María Luisa Piraquive

Maria Luisa Piraquive was born on February 10, 1949, in Chipata, a town in southwestern Santander, Colombia. She was the third of ten children, six girls and four boys, and was raised in a Catholic home. Shortly after her birth, her parents moved to the town of Sachica, in the department of Boyaca, and, subsequently, to Bogota, where she worked making blankets. Piraquive shared that when she was seven years old she had a dream with the Lord Jesus Christ that changed her life. She met Luis Eduardo Moreno when she was 16 years old through her sister Beatriz Piraquive. He was pastor of a Pentecostal church called "Iglesia Pentecostal." She married him a year later.[7][8]

In 1972, Maria Luisa Piraquive and her husband founded the Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International in Bogota. Five years later, the church opened its first location in Panama. Upon graduating with a bachelor's degree in linguistics and literature, she worked as a schoolteacher in the capital of Colombia. When Luis Eduardo Moreno passed away in 1996, Maria Luisa took on the leadership of the congregation, which included the spiritual roles as pastor, prophetess, and apostle to her followers, among other roles. With the policies that she implemented after taking leadership, the Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International experienced remarkable growth.[8]

In 2000, Maria Luisa founded the Maria Luisa de Moreno International Foundation, a non-profit organization that offers social assistance services to vulnerable populations through the development and implementation of educational, productive, and humanitarian programs. The organization is present in numerous countries in Latin America, and the European Union as well as Canada, with over 50,000 volunteers.[7]

Maria Luisa Piraquive finished her elementary schooling in Sachica and her high school studies were conducted by radio at Colegio Normal Nacional in Bogota, where she also graduated as a schoolteacher in 1988. Subsequently, she pursued her long distance university studies and graduated in 1993 with a Bachelor in Linguistics and Literature from Universidad de La Sabana. In March 2000, she graduated with a degree in Educational Management from Universidad Libre. In November of that same year, and in partnership with the Office of the Mayor of Bogota, she graduated from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana with a degree in community development and social management. On June 29, 2016, she completed her threefold master's degree in international law, human rights, and international cooperation from the Instituto Europeo Campus Stellae in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and won an award for the high-quality investigative work she performed.[9]

On June 20, 2019, she received her Doctoral Degree in International law from Universidad Central de Nicaragua after completing her award-winning thesis titled "Method: Discover Abilities, an Opportunity" after five years of research at said Central American school.[10]

Since the Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ was founded, Maria Luisa has sung the hymns and choruses that are played in the congregation. Additionally, these songs have been released as singles on CDs: 10 albums of hymns and five of choruses. Her music is also available on digital platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Music, Spotify, Deezer, and her YouTube channel.

On June 21, 2019, Maria Luisa Piraquive spoke before the UN in Geneva, Switzerland, to present her model of productive inclusion for people with disabilities that is already being implemented at the Maria Luisa de Moreno International Foundation. The model, which she developed and has implemented since 2012, is called "Discovering a Skill, an Opportunity."[14]

Maria Luisa Piraquive was postulated in 2009 to receive the award The Exemplary Colombian (El Colombiano Ejemplar), in the personal solidarity category by the journal El Colombiano of Medellin.[18] The Neiva´s Municipal Council granted her with the Recognition Award to Finest Personalities (Moción de Reconocimientos a los Ilustres Personajes).[19]

The Colombian Air Force gave Piraquive the award "Alas de Esperanza 2012" (Wings of Hope Award 2012), for the health brigades delivered through the ONG that has his name.[20] In February 2012 the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia decorated her with the Order of Democracy Simón Bolivar (Orden de la Democracia Simón Bolívar);[21][22] the same day the Caqueta Government gave her the Gold Coreguaje to a Model Citizen (Coreguaje de Oro a una Ciudadana Ejemplar).[23] In May 2016 the Mayor of Segovia, Antioquia, Colombia, acknowledged her in appreciation for supporting the most underprivileged communities.

María Luisa Piraquive with her Platinum Disk.

Maria Luisa received the Frida award in Argentina, given by Vía Nostrim in 2011.[24] In August 2012 in San Juan (Puerto Rico), during the XIII Iberoamerican Summit of Millennium Leaders for an Education with Love and Value, she received a master's degree in educational administration and an honorary doctorate summa cum laude by the Iberoamerican Council in Honor to the Excellence and Education Quality (CIHCE).[25] In August 2013 she received in Mexico, by the YMCA University, a doctorate honoris causa, in recognition of her 40 years teaching with values.[26] A year later the CIHCE and the Puebla Government gave her an honorific doctorate in philosophy of education and a master's degree in educational sciences in recognition of her work for disabled people with the project “Find the Capacity, One Opportunity".[27]