Outreach Peru, in nurturing hope and faith for a better life, promotes
projects in health, education and sustainable development, supports the
life of the Church, and provides aid to vulnerable people.
The joys and the hopes, the sorrows and the anxieties of the people
of Peru inspire Worth Abbey’s Outreach Peru. Together with our
partners, Outreach Peru is working towards a society where poverty is
ended so that the physical, social and spiritual well-being of the
people of Peru is assured.
Outreach Peru is the development fund of Worth Abbey for
Peru. Worth Abbey is a Benedictine community near London Gatwick
Airport. The Benedictine monks of Worth Abbey have worked in Peru since
1968. Though the monks are no longer resident in Peru, Outreach Peru
continues that work. Worth monks have extensive local knowledge as well
as excellent relationships with the Church and those local
organisations who use money wisely. Central to the work is listening to
Peruvians speaking for themselves. Outreach Peru funds projects that
involve Peruvians in the design and practical applications of their own
solutions.
At Outreach Peru, we see first hand that the International Monetary
Fund classification of Peru as a middle income country means that
people in poverty are often being excluded from international measures
to reduce poverty. The British Government closed its aid operation
there in 2005. Yet, over half the population in Peru are living in
poverty, which means they do not even have enough money to fill a
family food basket and nearly a quarter are in a struggle for daily
existence. 14 million Peruvians are in danger of being forgotten by the
international community.
Outreach Peru supports well-targeted projects in health, education
and the development of sustainable livelihoods that experience shows
really do help people out of poverty. We know that the presence of
women at the heart of development strategies is a vital part of long
term sustainability. The Church is one of Peru’s most reliable
organisations. By nurturing moral and spiritual formation, especially
of young Peruvians, Outreach Peru is developing Peru’s greatest
resource, its people.
There are global dimensions to all poverty reduction projects.
Outreach Peru supports co-ordinated UK advocacy related to its
projects.
