FatherArbex

 

Born of a Swiss mother and Spanish father, he is a Fidei Donum priest. He left the comfortable Geneva to go to Peru in 1975.

He began his work in the highlands of Puno, more than 4,000 meters high. After a few years (hard years, says the father) he moves to the jungle, to take care of the children enslaved in the gold mines of Mazuco, city of Madre de Dios.

At the end, it arrives at Puerto Maldonado, capital of the department. “Apronia explains Father Xavier- it is an association for the protection of children and adolescents. It deals with minors victims of labor exploitation and today, above all, of sexual exploitation. “

Apronia has two foster homes, which currently house 75 people, including minors and older children. One of these centers is Principito, and the other place is the Hogar San Vicente where we are. The structure is very simple and functional: the dining room, the kitchen, the study room, the bedrooms, the offices are autonomous houses. We asked Father Xavier how life is developing for the young people staying. “They behave like in a family. The boys eat and sleep here. They go to the neighborhood school, study, play, frequent friends. In short, they are like children of a middle class family. The only difference is in the number: instead of having three children, the Apronia family have more than 70.

The association is officially dedicated to children and adolescents, but there is no age limit, as Father Xavier emphasizes. “We do not abandon our 18-year-old boys, we follow them until they come into life. There are about twenty of them who frequent the University in Lima, in Tacna, in Cusco and here in Puerto Maldonado (where there are five universities).