“A youth of Peace builds the new bridges and raises the consciousnesses by means of their acts of love, of mercy and of charity”
The Youth Campaign for Peace, with the support of Fraternidade – International Humanitarian Federation (FFHI), conducted its first Missionary Youth for Peace Event in Uruguay, on July 20, 21 and 22, 2018.
Together for a dream
On the first day of the event (Jul 20), about 20 missionaries provided help to the occupational center called “Together for a Dream”. The institution, located in the city of Solymar, houses mentally retarded children. Recreational activities, music and games permeated the missionary visit. On the occasion, the possibility was studied of making in the future an intervention in the external area and the building of a carpentry. At night, a closing attunement was done, on a beach of the region of Ciudad de la Costa.
Presence of the Network-of-Light
The impulses generated by the Youth Missionary for Peace Events (both the ones that took place in Brazil and this one in Uruguay) attracted members of the Network-of-Light, whose support and experience are contributing to the proposals of the missionary youths and, in this way, the events are integrating themselves to the Planetary Missionary Network.
Assistance to the Animal Kingdom
On Saturday (Jul 21), the service was at the LCA – Animal Refuge. LCA is a place of animal rescue, recovery and protection. Located in Suarez, the place shelters approximately 230 animals, including dogs, cats, horses, sheep and pigs. It is coordinated by Alicia Torres García, a reference in Uruguay in matters related to animal rights. Alicia, together with her husband and two adolescent children sustain the shelter by means of spontaneous contributions, of a certain support from the City Hall, of a worker who is sporadically hired and of donations from a refrigerated warehouse. The warehouse covers part of the animal feeding. The family began the work of rescue 20 years ago, with 40 dogs. Due to the number of animals, they needed to relocate outside the limits of the city.
The dogs broke the Windows of the house and occupied part of the home as refuge. The family, repeated times, tried to repair the windows and establish limits to prevent the entrance of the animals, but they did not obtain great results. Due to the deteriorated conditions of the place, Alicia manifested great concern for the integral wellbeing of her family, especially her children. The animal defender has a delicate health state: she has undergone nine surgeries due to a cancer that affected several organs, and recently suffered an aggravation of her cardiovascular system.
The group of volunteers made a general cleaning in the áreas, built a fence for the kennel and painted the toys of the square, where students from schools are received, who come to visit the refuge, and sometimes adopt animals. The surrender and love of the family for the Animal Kingdom were noticeable and, at the end of the day, both the team of missionaries and the family group expressed a feeling of deep gratitude. At night, there was a sharing with Imer, a missionary of Fraternidade, who talked about the topic “Missions of Humanitarian Help”.
Activities at the Merendero
On the last day of the Event (Jul 22), the missionary youths went to the merendero, Neighborhood of the Euchalyptuses, located in a village in the city of Maldonado. Merendero (“the dinner place” in Spanish) is a place where food is provided to needy children. The families that live in this village in general do not have good nutrition and hygiene habits, and good manners. Every weekend and on holidays, about 25 children receive balanced food with seasonal fruits. Besides this, there is distribution of clothes, instructions about personal hygiene and playful activities. Birthday parties are also celebrated in the space.
The merendero is sustained by donations made by several people and by volunteers, who cook and organize the space and its harmonization. The idea is to feed the body and the soul of the little ones with love and joy. The team cleaned, internally and externally, a newly-donated place, which, soon, will be the new merendero. There was also recreation and interaction with the children and the residents of the village.
Fire
During the activity, a house caught fire. The group fetched buckets with water and helped in what was possible, until the arrival of the firefighters.
The unexpected situation brought about different reactions in the participants in the event. The missionary youths were touched by the episode, because the people who had their house destroyed were being assisted by the missionaries themselves. The houses of the village are very precarious, susceptible to fire, because they are made of wood and flammable material.
The fire devastated everything and, some days after the event, the missionary team managed to raise donations (clothes, educational material, domestic utilities, bed and mattress) for the family that had been affected by the fire. One of the participants in the event is a firefighter and, at the request of the group, will offer a series of talks of instruction on what to do in this kind of context. The great impulse and the wide response of the group generated a spirit of unity and of service that is promising for the continuity of the missionary initiatives in Uruguay.
The event ended with a ceremony of ecumenical communion.
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