El Porvenir, Trujillo

Un Pueblo Joven "A Young town"

We make a commitment to serve as Comboni Lay Missionaries in a poor and marginalized section on the outskirts of Trujillo, Perú called El Porvenir (which ironically means "the future"). The government intentionally platted this land for the people forced out of the mountains by poverty who come to the city looking for a home and a way to support their family.

As you can see from the following photos, the streets are not paved and much of the town exists without basic services such as electricity, water, sewer and phone. High unemployment cripples the family structure and many young people turn to gangs and criminal activities to earn money.

The settlement of El Porvenir, Trujillo

A shanty town

Built on sand

We serve largely within the parish boundaries of the Catholic church Señor de los Milagros (our Lord of the Miracles). Although estimates vary, approximately 100,000 people live within our parish boundaries. Our parish is considered young in both existence and population: 70% OF THE POPULATION IS LESS THAN 25 YEARS OLD! Of that 70%, 38% are between the ages of 0 to 10 and 32% between the ages 11 to 25.

Children

Children in Fe y Alegria School

A public school in Trujillo

We work with three Comboni priests (Fathers Max, Graz and Alfonso) plus three sisters. In addition to the main pastoral center, there are several chapels in which people gather for prayer and faith formation.

The Church

Main Pastoral Center Our Lord of the Miracles	A chapel Our Lady of Mercy
Inside one of the chapels The inside of Señor de los Milagros	Another outside view Note the lack of vegetation. Not even koshia grows here!
A chapel Virgen Solidaria	A chapel Ralph and Katie view one of the chapels, summer 2003. The taxi is parked on the road!
San Jose chapel I'll bet they don't have to mow very often.	Inside another chapel