Malteser Perú celebrates 10 years of social projects

Organisation honoured by Peru's National Congress

On 18 May 2012, Malteser Perú celebrated its 10th anniversary at the Peruvian congress. Its social commitment throughout the country was highy appreciated on this occasion.

On 18 May, members and friends of Malteser Perú celebrated one decade of service to the needy and successful social projects in Lima’s Congress. There, the relief organisation of the Order of Malta in Peru was honoured by country representatives of Peru’s National Congress, who praised the organisation’s commitment to help the population in the country’s most vulnerable areas.

Malteser Perú was founded in May of 2002 as a volunteer organisation by the German priest Monsignore Helmut Zielinski. Since its foundation, the organisation has implemented dozens of projects, including income-generating measures, health campaigns, emergency and disaster relief, and various social programmes. After the 2007 earthquake that hit the country’s central coast, Malteser Perú provided extensive relief and supported the region’s reconstruction efforts. Today, more than 200 volunteers work in eight locations throughout Peru, operating a community kitchen in Amauta, a children’s toy library in Piura and a centre for senior citizens in Querecotillo. In addition, the volunteers organise several distribution campaigns throughout the year – on Christmas, for instance, they bring gifts to low-income children.

During the 10-year celebrations, members of Malteser Perú, including its current president, Luis Urbina, presented the organisation’s works during an information session in Lima’s Legislative Palace, which included a panel discussion on the topic of volunteering as a development tool.

“After 10 years, our work and the many friendships made along the way live on”, says César Márquez, who was president of Malteser Perú from 2002 to 2011. “We want to celebrate all of these years of friendships, of dreams, of finding out that, in the end, solidarity and love of our neighbours is our only truth”. 

Malteser International has been supporting the relief activities of Malteser Perú since 2007.

More pictures and information about the projects in Peru.