From the Beginning to the Present Day The founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul in Malta, Mgr. Joseph de Piro gave great importance to providing missionary help to emarginated people, especially children. In fact he became director of all the orphanages in Malta. Wanting to follow his example, Fr. Frank Cortis started to think of opening a home for the poor, maltreated and orphan Peruvian children who were often seen running alone in the streets.

	The parish of Acequia Alta lies 2500 metres above sea level, on top of the Andes mountains. In the area called Asiento Humano María Parado de Bellido, Fr. Frank found an abandoned and thoroughly damaged orphanage which has an area of 6763,25 m2. On seeing such a spacious terrain, Fr. Frank immediately thought of how this place could be restored to realize his dream.
He asked the Archbishop of Arequipa, who was in charge of the Aldea at the time, whether he could administrate it himself. The Archbishop willingly conceded since he did not have enough financial means to reconstruct it himself and in August 2000 the petition was granted. Fr. Frank formed a committee of professional volunteers from the parish and a study was carried out to see the necessities of the Pueblos Jóvenes (the new emerging villages) which surrounded the Aldea. It was found that a high percentage of children were being left alone at home or were completely abandoned by their poor families. Restoration works in the Aldea started in October 2000 and by April 2001, the first two building blocks were opened offering 2 different programs: Pronoei (Day Centre) and PRITE (Program for early Intervention). In May 2002, the Albergue (Hostel-Home) was inaugurated.
	Nowadays, the Aldea Sagrada Familia is a complex of different building blocks, each serving a different function. Each block is surrounded by flourishing trees, lawn and flowers, creating a marvelous atmosphere for the children to play, learn and live in.
As soon as one enters the main gate, on the right, one can see St. Joseph’s workshop. Statues of St. Joseph, the carpenter, Our Lady, Holy Mary and their Son, Jesus remind us of the serene and loving Holy Family, after which the Aldea is named. Above the carpenter’s workshop, the sign “Bienvenidos a la Aldea Sagrada Familia” welcomes us.
	At the entrance, on the left, one finds the Administration. The administrator greets you with a shining smile. The administrator is well-informed about the family background, medical history and academic achievement of each and every child in our custody. She also helps in the smooth running of the place by keeping accounts, checking the stores, discussing the children’s daily menu with the cook and helping out the tutors with particular child problems. Close to the Administrator’s Office, one can find a Conference Hall. Behind the Administration, there is a small farm where hens, pigs, guinea-pigs and a cow are reared. The children of the Albergue themselves help out in feeding and cleaning the animals.
On the right hand side, there is the building for the Medical Clinic and Dentistry. Close to the Clinic, one finds the Pronoei. Further up the path, in the centre of the complex, there is a building with the kitchen, dining hall, laundry, food store and clothes store. A cook and her helper prepare lunch and supper for all the children in the Albergue as well as lunch for the children attending the Day Centre. Often, volunteers from the parish come in the mornings to help us out with the great amount of daily laundry work. To the right of this block and behind the Pronoei, there is Parque Melita, a beautiful garden with a fountain, a birds’ aviary and a spacious play-area with swings, a slide and a play-house. This park was built by a Maltese lay missionary who spent a year in Peru working with our children in the Aldea and named it after his homeland, Malta.
	Further up the path on the left-hand side there is the PRITE section. Behind the PRITE there is the basketball ground and the football ground. On the right hand side, one comes to the Albergue, a building with dormitories, showers, a rest-room with cushioned benches and a study-room for the children to do their homework.
Today, more than 150 children attend the Aldea Sagrada Familia, some to receive treatment, others come to be taken care of during the day and others live as temporary residents of the Albergue. At the moment, the site is undergoing expansion especially in the Albergue section so that more homeless children can be brought to live here. We are building more dormitories so that we could double the intake of children and thus, would be able to host over a 100.