Construction of Two Dormitory Buildings for Boys
Expansion of Hogar Nazaret – Carhuapoma Site (Peru)
Fr. Ignacio María Doñoro was born in Bilbao, Spain, in 1964 and was ordained a priest in 1989. He later joined the Spanish Army as a chaplain for the Civil Guard.
In 2001, during a mission in El Salvador, Central America, Fr. Doñoro confronted a chilling reality: children were being trafficked and sold by criminal organisations for their organs and other horrific purposes. In a daring attempt to rescue one of these children, he posed as an organ trafficker, risking his life. It was then that he realised he had to take decisive action against this unimaginable atrocity.
At the time, Fr. Doñoro was serving as chaplain at the Civil Guard Barracks in Inchaurrondo, Spain, where he was responsible for collecting funds for projects aimed at assisting impoverished countries. However, his experience in El Salvador revealed a far more urgent crisis: the extreme vulnerability of children exposed to situations no child should ever endure.
It was in the Peruvian jungle that Fr. Doñoro decided to leave his normal life behind and, using his own savings, establish the first Nazareth Home. Reflecting on his mission, he said:
“During my time off, I always went with the support of the Civil Guard to rescue children from hell, but I lived in Spain, where, despite the economic crisis, food is thrown away, children attend extravagant private schools, and play with sophisticated toys. My heart was with them. I had to leave my family, the Civil Guard, my country. God was calling me. It was God’s dream – to pull children back from death and rescue them from this horror.”
He continued:
“It was not about raising funds to help some of these children and then going home; I felt it was about sharing my life with them, living their suffering. It was much more than a protest against the broken world we’ve created. My heart was with these crucified children.”
Help Us Dry the Tears is funding a €144,000 project for the construction of two dormitory buildings for the boys, expanding the Nazareth Home and enabling it to host over 90 additional children.
