MIAMI. – The Ayacucho Emergency Association (AEA), whose objective is to support the maintenance of the Juan Pablo II Homes, located in Huanta, Huancapi, and Vilcashuamán, in Peru, where orphaned or abandoned children reside, held an event to pay tribute to the president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Salvador Piñeiro, and the sponsors of that organization, at the CVI.CHE105 restaurant in downtown Miami.
Monsignor Piñeiro, who is also the archbishop of the archdiocese of the Peruvian department of Ayacucho, blessed the special guests and applauded the work that this non-profit organization has been carrying out both in Peru and in the United States, through its chapter in Miami.
For the high-ranking figure of the Catholic Church in Peru, the AEA’s mission benefits “very poor people” in areas depressed by poverty and violence sown by the guerrillas of the Shining Path group, which caused around 30,000 deaths in Peruvian territory between 1980 and 2000.
“This is a task that carries a huge burden; salaries need to be paid, the regional government helps as much as it can, and this is how we sow love and hope in the hearts of so many children in that corner of the Andes,” said Monsignor Piñeiro.
The AEA emerged on November 29, 1985, following the visit of Pope John Paul II to Peru, and until December 2015, it has provided shelter to 1,857 children and adolescents. Currently, in the three AEA Homes, there are 64 children and adolescents.
Violeta Cepeda, president of the AEA in Miami, stated that events like the one last Friday highlight the altruistic spirit of the sponsors of that association “who help us raise the funds we need.”
She added that although terrorism has taken a back seat in Peru after the weakening of the Shining Path’s armed structure, “we still have a lot of poverty in vast regions of our country, and it’s often the children who suffer the most.”
AEA organizes various events and activities throughout the year, such as bazaars, galas, dinners, and others, with the aim of generating income to finance the Juan Pablo II Homes, Villa Paloma Youth Home, and various projects of the Association.
Meanwhile, Patricia Scerpella, vice president of the organization in Miami, invited the South Florida community to join the upcoming fundraising gala at the Marriott Dadeland hotel on September 9, 2017.
The vision of the AEA is to continue the work initiated by Blessed John Paul II, promoting and implementing actions aimed at maintaining the Homes and Youth Homes, providing an environment that meets their biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs until achieving their satisfactory reintegration into society.
