Prayer and solidarity with families left homeless by devastating fire in Lima

There is a cluster of small wooden houses in Lima, in a working-class neighbourhood in the centre of the city, Cercado, where the poorest families of the School of Peace live. The most fragile have suffered in the pandemic and experienced the pain of losing family and friends to Covid-19. On 1 August a fire severely damaged several houses in a narrow alley near the train tracks, where many of the Escuela de la Paz children live.

Responding to the appeal of Youth for Peace, many people from the neighbourhood donated basic necessities and shelter to get through the cold winter nights of August. On Sunday, 7 August, a prayer took place with families and friends, and the first aid was also distributed. Such concrete solidarity moved everyone: these little gestures represent the fruit of sowing the seeds of friendship over many years and have involved many, even the youngest.