Who We Are

About the Ministry

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving the poor of Alto Trujillo and Mache, Peru since 1995 — guided by faith, sustained by community.

How It Began

The Founding of the Ministry

By Founder Ed Heemskerk

Ed and Betty Heemskerk, founders of the Ministry of the Good Shepherd

Ed & Betty Heemskerk, founders

It was 10 pm one weekday night in 1994 and I felt a strong need to call Sr. Immaculata in Peru. She shared her immediate need for playground equipment and wrought iron fencing to keep the children from running into busy streets. Calls the following day to a few active Cursillo groups quickly produced the $2,500 needed.

A friend suggested we call ourselves the Ministry of the Good Shepherd. We applied for tax-exempt status, began keeping a list of donors, and started a newsletter. The rest, as they say, is history.

What began as a single phone call has grown into a network of child care centers, libraries, scholarship programs, medical support, and construction projects — all guided by the Sisters of Mercy on the ground in Peru.

Our Purpose

Mission & Vision

Mission

To serve the poorest of the poor in Alto Trujillo and Mache, Peru — providing food, education, medical support, and spiritual care through a network of dedicated volunteers and the Sisters of Mercy.

Vision

A community where every child has access to education, every family has a safe home, and every person is treated with the dignity they deserve.