Judith Arroyo, project technician of ARCORES Spain, travels to several Peruvian cities to strengthen networking and visit projects of social transformation led by the Augustinian Recollect family.
Visiting, knowing and listening: a journey to the heart of the mission
Judith Arroyo, project technician for ARCORES Spain, has lived an experience that goes beyond the technical monitoring of projects. Her trip to Peru had two main objectives: to visit the initiatives already implemented and underway, such as the water systems in Chota or the improved kitchens -more than 10,000 built-, and to extend the presence of ARCORES to other cities with an Augustinian Recollect footprint: Cajamarca, Cochabamba, Chiclayo and Lima.
“The commitment of the farming communities is admirable,” says Judith, emphasizing the involvement of the beneficiaries in the construction of the projects.says Judith, highlighting the involvement of the beneficiaries in the construction of the projects. “They provide labor, materials, and have a strong sense of responsibility,” she says.she explains.
An expanding presence with deep roots
The Augustinian Recollect family has been sowing life in Peru for decades: the friars arrived in 1945, the Augustinian Recollect Missionary Sisters in 1948 and, more recently, in 2008, the Augustinian Recollect Sisters of the Heart of Jesus. This presence has generated a living network of secular fraternities, Augustinian Recollect Youth (JAR) and groups of Monastic Mothers, all committed to the transformation of their environment.
“ARCORES’ work is enriched by this lively and committed network, which goes far beyond the institutional,” says Judith. From volunteers at St. Rita de Casia and St. Martin de Porres schools in Lima to entire communities that “contribute their own resources, their time and their prayers. “They contribute their own resources, their time and their prayers.
From the computer to the meeting: the human face of the project
Judith has been working for six years at ARCORES International’s headquarters in Spain. Although she maintains daily contact with the team in Peru, her trip allowed her to turn this digital relationship into a human encounter:
“I was able to put a face to the people I talk to every day, to meet the missionaries, missionaries, beneficiaries and communities. It was a real meeting of brothers”.
His testimony highlights the importance of going beyond paper and technical reports. “Projects should not remain in a Word file. What is important is the human bond that is woven, the fraternal network that unites hearts and gives meaning to everything we do”.
A challenging and hopeful path
Judith enthusiastically acknowledges the potential she found in Peru: “I have seen willingness, restlessness, desire to work together”.. She also stresses that the challenge is not to stop at ideas, but to promote projects based on the great wealth of existing human resources.
With hope and joy, he concludes:
“I want to continue to visit other ARCORES sites, to continue to get to know them, to weave this fraternal network and to return to the mission, because that is the heart of our work: people.