Hogar Materno

God has called us to join the work of Susan Holowecky and her staff at Hogar Materno "Hannah".  The home serves pregnant women and mal-nourished children in and surrounding Yurimaguas, Peru, mainly the Shawi people.The picture above is in an older part of the Hogar. The building was in poor shape and is now in the process of being torn down and rebuilt, hence the mess.

Who is served
The Shawi are an indigenous group of the Amazon jungle.  They have settled into small villages along the river and suffer from poverty, poor nutrition, discrimination, and lack of education.  There are some women and children from in town who also benefit from services of the hogar.

Services  Offered

Maternal Care
Maternal death during childbirth is a large problem and travel into town for medical care can take days.
The hogar is a safe place where high-risk women can come and stay while they wait to deliver their baby at the hospital in town.  They are provided safe shelter and nutritious meals as well as Christian fellowship and Bible study.  Women may be there anywhere from one day to a few weeks.

Re-nutrition Center
The hogar also helps to rehabilitate mal-nourished children.  These children sometimes come to the hogar from the hospital for additional care before returning to their village and sometimes parents bring children their directly.  Sometimes children are left at the hogar alone, other times the mother and possibly siblings will stay as well.  Many children suffer from parasites.  They are treated with anti-biotics and hygiene habits are also taught to help prevent future problems if possible.  Other children are simply starving and the hogar provides nutrition for them to gain strength and weight.

This sweet 3 month old named Milagro (miracle in English) is the size of a newborn except for her newly filled out cheeks.  She came to the hogar at just 1 month of age.  Her mother died during child birth and her father tried to keep her alive as best he knew how.  After a month of feeding her only the fermented root beverage they drink in the jungle, he knew she was dying and brought her to the hogar for help.  She has gained weight but still has a long way to go.  She does not support her weight at all yet and her limbs are still the size and maturity of a newborn.  Please pray for a miracle for Milagro as she recovers at the hogar.

The older boy in this photo is at the hogar with is mom and 3 siblings.  They all have parasites and are suffering from lack of nutrition but the littlest one is the worst.  They should be able to return to their village soon.  The little guy in the stroller is 8 months old.  He and his twin brother were brought to the hogar for care by their father after their mother abandoned them when they were just a month or so old.  They will continue to grow and gain strength at the hogar and dad will come back for them once they're older and he can manage them.  Formula or adequate nutrition for infants is not something the Shawi people have access to in the jungle or can afford in town.






The hogar is staffed 24 hours a day by wonderful Christian Peruvian women.  We were blessed to join them in their weekly prayer meeting and hear their hearts as they prayed over the women and children they serve.  They work tirelessly cooking, cleaning and doing laundry as well as loving on the children who don't have parents present at the hogar.  Women who are at the hogar either to deliver or while their child is rehabilitated do their own cleaning and laundry.

Home
The hogar has become home to 5 children who came for rehabilitation but were then abandoned.  Susan is in the process of trying to adopt these children and this past January they moved into their new home at the hogar with their mother.  The children enjoy the best of both worlds - they love the staff and children at the hogar and being close by but they also love having a home and mother to return to.

Their Home

Susan & her children (plus 1 extra!)

~ Jennifer