Columban lay missionary Ana Flores (right) working with Peruvian and Venezuelan children in Peru. - Photo: Ana Flores
Journeying with displaced children in Peru
After several years since my last home holiday, I was finally able to travel to my homeland of Peru. It was a time of uncertainty and hardship, as the country was still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. Families were struggling and the most vulnerable - especially displaced women and children - were bearing the brunt of the crisis. Yet it was also a time of rediscovery and renewed mission.
Soon after arriving, I visited the Columban mission site in Rimac, Lima. There, I was welcomed into a space of hope and resilience. I saw women and young people - at least thirty of them - working together in an organic vegetable garden. They were part of a broader community effort supported by the Warmi Huasi Project, directed by Columban Fr Edward O’Connell. Alongside the Columbans, partners such as UNICEF and the local Department of Education were involved, showing the strength that can come from collaboration.
During my time at home, I was invited to help with a children’s learning activity. The pandemic had kept many of them away from school and this initiative aimed to reintroduce them to education in a nurturing and safe environment. As a teacher by profession, I was offered a role. At first, I declined due to my commitment to return to the Philippines, where I was on mission. A few weeks later, however, the Warmi Huasi coordinator called again, asking if I could reconsider. This time, I said yes - on the proviso that I could teach four days a week. That way, I could still maintain my other responsibilities.
What followed was a deeply moving experience: four days a week, over the course of four months, I re-entered the world of teaching in a way I had never quite experienced before. The challenge was not only educational but physical - we had to maintain a one-metre distance and wear masks at all times. Teaching children to read and write under those restrictions was incredibly difficult. But as we got to know each other, trust began to grow. They started offering me bits of their snacks. I was invited to share meals with them. Through these small gestures, a bond formed.
I taught children aged four, five and six at first. Their enthusiasm reminded me of my early days as a teacher. While my experience helped, I had to be extra patient and creative. Each child had different needs and planning lessons that could engage them all required both energy and heart. As time passed, I was asked to work with a group of third graders who had not yet learned how to read or write. Most of them were Venezuelan refugees who had fled their country in search of safety and a better future.
Photo: Ana Flores
This new group presented a different kind of challenge. I needed to break distancing protocols just to guide their hands as they learned to form letters. But it was in this closeness that the most human connections were made. One day, one of the Venezuelan children used the word “chamo”. I asked what it meant and the child laughed - apparently, it’s a term used affectionately to mean “friend” or “buddy”. What struck me was how naturally they bonded, regardless of nationality. For these children, being Peruvian or Venezuelan didn’t matter. They were just “chamos” - friends.
In their innocence, they taught me profound lessons in kindness, mutual understanding and the human capacity to embrace others as family. Some of them shared their stories - of journeys across borders, of nights spent hungry, of missing loved ones, of hope and heartbreak. Many had come through Colombia, Ecuador, eventually arriving in Peru. In their words, I heard echoes of the Holy Family’s own journey - Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem, facing hardship, uncertainty and the search for a place to stay.
Just as the Christ Child was born in a humble stable, these children and their families have found refuge in modest homes, sometimes in makeshift shelters - but always with the hope that something better is possible. Their courage reminded me that displacement is not just a political or social issue - it’s a deeply human one.
The children I met through the Warmi Huasi Project are more than victims of circumstance. They are resilient, bright and full of promise. They carry the weight of their past but also the light of hope. Teaching them was more than a job - it was a calling. They reminded me of the purpose of mission: to accompany, to uplift and to learn alongside those we serve.
As I reflect on those months, I am grateful - not just for the chance to teach, but for the grace of walking with these young “chamos,” who taught me how love, faith and joy persist even in the most challenging of times.
Columban lay missionary Ana Flores is currently on sabbatical from her mission in the Philippines.
Listen to "Teaching hope - Journeying with displaced children in Peru"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - November/December 2025
