BOLIVIA: Catholic Samaritans hope to turn lives around with food, clothes and medicine

Record ID: 841897

  • Title: BOLIVIA: Catholic Samaritans hope to turn lives around with food, clothes and medicine
  • Date: 27th December 2013
  • Summary: LA PAZ, BOLIVIA (DECEMBER 27, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF GOOD SAMARITAN CENTRE CALLED: "MONTE DE ORACION" (MOUNT OF PRAYER) HOMELESS PEOPLE QUEUING TO RECEIVE AID SIGN THAT READS: "GOOD SAMARITAN" NEEDY PEOPLE WALKING INTO CENTRE WOMAN DIRECTING NEEDY PEOPLE WITH LOUDSPEAKER HOMELESS PEOPLE, WOMEN CARRYING BABIES IN ARMS, WALKING INTO CENTRE VARIOUS OF GOOD SAMARITA
  • Embargoed: 11th January 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Bolivia, Plurinational State Of
  • City:
  • Country: Bolivia
  • Topics: General,Religion,Social Services / Welfare
  • Reuters ID: LVA79P98B55VP4O5Z8C9B8Y6P6X9
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Hundreds of homeless people queued up outside a Good Samaritan centre in Bolivia's capital city of la Paz on Friday (December 27), hoping to turn their lives around starting with a hot meal, clothes and medicine.
    On Friday (December 27) the Good Samaritan group, a Roman Catholic non-profit community organisation, prepared food and helped distribute donated clothes to about 3,000 homeless people in the cities of La Paz and El Alto.
    Those in need received a hot shower, a hair cut as well as donated clothes and shoes, medical attention and a hot meal.
    Gina Ayaviri, now a Good Samaritan volunteer, once found herself on the receiving end of the groups assistance.
    "I used to be an alcoholic. Now I'm a housewife. I look after my family. I recovered my family, my home because before I didn't want to accept the fact that I was marginalised but now I have the support of my children, siblings and my whole family. They all helped me and thank God I have returned to life," she said.
    The campaign kicked off in 2002 with volunteers attending to some 500 people. Over a decade, the number has grown, with 3,000 helped last year by the centre.
    A team of medical staff, including doctors, dentists and nurses were also on hand providing medical attention.
    A coordinator at the Good Samaritan centre, Efrain Alarcon, explained their purpose.
    "The Good Samaritan is a group of men and women who mainly carry a message of love. We have been working for eleven years now at this Good Samaritan centre, where people come in with their failure, pain, a lot of discrimination and leave with a light of hope because there is an impact of love. Here, they are cleansed, showered, healed and dressed from head to toe and they receive a good meal," he said.
    Among the hundreds helped on Friday was Julio, a homeless man who said he is ready to change his life.
    "In order to recover my family I want to behave well and change. I would like a new life so that my family accepts me because living on the streets is bad, the nights are ugly," he said.
    Before leaving, the impoverished attend Mass, with a special liturgy directed at urging them to change their lives. Some of them are sent to rehabilitation centres and others are reunited with their families.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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