COMEDOR PARROQUIAL -
Free Meals
The parish gives around 100 free meals a day to undernourished children and old people. The project was started 12 years ago with the yearly help of Movement "Gesu fil Proxxmu". The social worker of the parish chooses the most need cases and give out food tikets which correspond to a free meal each tiket. Two cooks are employed by the parish to prepare the food while two persons help out on a voluntary basis. Some of the people who take the meal help out by bringing wood, others in the cleaning afterwards or also by giving a simbolic contribution in money. During the year there are several talks given to the families which benefit from our Comedor Parroquial with the objective of helping them faces the challenges of life.
ALGO BELLO PARA DIOS - Hospitalization of AIDS patients
The parish rented a home in 2003 in Av. Ejerctio 1418, and transformed it into a small clinic for AIDS patients. A medical team made up of two doctors, five nurses and a psychologist are employed by the parish to take care of 15 patients, all suffering from AIDS and other infectious disease. Medical treatment is given together with hospitilization. Most of the patients get better and are discharged with help in finding a job. A group of families in Iquitos contribute on a monthly basis to keep the house running. Our objetives are clear: to give dignity to the sick person, hope in recovery and a lot of love whatever may come.
TALTIA KUMI - Rehabilitation Centre for Drug Addicts
The parish coordinates a centre for drug addicts and alcoholicos consisting of a program of 15 months live-in. In order to accomplish this mission the parish has rented a home where the interns pass the first three months receiving formation talks, costructive confrontations, sports, psychological help, medical atention and spiritual orientation. The next nine months are spent in the terapeutic community situated in a field which the bishop of Iquitos, Julian Garcia Centeno, bought for this specific use. We are still trying to find funds to build the centre on this site, up till now we only have a dormitory. The last three months of the program know as reinsertion, the interns leave the compound in order to find suitable jobs and confront their adiction in the real world, returing to the community every night. In order to accomplish our mission we have the help of two terapists, two psychologist, a doctor, three operators, a cook and an administrator. Besides the male ward, TK also offers treatment for female drug addicts having at our desposal another rented home just for the female population, together with another three female operators. The average number of interns is around 30 male interns and 4 female interns.
CASA BETANIA - Night Shelter for homeless men
The parish has also acquiered a home for those men who usually sleep in the streets of Iquitos. The home is located in Dos de Mayo, quite near to the parish. It opens its doors every single day of the year at 6pm for the first 15 homeless men who come seeking shelter.
The house is of course free of charge. One finds a clean bed, showers and a good breakfast in the morning. All those who pass the night in Betania have to be discharged at 8am the next day.
Of course a volunteer from the parish stays all night in Betania asuring order and respect.
We called it Betania because Jesus used to pass the night in the home of Lazaro, Marta and Mary, his friends, which has located near to Jerusalem, a village called Betania.