Vicente Ferrer Moncho

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Vicente Ferrer Moncho (born April 9, 1920 in Barcelona , † June 19, 2009 in Anantapur ) was a Spanish philanthropist who devoted his life to fighting poverty in rural India . Today the Vicente Ferrer Foundation continues Vicente Ferrer's work in India and supports 3.6 million people in almost 3700 villages.

Life

Vicente Ferrer joined the Jesuit order in Spain as a young man to follow his calling to help other people. In 1952 he was sent by his order as a missionary to Mumbai , India. From then on, Vicente Ferrer dedicated his life to helping the poorest of the poor in India.

However, his work also aroused distrust and uncertainty in leading circles, so that Vicente Ferrer was expelled from the country in 1968. Over 30,000 farmers, with the support of the country's intellectual, political and religious elites, organized a 250 km protest march to Mumbai against the deportation. Three months later, Vicente Ferrer received a new visa due to the personal commitment of Indira Gandhi and settled in Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh, India). There he continued his work to help the most disadvantaged people. In 1969 he left the Jesuit order and founded the Rural Development Trust (Vicente Ferrer Foundation India) together with Anne Perry, who soon became his wife.

Vicente Ferrer died on June 19, 2009 at the age of 89 in Anantapur, India.

plant

Vicente Ferrer and his future wife Anne Perry founded the Vicente Ferrer Foundation India , also known as the Rural Development Trust, in Anantapur in 1969 . The foundation aims to support the poorest of the poor in rural India in their fight against poverty and inequality. To this end, various programs and initiatives have been launched, for example, to curb desertification , expand rural infrastructure, reduce inequalities between the sexes and enable access to high-quality health care and education. In the 1980s, the program for the inclusion of people with disabilities and the program for sustainable agriculture also emerged .

Vicente Ferrer worked for his foundation until his death. Today his wife Anne Ferrer and his son Moncho continue to run the foundation.

Awards

  • Vicente Ferrer received the Prince of Asturias Prize for Unity from the then Spanish heir to the throne, Felipe of Spain (1998).
  • The Catalan government awarded Vicente Ferrer the Creu-de-Sant-Jordi (Saint George Cross) (2000).
  • The Barcelona City Council awarded Vicente Ferrer the City of Barcelona Gold Medal (2000).
  • Vicente Ferrer received honorary doctorates from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain, 2000), the University of Huelva (Spain, 2001) and the Sri Krishnadevaraya University (India, 2007).
  • The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded Vicente Ferrer the Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit of Spain (2009).
  • The Spanish Senate posthumously awarded Vicente Ferrer the gold medal (Medalla de Oro del Senado) (2009).
  • Vicente Ferrer was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (2010).

literature

  • Alberto Oliveras Mestre: Vicente Ferrer, la revolución silenciosa. Círculo de Lectores. 2001, ISBN 84-226-8513-2 .
  • Vicente Ferrer Moncho: El encuentro con la realidad. Editorial Planeta. 2003, ISBN 84-08-05016-8 .
  • Anne Ferrer: Expect a miracle and lots of hard work. My life with Vicente Ferrer. 2012, ISBN 978-81-8291-126-0 .
  • Vicente Ferrer Moncho: The Power of Action. Notionpress.com, 2013, ISBN 978-93-8244767-2 .
  • Manuel Rivas: Vicente Ferrer, Rumbo a las estrellas con dificultades. RBA, 2013, ISBN 978-84-9056-062-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ levante-emv.com
  2. ↑ rdtfvf.org
  3. ↑ Vicente Ferrer Moncho: The Power of Action. Notionpress.com, 2013, pp. 21-22.
  4. ↑ theguardian.com
  5. ↑ Vicente Ferrer Moncho: The Power of Action. Notionpress.com, 2013, pp. 25-26.
  6. ↑ tributes.com
  7. ↑ rdtfvf.org
  8. ↑ rdtfvf.org
  9. ↑ archive.is ( Memento from June 29, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  10. ↑ elmundo.es
  11. ↑ thehindu.com
personal data
SURNAME Ferrer Moncho, Vicente
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish philanthropist
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Barcelona , Spain
DATE OF DEATH June 19, 2009
Place of death Anantapur , India