March
23, 2015
Dear
Members of the Coprodeli Board,
Recently I returned from visiting Padre Miguel at Coprodeli, in Callao. I feel compelled to write and tell you some of my observations and experiences. I spent almost five weeks with the Coprodeli people, this being my eighth visit to Peru.
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| Coprodeli Staff |
Olga
Samborska Moroz and Marissa Joakim are the two women working for Coprodeli USA
at the office in Callao. They welcomed
me warmly and I was happy
to have the opportunity to help them with some work. They are like the rest of the staff in
Callao…smart, focused, likable, dedicated and diligent. You can feel comfortable that they are doing
well in their positions. I am not
involved in social media, but they are tapping into that territory with a
vengeance and they seem to be successful.
This year, more than
ever before, I am awed by all that Padre
Miguel Ranera ( Padre )
and his dedicated team have accomplished.
The staff perform as a very well organized, dedicated and competent
group of people. They take their lead
from Padre, their fearless and extremely focused leader. It is hard for me to put a handle on it, but
this year just seemed different.
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| Coprodeli San Martin School and Outreach Center, in Pachacutec, Peru |
I
can give you a few examples. The schools
that were built in Pachacutec and Callao how many years ago have the appearance
of well-established centers of education.
The directors and other educators of these schools seem to be extremely
capable, focused, knowledgeable, very dedicated and
proud of what they are doing. It was
wonderful to see.
I visited the
Coprodeli Outreach Center (CAE) classes in
Callao and Independencia. Both of the programs are well established. The
students were amazing. They were having
fun, but they were so orderly, polite and engaging that it was absolutely a
pleasure to be with them. There was a
sense of calmness, safety and nurturing in the air. Children were nice to each other.
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| Outreach Center in Los Barracones, Peru |
I
spent a morning at the new Coprodeli Outreach Center (CAE) in Los Barracones
in Callao, not ten minutes from the Coprodeli office. This is one of the worst
areas in the Lima area. Padre has been
asked by city officials to bring his programs to the area and be a factor in
turning the area around. This is a high
order, an enormous mission, one which is right up Padre’s alley! The program here runs during
the morning, culminating with a large, healthy lunch and then dismissal. There were probably 14-16 kids there, mostly
boys, and the atmosphere was totally different than the others I had just
visited. I admire the staff and as I said before, I cannot imagine dealing with
these kids on a daily basis. I was exhausted after the few hours I spent
there. I look forward to returning
another year and finding the same calm and order that exists at all of the
other CAEs.
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| Padre Miguel and Judy McDonald on a boat in the Peruvian Jungle |
Padre
Miguel is very patient with me and takes very good care of me. When he is out of town someone is assigned to
watch over me.
I
will tell you a little bit of what is going on in the jungle…from my eyes. It appears to me that some of the eight sites
are welcoming the Coprodeli “model” of school and its education process. There is work to be done and people are
receptive to the upcoming changes. There
are the actual school buildings that need cleaning and updating, and teachers
that need to be observed/approved or replaced. Although it is not an easy area
to work in, Padre has totally committed himself and appropriate staff to this
region of San Martin, in the jungle. It
was a gift for me to be able to be witness to this new area of improvement and
growth for Coprodeli.
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| Maria Teresa Fernandez, Padre Miguel, and Judy McDonald in the Peruvian Jungle |
During
different meetings or after some masses, Padre would introduce me, along with
other new faces, to the group in attendance.
A full time volunteer from Spain, Gus by nickname (Maria Teresa
Fernandez), was usually introduced with me.
She runs all of Coprodeli Spain and among other activities, manages the 500-600
“padrinos” (child sponsors) of Spain.
(We may have close to 150.)
Anyway, at one of these times I gave my little talk, in Spanish, and
mentioned the following. “There are
always two things that are sure to happen when I spend a day with Padre. There is always an adventure and there is
always a miracle!” And, it is true.
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| Judy McDonald in Coprodeli office in Callao, Peru |
Please
feel free to ask me any details or questions about my trip. I welcome the opportunity of writing more
about my time with Padre in Perú.
I
look forward to my next visit,
Judy
McDonald
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