Trujillo is a vibrant agricultural center near Peru's Pacific coast, and was first settled by the Spanish in 1534. Today it is the most important economic engine of northern Peru. Yet, north out of Trujillo along the Panamerican Highway's Route 1, the sprawling poverty of Alto Trujillo strikes a stark contrast to the general affluence less than an hour south.

In this urban settlement of low adobe buildings and straw ranchitos, tens of thousands struggle for "the daily" to survive. For many, shelter does not come with solid walls, but a tarp and four poles. Meals are sporadic, and come only as opportunity presents. Laboring amid the lives and families here since 2001 is Sister Immaculata Murphy and the Ministry of the Good Shepherd. Today, largely through her efforts, many children are afforded the chance for school – even college – and nearly thirty families have been moved to permanent housing.

In a special partnership with The Father's Table Foundation, Alto Trujillo is also now the home to a Technical Center which provides practical skills training to more than 70 adults, mostly women, preparing them to earn a living. The Foundation has also assisted with the development of a Community Bakery which employs 10 full-time employees and provides both a productive benefit to the area and a model of economic success.

For more information visit www.ministryofthegoodshepherd.org