Helping children in Latin America

CARMEN Alvarez feels a definite calling to helping children and families to escape lives of poverty and violence in Latin America.

Carmen Alvarez Her work empowers the Church to work for change in a society where children as young as seven-months old are dying at the hands of abusive family members.

Youngsters end up living on the streets or critically ill in hospital. Carmen is the Director of Networks and Programmes for Latin America for Viva Network, a charity with its headquarters in Oxford, and has been a medical doctor as well as working for Milton Keynes based World Vision and Unicef.

She has a PhD in social sciences and health and MAs in human rights and theology and a BA in law. "I loved being a medical doctor but God put a plan into my heart.

When I was serving in my church I saw many people who were trying to help but they didn't know how to," she says.

She chose to study theology because she says she wanted to prepare her heart in the right way for the work she felt led to do.

Keeping passion and hope alive is a big challenge.

Another is keeping the Church involved in offering solutions.

The Church in Latin America has a history of working only in its buildings.

We are working to get church leaders and congregations to work outside of their walls. "One of the hardest elements of the work of the team Carmen leads in Costa Rica and Bolivia, is finding children aged five to nine on the street with no food or adequate clothes.

"It's about helping them and their families.

It's exciting when you can help them go to school and college, and maybe with scholarships to go to university. "Carmen has urged churchgoers in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire to help by praying, by getting involved in practical work for Viva and by donating money.

"Whenever you invest in any of the ways I have mentioned you are investing in life.

I want to help believers in churches to know that it is possible to change the lives of the children who are suffering now," she added.