In 1997, a group of seven women making these increasingly popular cloth pictures was helped by the Good Shepherd to produce work for a wider market, exhibiting the colorful, almost three-dimensional pictures at fairs and foreign community events. Since 2000 they have been exporting to the USA and UK. The original group has now expanded to 20, and a wider network of women (and men) supplies the tiny hand-stitched fruits and vegetables, baskets and dolls, and helps with basic embroidery, involving some 35 people.

The income from this colorful work has allowed the women to make great improvements in their living standards. Most have replaced their plywood or straw matting walls with bricks and mortar; some have installed their first indoor bathroom with tiled walls, and all have financed schooling and higher studies for their children. One has qualified as a lawyer, one as a nurse, another as a psychologist, and there are several other educational successes.

The pandemic interrupted the exports, but the group can design almost anything for personal orders in Lima. For additional information regarding the Arpillera Program and for orders, please contact Jean Samaniego at samaniegopritchard@yahoo.co.uk.

Lucha Fallaque, a member of the Good Shepherd Cathedral congregation, has been working with prisoners in the Santa Mónica Prison in Chorrillos for over 40 years, teaching them various handicrafts and then helping with the sales so that they have a small income. She is now also involved with the high-security Virgen de Fátima Prison, also in Chorrillos. Currently 90 women are in the program in the Santa Mónica Prison and 100 in the Virgen de Fátima Prison. Lucha obtains many of the necessary materials for the work from friends and family members.

There is a crèche for children up to 3 years old who are living in the prison with their mothers; there are currently 32 children, although there have been as many as 40 in the past.

Every year, Lucha provides refreshments to celebrate the Day of the Child, the Day of the Senior Citizen and Mother’s Day with the inmates. After their release, the ex-prisoners can continue their contact with this Ministry.

Foreign prisoners: Although we are not currently in direct contact with English-speaking prisoners, we do collect reading material from our Book Sale supplies (magazines, books) and donate it via the British Embassy and other contacts.

The Good Shepherd Cathedral provides funds for the prison ministry. Additional support for this program is always welcome in the form of financial contributions and donations of supplies. For additional information regarding the Prison Ministry and how you can contribute, please contact Jean Samaniego at samaniegopritchard@yahoo.co.uk.

Over more than 15 years, our program has helped nurses, a mechanic, teachers, physiotherapists, lawyers and computer programmers graduate and find work. Sometimes only 6 months of support have been necessary. This year, Dejanira successfully completed studies in nursing and is now employed, and Isabel received her university degree in communication sciences.

Help for an individual student is usually between S/.300 and S/.400 per month.

We are looking for funding to be able to continue funding the two students we now have on board, and others who are applying. Please consider sponsoring a student or contributing to the general sponsorship fund. For additional information please contact Jean Samaniego at samaniegopritchard@yahoo.co.uk.