Dear friends of DIACONIA, dear Funk family:

Following the devastating Huaraz earthquake on May 31, 1970, he was hired by the Lutheran World Federation to take charge of the reconstruction of the affected areas in Peru. His profile and experience fit this position perfectly. He was 37 years old at the time, spoke several languages (German, French, English, and Spanish), was a mountaineer, a good singer, and possessed a profound social conscience.

Robert Funk arrived in Peru in January 1971 and launched the reconstruction of the affected areas in the department of Áncash, in coordination with the Community Development department of the Lutheran Church.

Between 1971 and 1976, Roberto Funk—in Spanish—led the first emergency project with dedication and energy, rebuilding irrigation canals, bridges, drinking water networks, and schools in Áncash. The works were executed at the communal level: the Church provided materials and technical advice, while the community provided unskilled labor.

The project continued between 1977 and 1982 with various collateral activities, such as advice on crops, livestock raising, and work with rural women. Along with the construction of dozens of schools, a key concern arose: rural education. This gave rise to the Agricultural School Production Units Project (UPEA), which lasted 20 years in coordination with the Ministry of Education.

As activities in rural areas grew and diversified, the administration outgrew the church's capacity. In January 1983, DIACONIA (Evangelical Lutheran Evangelical Association for Community Development Help) was established as a Peruvian NGO, with Robert Funk as a founding partner and director until his retirement in 1997.

Roberto's forward-looking vision allowed for the shaping of a comprehensive rural development proposal for the following five years. Its purpose was to improve the standard of living by increasing agricultural and forestry production and productivity, modernizing teaching in rural schools, and promoting health and hygiene.

The decade of the 1980s was very difficult in Peru. Shining Path had begun its armed struggle from the countryside toward the cities. Many organizations abandoned the rural areas, but DIACONIA remained. It did so thanks to Roberto's example and courage; the teams worked quietly alongside the communities, shaping the future style of institutional action.

Roberto's commitment was interrupted when he was shot during an assault to steal his truck in front of his house. He sustained several bullet wounds to his leg and knee. Fortunately, he was able to receive medical care in Switzerland and regain his mobility.

In the 1990s, with the pacification of the country, new development opportunities opened up in the Andes and intervention zones were expanded. Roberto was at the forefront of driving new challenges and working methods. The logical framework was incorporated into planning, along with a gender approach for women's empowerment and the need to conserve the environment through economic and ecological zoning. The Sustainable Rural Development Project (1991-1996) was drafted as an ecological proposal.

He was an advocate for organic agriculture in Peru and a member of the Alternative Agriculture Action Network (RAAA), as well as INKA-Cert, an organic production certification company. He was also responsible for the visionary proposal to reforest the semi-arid areas of the Cordillera Negra with deciduous fruit trees, such as apple and peach trees. The project changed the productive profile of the area and significantly improved the income of rural families.

The "Engineer," as he was called, was deeply respected and loved by the rural population. He had the ability to provide solutions to a wide variety of problems and maintained a very kind demeanor with everyone. He knew how to listen and teach with patience. He lived austerely, accepting whatever he was offered, both in food and lodging. He adapted to community life, walking up to the highest areas either to search for water sources or to supervise projects. It was said that had he run for congressman for Áncash, he would have won the election. It is estimated that up to one hundred thousand people benefited from DIACONIA's projects during his administration.

As an administrator of donation funds, Roberto instilled a very careful management of resources. Savings were made wherever possible, but when it came to building materials or tools for the communities, quality was never compromised. In his personal life, he was very measured; for example, he did not allow leftovers on plates. He was a man of the field who knew the Andes deeply thanks to his constant travels.

I worked with Roberto for 13 years, until his retirement, in project planning and evaluation. His life was his work, to which he dedicated all his energy, but he also had a sociable side. The trips to the highlands that he organized for church members, often to inaugurate completed works, were memorable.

I remember the surprise party we organized for his 60th birthday because he did not want a celebration. It was enlivened by the Sunicancha symphony, a well-known band from the highlands of Lima, in gratitude for the reconstruction of their dam "from the times of the gentiles." The party lasted until four in the morning, and he danced every single piece without resting.

Roberto's history is also the history of DIACONIA, and it lives on in every work completed and in every life transformed.

Throughout his life, he also promoted other social and educational works, such as the Peruvian Leather and Footwear Institute in cooperation with UNI, the Johannes Gutenberg Cultural Association in El Agustino, the Opportunities for Life Association in Huanta (Ayacucho), and the Yanachaga Social Program in Oxapampa. He also set up libraries in several rural schools with the support of friend teachers. He worked closely with churches and was an active member in both the German-speaking Lutheran church and here at Cristo Rey.

After his retirement, he spent two years in Haiti on a mission for the Lutheran World Federation. In Lima, he continued several activities derived from his work, either on boards of directors or in advisory roles. He assisted German and Swiss prisoners in Peruvian jails and generously helped many other people with his own resources. He possessed great sensitivity toward the most vulnerable.

In these more peaceful years of retirement, he was able to dedicate more time to his son René, reclaiming moments that he previously had to sacrifice to prioritize the service of diaconia to the forgotten and marginalized.

Today we give thanks to God for his life: for his dedication, his consistency, and his deep compassion.

Thank you, Robert,
for your example,
for your service,
and for the values you sowed
for the future of DIACONIA.

Roberto,
Requiescat in Pace. Ruhe in Frieden. Rest in peace, friend and companion of the journey.