two beautiful children. In her role she identifies, enrolls, and mentors impoverished students in her city, acting as a liaison between struggling parents, hopeful students, and overworked teachers. She procures the necessary school supplies and intercedes on behalf of the students who have no support.
Thousands of people have benefited from our emergency food distribution program. Imagine the impact of receiving food for your family when there are hungry children crying for a meal and no resources to provide one. To witness the impact of this gift is powerful, and hundreds of volunteers acted as ambassadors of hope while distributing the food that many of you sponsored during this past year. There were tears of joy shed by recipients and volunteers alike as prayers were answered, stomachs were filled, and perspectives changed for those of us who have never suffered this way.
People of Peru Project’s Dental Clinic continues to serve impoverished families five days a week. After an internship interruption caused by the pandemic and a new baby girl, our second dentist is full-time and the ability of this dynamic couple to serve more patients has been a blessing to hundreds.
The Surgery Center! What about the surgery center? As most of you know the building was purchased six years ago and the initial approval by the Minister of Health and Local and Regional Government was a long and tedious process. There were setbacks
caused by promised funding sources that never materialized and of course COVID-19. As we neared our funding goal, the Minister of Health changed the requirements and demanded that we transform our surgery center into a hospital that would be accredited to perform major surgeries.
Back to the drawing board, we went. New architectural drawings and engineering plans were now completed. As we realized we needed more space for the enlarged plan, prayers were answered when the neighbor, unsolicited, offered to sell us his land. God knew in advance what our needs would be for this project. We simply needed to move forward and do our part.
Our project was expanded and of course, the construction costs have almost doubled. We are now a little more than halfway to our goal for the remodel/construction of this building. God’s timing is always perfect, and generous supporters have given us what we need for the first 75% of this project.
The architect and engineer's work is finished. The site preparation that can be done ahead of time is underway and the new land is ready for expansion of this life-saving facility. Dozens of medical institutions and surgical teams are waiting in the wings to provide the surgeries thousands of people are praying for.
This project needs to be completed sooner rather than later. Our women’s health/prenatal program is waiting to be launched. The cataract surgical equipment and ultrasound machines are still in storage and large medical facilities are urging us to take the much-needed equipment that they are eager to donate. This project is different than anything we have built in the last 23 years. Once we start, we need to have the funds to finish without interruption. We don’t have the luxury of building as we go, as most of our other projects to date. Our goal is to have the money in hand by the end of the year and 2024 will be the year of the hospital.
We see heartbreaking medical cases, needless deaths, and years’ worth of suffering that will be changed by this Surgery Center.
Help us make this a reality. Your tax-deductible donation will move us closer to the finish line and that will be a starting line for thousands.
-Paul Opp,
Founder and CEO, People of Peru Project.