Our Mission

When Maria Fitzgerald and Neale Bayly traveled to Hogar Belen, a Community of the Congregation Our Lady of the Missions Peru, in 2008 to perform a medical mission for the Abandoned Children of Moquegua, they had no idea where it would lead.

Neale had met Maria’s brother, Father Giovanni Battaglini, in Peru in 1995 on a motorcycle adventure ride, and became connected with Maria after his death in 2001. As part of his work in Peru, Father Giovanni had cared for many orphans around the country, and Maria had been fundraising for him to help the children of Hogar Belen for many years so it was only natural they should visit together. On their return from Peru, Neale and Maria decided to form Wellspring International Outreach, to further fundraising efforts for the children of Hogar Belen in Peru.

Since that initial trip to Peru, Neale and Maria, through Wellspring, have been providing support for the children, including building a bridge across the dangerous river that separates Hogar from the town of Moquegua and a new bakery with a commercial oven for bread baking.

In 2013, Neale led a motorcycle ride that was filmed for American television. In his show, “Neale Bayly Rides: Peru,” the riders arrived at Hogar Belen to raise money and awareness for the children. Neale and Wellspring went on to adopt another project in White River, South Africa later that year, which included building homes for orphaned children. In 2016, Board member Drew Alexander, who had been heading up the South Africa project,built two community kitchens in White River. In 2017 Neale started visiting Sister Jiovanna Beltran, one of the original Sisters from Hogar Belen, in Kenya as she had been re located. Wellspring then raised funds to assist families with disabled children, which included purchasing donkeys to carry water and goats for milk and food. We also donated our first motorcycle to one of Sister Jiovanna’s rural aid workers.      

By 2019 Covid had arrived and with international travel suspended Wellspring was forced to abandoned the projects in Africa, and focus solely on supporting Hogar Belen in Peru; even though it wasn’t possible to visit. Then in 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine, and Neale began traveling to Ukraine to raise money and awareness for the children injured and affected by the war. Today, in early 2024 Neale has just returned from Peru, and Wellspring is now focused on supporting Hogar Belen in Peru and also the children injured in Ukraine.

Over the years we have had the privilege to work with some incredible people who have donated their time and money to allow Wellspring to support children in need around the world.

Thanks for stopping by.
Neale Bayly

"The greatest failing would be our failure to act."