AMERICA/BOLIVIA - Family House Teresa de los Andes: it is difficult to get aid to help sick children

Friday, 7 October 2011

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Santa Cruz (Agenzia Fides) - On Monday, Oct. 3, the Family House Teresa de los Andes celebrated, with a thanksgiving Mass presided by Mgr.Sergio Gualberti, Coadjutor Archbishop of Santa Cruz, 22 years since its foundation. 222 Bolivian children received a new lease of life coming into this center, which aims to expand to other cities of Bolivia. Brother Nestor Antonio Rodriguez, of the Fraternity of Divine Providence, who directs the House Teresa de los Andes, explained that currently there are 137 children housed, many of them orphans, with poor health conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism, and Down syndrome. In these cases, in addition to receiving care and regular feeding, children receive medical treatment regarding physiotherapy, dentistry and psychology. In addition, the Family House is home to 25 children during the day, while another 60 attend the nursery.
"We have many projects but do not have the resources - said the religious-. We want to create a daily community Center in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and a foundation in another city, where there are children in these conditions that need our help". Unfortunately it is very difficult to get the necessary support for the maintenance of the house, as some prefer to help healthy children because they think they have a better chance of living. "Our children, however, are attached to life and we must take them forward", concluded brother Nestor.
The Fraternity of Divine Providence is a religious community founded on May 17, 1977 by a group of lay people involved with the poor and needy in the parish of Santa Bárbara de Usaquén, in Bogota (Colombia), inspired by the mystical life of Saint Benedict of Nursia and the apostolic life of St. Francis of Assisi. It received the final approval as a Religious Institute with diocesan right in September 1999. Today it has communities in 5 countries: Colombia (20 houses), Peru (3 houses), Bolivia (3 houses), Spain (2 houses) and Guatemala (3 houses). (CE) (Agenzia Fides 07/10/2011)