AMERICA/PERU - State and Church united to respond to the educational emergency in the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramón

Oventeni (Agenzia Fides) - Approximately 120 students between the ages of 12 and 18 from the 48 indigenous Ashéninka communities in Gran Pajonal are hosted during the school year at the Oventeni student residence, in the province of Atalaya, within the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramón. "We have two pavillons for girls and two for boys. The state pays for the cooks, the maintenance staff, and the educational assistants who spend most of their time with the children, as well as two psychologists," says Father Luis Alfonso Tapia Ibáñez, parish priest and coordinator of the 'Keshiki' student residence in the parish of San Pascual Bailón.
The teachers are appointed by the Apostolic Vicariate of San Ramón and employed by the state. “We form a big family. This is their second home,” the priest affirms. The residence provides adolescents with the opportunity to continue their studies and overcome extreme poverty, both material and educational. Gran Pajonal, located in the central Peruvian jungle, has approximately 38 primary schools. However, the long distances—between 4 and 10 hours on foot over difficult roads—prevent many students from accessing secondary education. Therefore, at the request of parents, a bilingual secondary school was created to promote the students' cultural identity. During the week, the adolescents reside there and return to their families at weekends."
"A large part of the Vicariate is inhabited by native communities made up mostly of children," emphasizes Gerardo Antón Zerdin, OFM, Bishop of San Ramón, in the latest bulletin of the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood, which supports this initiative. "Childcare is a priority due to the poverty and enormous educational deficiencies faced by these remote communities in the Amazon," he adds. "The Vicariate directly administers five educational centers (preschool, primary, and secondary), and another fifteen schools are under the responsibility of religious congregations present in the Vicariate area." These schools are the result of a joint effort between the State and the Church and offer free education. Regular subjects are taught there and the activities of the Pontifical Society of Missionary Childhood are promoted. However, students face serious risks, such as family instability, criminal gangs, drug use, and various forms of abuse, both within and outside the family environment. "The residence is a great opportunity for young people to get to know God, little by little, and become friends with Jesus at their own pace," explains Father Tapia Ibáñez, "it is a wonderful opportunity to hear about God, to get to know him little by little, and to become friends of Jesus, each in his own time. The first step is friendship and the example of life. As always, we approach the children and their parents to awaken in them an interest in the Church and the Gospel. Last year, 21 students requested baptism and prepared to receive it." (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 6/6/2025)

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