By Cristina De Fabritiis, member and solidarity tour participant
Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada has traditionally organized an annual solidarity tour on which members, who usually fundraise to cover their own expenses, meet our partners in the Global South; observe their work firsthand; and forge bonds of solidarity with and learn from the communities they support. Two of the people from this year’s tour have very kindly shared their experiences with us. This is the first of their two articles, the second being by Carol Hollywood. To hear other testimonies, listen to the latest episode of our Voice of Solidarity podcast.
My name is Cristina De Fabritiis, and I recently graduated in international development studies from York University. Even before joining Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada (DPCC) less than a year ago, I had intended to do my degree practicum with an agency that reflected my personal and professional values.
I did not want to be a part of a Catholic agency just because of my faith. Rather, I sought an organization whose mission blends local engagement and global solidarity. I was drawn to DPCC’s work, which invites everyday Canadians to connect to something greater than themselves. The solidarity tour to Peru was an opportunity for me to apply everything I had learned in university and to witness cases similar to ones I had studied in my classes.
During my internship at DPCC’s Toronto office earlier this year, I shadowed central Ontario animator Randy Haluza-Delay in facilitating workshops for the D&P Schools program. One day, while organizing archives, I found old solidarity tour binders from the early 2000s. That led me to ask Randy if something similar was being planned anytime soon. I became interested when he said that this year would be the time since the pandemic that a solidarity tour would be organized.
Fast forward to July 13, 2025, when our group of 12 Canadians landed in Lima.
Solidarity tour: a feminine reflection
We were graciously welcomed by the Sisters of St. Dorothy, whose kindness and hospitality were heartwarming. Early on in the solidarity tour, I noticed the strong influence of women in my delegation and in DPCC’s partnerships. I also saw the vital role that religious women played in supporting at-risk communities in the Lima region. I appreciated the role of women in the Church as being critical to its spirit of caring for the poor.
The sisters’ presence, compassion and strength in the face of suffering reminded me of Our Lady’s role in Christ’s ministry. Recalling her influence as the Blessed Mother at the wedding feast of Cana, I began drawing inspiration for Christ’s ministry, to “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5).
I was reminded of the call to nurture and to stand close to those who suffer; who face injustice and abuse; who are overlooked despite being the ones closer to Christ in their suffering. I appreciated the deeply receptive qualities of women throughout the tour.
In a spiritual sense, the solidarity tour was a deeply feminine reflection of the Church’s character. It showed me how we woman delegates could mirror the heart of the Gospel in unique ways like the women working with DPCC partner organizations did in serving the people.
Learning from partners
During the tour, we travelled alongside DPCC partners like the Instituto Bartolomé de Las Casas (Bartolome de las Casas Institute, IBC) and the Centro Amazónico de Antropología y Aplicación Práctica (Amazonian Centre for Anthropology and Practical Application, CAAAP). They taught us about the complex issues affecting urban and rural life in Peru. IBC political analyst Pilar Arroyo helped us understand the scope of Peru’s growing illegal economies before we visited affected communities in Lima and Iquitos.
As a global development student, I found it refreshing to hear and see topics I had only read about in university. Even more edifying was learning how DPCC supports partners like IBC and CAAAP in implementing projects that counteract the impacts of illegal mining on Peru’s politics and the security of its people.
Corporate collusion in public office and law enforcement; trafficking; poor waste management and pollution; and a compromised justice system have driven rural communities to seek support from DPCC partners.
The fight against environmental degradation
Visiting San Mateo in the Diocese of Chosica with the Comisión Episcopal de Acción Social (Episcopal Commission for Social Action, CEAS), we saw the environmental degradation of the Rímac river basin caused by a nearby gold mine. The Vicariate of Water of Iquitos (see Part 2) introduced us to how missionaries work with CAAAP and residents of Loreto to navigate barriers to alleviating the health effects of oil spills and illegal mining.
Barbara Fraser from the vicariate shared experiences and insights from investigative reporting on how the absence of health care infrastructure had cost lives in regions affected by mining. From what we saw in Lima, Iquitos and San Mateo, the local and national levels of the Peruvian government appeared to have sense of denialism about various injustices.
Nowhere is this denialism more evident than in 21 de Septiembre, a neglected Iquitos settlement that has seems forsaken by officials. The township, which CAAAP personnel explained was facing an acute water crisis, was eerily like the dystopian worlds of some novels I had read.
The ground was sandy. It was not like soft, relaxing beach sand but rather the sort of damp, heavy sand that seems like it is covering something up. The air was thick and foul with the stench, we were told, of the runoff from a nearby hospital. The thick iron tang of blood had stained the stream and clouded the air.
Everything our senses picked up became metaphors for the evils around us. Corruption, collusion, trafficking, greed and abuse seemed to loom over people’s daily lives. I couldn’t help but think that pollution is not always physical; it is also in the ties that some cultivate to those in power. Pollution is also sacrificing justice and truth to protect the reputations and power of those who abuse people’s rights and the environment. It is scandalous to not name the harm of pollution or pretend it does not even exist!
A Church that listens to the people
Witnessing this stirred a visceral mix of compassion a sense of urgency in me. Upon asking what could be done for the people, we were advised to do what we had come to do: serve, listen and accompany.
The Spanish speakers among us asked the people what challenges they were facing with respect to water and how the vicariate had been helping? These two simple questions opened the door to stories of struggle, resilience and profound faith. In the people’s outpouring, we learned not only of their suffering, but also of the quiet, behind-the-scenes work of the Church that glories in caring for the poor and makes Christ’s presence known in forgotten corners of the Amazon.
For years, residents have fought for their right to clean water. Despite winning legal rulings, they are still waiting for action. A resident of 21 de Septiembre told us of the harsh realities of having to buy buckets of water just to cook breakfast, of children going to school hungry, and of families drinking from makeshift wells whose water turns black when it is boiled. “It is inhumane to live in Iquitos, to be surrounded by water, and still have none,” she said.
Through it all, she credits the vicariate for standing by them, guiding their efforts and reminding them that they “have rights and must stay united, as brothers, as human beings.” Under a pilot project, CAAAP is also now providing legal counsel to Indigenous people throughout Iquitos.
This is how these problems are being met with maternal heart by a Church that listens, accompanies and quietly resists injustice with courage and presence. This solidarity tour was a way for us to choose to stay close when others look away. Perhaps that is where real justice begins: not in technical short-term solutions but in getting to the heart of those suffering and refusing to pretend their suffering isn’t there.
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