"A Hope Filled,
Sustainable Future for Peruvians"
by Hank Chardos, Home Works Founder and Executive Director
The August trip to Zorritos, Peru represented the 7th year Home Works volunteers have traveled to the small South American coastal village. This year would be very different however. Monsignor Don Gorski retired after many years of being the sole priest in Zorritos and the surrounding areas. What changes would occur? Who would take Monsignor Gorski's place? Would Home Works volunteers continue their mission in Zorritos? Anticipating the uncertainty of more questions than answers, only Tito Garcia and I, rather than the usual ten, traveled to Zorritos. Here are the highlights from our two-week journey:
Father Walter, a Peruvian priest, replaced Msgr. Gorski and was very receptive to the efforts of Home Works. Father Walter and the new parish administrator, Ronald Raldo, with the approval of their Parish Council agreed to partner with Home Works to build 15 homes over a one-year period. Nine Peruvian men worked side-by-side Tito and I to build the five homes during our visit.
Home Works, thanks to specific donations, brought down approximately $1,000 worth of power and hand tools. These replaced ancient handsaws and primitive hammers. These homes have no electricity, no source of water and bare ground is the floor. The 10 remaining homes are scheduled to be built one a month. The average cost to build a home is a mere $600. Home Works has pledged $3,000, equating to half of the cost for each of the remaining homes to be built. The concept is for the effort of building homes to continue beyond the departure of Home Works volunteers; employ Peruvian men and teach them a trade to enable them to support their families. The benefit to the homeowner, that literally owned nothing before, and to the surrounding neighborhood, is the message of hope.
One home built was located in a remote desert area, about 45 minutes from Zorritos. Tito and I were delayed in bringing lunch to the Peruvians by three hours. It was a brutally hot sunny day with no shade and when we finally arrived, everyone was still hard at work having already erected two walls of the home. The men didn't even seem phased that we arrived with lunch so late. The reason why – Neighbors in this remote area decided to feed the 9 Peruvian men from food that they had accumulated and stored away. The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish was never more real! Families with so little food saw what these men were doing and shared their food and faith.
Tito and I also participated in the soup kitchen program. Each day hundreds of individuals in numerous villages are provided with rice and beans. We also distributed some of the multi-vitamins and eyeglasses that were donated from the USA at these soup kitchens. When we arrived at a particular location, children and adults would gather. Sadly, amidst abject poverty not everyone received food and multi-vitamins. The coordinator in charge of the soup kitchen had previously identified children and adults who were the "neediest of the needy". Those not identified, in spite of their limited resources and food supply, watched while others benefited from the soup kitchen. What an incredible witness to see individuals willing to have others receive food when they too are hungry and malnourished.
Some thought the departure of Msgr. Gorski would mean that Home Works would not return but by the grace of God we did. Father Walter and the Parish Council are moving forward in a partnership with Home Works to assist Peruvians in directly dealing with a root problem of their poverty. By the Peruvians learning a trade while being employed, they can purchase food and other necessities for their families. Additionally, their efforts enable others to live in a home.
Home Works' volunteers will continue traveling to Zorritos with a willingness to build homes side-by-side the Peruvians. The Peruvian home building partnership will continue beyond the time frame that Home Works volunteers are in Peru experiencing untold miracles.
To contribute to this faith-fill initiative and effort to convey hope, contact Hank Chardos at 803/781-4536 or go to the donation page of this website. To obtain the Peruvian Christmas Cards, which were a huge success in 2005, please view the cards on this website. Zorritos women make the cards and 100% of the card donations go back to these women and their families.
