Sister Maria Isabel informed us that:

On October 22 we received a letter from our Superioress General about ‘Famvin Alliance with homeless people.’ In our Province, we have two projects with the homeless. The first one is in Asunción, Paraguay, in the Sagrada Familia neighborhood, where we assist families displaced by floods. Sister Maria Dolores and Sister Teresita Gimenez have accompanied this group of 50 families.

Thanks to their efforts, the Archdiocese of Asunción granted them land and the SENATIVAT approved the construction of five homes where they are now settled. We are involved in the management. The families are motivated to work with each other on food and economic issues.

The second project is in Puente Alto, Santiago district, of Chile.  There a program is being developed through fundraising to construct two community centres in a “camp.”   These are formed by grouping precarious houses illegally installed on private land at the south zone of Santiago. We are involved in the management. Families here are also motivated to work with each other on food and economic issues.

A fundraising campaign will be carried out among the six thousand families and 600 workers that make up the Vincentian Educational Network in Chile.  They will use awareness videos and the collaboration of young people who participated in the 6th Vincentian Students Encounter and who are committed to be promoters of this initiative.

For collaboration in the construction of the community headquarters, the residents of “El Peñón Camp” in Puente Alto District of Santiago were selected.  They were grouped into 2 Committees – a total of 88 families, including 44 children – channelling the needs of their members and coordinating joint efforts to improve the quality of their lives while searching for definitive housing solutions.

This project includes working jointly with both Committees and their members, sharing contributions, management and sustainability, so that the participation of the beneficiaries in each stage is effectively incorporated.

Source: http://filles-de-la-charite.org/