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Past Winners

Reach Education Action Programme (REAP) - Rev. Trevor Miranda, S.J.
Dr. Juliana Akinyi Otieno
Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos - Rev. William Wasson (deceased)

2005 $100,000 Opus Prize Finalist
Rev. William Wasson (deceased)
Representing Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos

Rev. William Wasson needs no convincing that God often works in mysterious ways.  How else could an illness and a robbery combine to inspire something that has brought so much good to so many? 

While studying at a seminary in Missouri, William Wasson was diagnosed with a progressive thyroid deficiency that the seminary thought would prevent him from fulfilling his duties as priest. He moved to Mexico, hoping the climate would be more conducive to his health, and was working at a church in Cuernavaca when a teenager broke into the poor box and stole 500 pesos. The orphaned youth was headed for prison until Father Wasson interceded. Rather than press charges, Father Wasson asked the judge for custody of the boy. By the end of that week, the judge had placed eight more boys in Father Wasson’s care. All they needed now was a place to live. An orphanage was soon built and thus began Father Wasson’s “family.” 

A place to call home

It is a family that, in 51 years, has served more than 15,000 children. Father Wasson and his colleagues have founded orphanages in nine countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The orphanages are called Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), which means “our little brothers and sisters.” The children who come to NPH have nothing. Some have been abandoned or abused. Others have watched their parents die, sometimes under violent circumstances.

At NPH, the children are given unconditional love and security. They are promised that they will never have to leave, nor will anyone ever take them away. They are reunited with siblings. They are home. 

Starting a new life, preparing for the future

In return, NPH requires the children to work hard, take responsibility for their lives, and share what they have. NPH strives to be a self-sustaining community that includes a rigorous school system, farm operations,and all the other facets that go into making lives normal, productive and fulfilling. NPH is also a model of efficiency – for instance, its cafeterias are capable of feeding hundreds of children in a matter of minutes. When children reach the age of 18, they are required to dedicate one or two years in service of others. Afterward, some children find jobs and others attend college. In a country where just one percent of all children are college bound, 20 percent of NPH’s kids receive a university education.

When he visited NPH, renowned psychologist Eric Fromm marveled at the well-adjusted children. All the credit goes to NPH’s demanding and nurturing staff and Father Wasson, who truly has earned the title “father” thousands of times over.

Learn more about Rev. Wasson's work with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos.