Records of YMCA international work in Peru

Collection

Identifier: Y.USA.9-2-17

Staff Only

SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION

Includes correspondence, reports, statistics, newspaper and magazine articles, and records on youth programs and development projects; primarily concerning the YMCA developments in Lima, Peru and the surrounding areas. A significant portion of the records consist of correspondence and documents that concern the financial situation, and development projects taking place in the Peru YMCA. Much of the correspondence involves Mr. Roy G. Smith who was in Lima, Peru from 1952-1972, and was the Senior Secretary for many years. A small portion of the material deals with a funding crisis during the 1970s that allows for the approval of a ninety thousand dollar loan issued in 1973 which continued to be paid into the 1980s.

Dates

1916-1990
Majority of material found within ( 1945-1970)

Creator

YMCA of the USA. International Division. (Organization)

Language of Materials

English

Use of Materials:

This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright, ownership, and to obtain all the necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.

HISTORY OF YMCA INTERNATIONAL WORK IN PERU

In 1920 Jay C. Field was sent to Lima, Peru in order to establish a YMCA. Carl H. Johnson arrived as his reinforcement in 1922. For the next 25 years the Lima association was a pioneering youth movement. Basketball, volleyball, aquatic programs, track and field, and camping were all initiated in Peru by the YMCA. Thomas A. Badley followed Johnson and Roy G. Smith succeeded Badley.

In 1953 the YMCA of Lima began a program of expansion and in 1961 the YMCA started a national extension campaign in Peru. By 1969 the Lima association operated from five branches, one camp, two community extension centers, and a training institute for secretaries. The programs and services that it offered at this time were education, physical education and sports, rural work, group work and social service community development.

During 1967 the Peruvian currency, the sol, suffered a considerable devaluation; from 26 to 43 soles per US dollar. This increased a debt that the Peru YMCA owed after the purchase of a lot of land in the center of Lima. Due to this, by 1973 the Lima YMCA was put on the edge of closure with a debt of $US 90,000. In April 1973, the International Committee provided a loan to the Lima, Peru YMCA. This saved the YMCA in Peru from closure but also created a debt that they were paying off to the International Committee throughout the 1980s.

The Peru YMCA is still functioning today, focusing on children's programs and community outreach.

The following is a list of Individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Peru, along with their dates of service:

Anderson, Charles B. (1962-1963)	MacMorran, Marsha Katinka (1964-1965)
Badley, Thomas Wayne (1947-1951)	Mazurkewiz, Edward A. (1916-1921)
Brown, Ruben Stanley (1963-1964)	Peate, Thomas L. (1972-1974)
Field, Jay Clayton (1920-1940)	Press, Robert M. (1964-1965)
Fitzmorris, Michael (1980-1981)	Rinehart, Irvin Lynn (1960-1961)
Herriott, Andra James (1961-1962)	Russell, James (1979-1981)
Johnson, Carl Herman (1922-1934, 1940-1948)	Smith, Roy Glenn (1952-1972)
Glenesk, Ernest J. J. (1951-1952)

Historical Information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A HIstory of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the United States and Canada,(New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, and from the collection.

Extent

1.3 Cubic Feet (4 boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Correspondence, reports, statistics, newspaper and magazine articles, and records on youth programs and development projects of the YMCA in Peru, primarily concerning Lima and the surrounding areas.

Physical Location

See Detailed Description section for box listing.

RELATED MATERIALS

Biographical information on many of the secretaries involved in work in Peru (see list of individuals in the historical note) is available in the YMCA Biographical Files, separately cataloged in the Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

Processing Information:

Processed as part of Fast Processing Project II, August 2009, as collection FP047. Material has been minimally processed. Descriptions of box contents are very general.

Catalog Record ID number: 6280173