tituloscci

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PERU NEWSAugust 2011 Issue 4

QUINCEAÑERASA BIG STEP

HERMELINDAA BrIGhT fuTurE

bIRtHDAy oUtINg

goINg to tHE MARkEtfor cookInG ThE wholE wEEk

periodistas

If you require copies of any of the photographs, text, drawings or any other materials contained within this magazine please write to Olga Pérez, Communications Officer NPH Peru (co.pe@nph.org).

The next edition of Peru News will be published in October 2011.

Photographs by Olga Pérez and Rafael Llamoga. Thanks to John Rolph for helping me with the text

Celebrations

Godparents Day4

Index

Mothers Day6

Birthday Outing8

Peruvian Independence Day10

Quinceañeras12

ConstructionUpdates20

ChildrenNew children20

Hermelinda24

Elba, Dina & Estefani26

Our homeYannina: Full-time nurse28

Going to the market!30

My Good Shop32

Quotes

celebrate good times, come on!

When I first heard about the Quincea-ñera celebrations I wondered what all the fuss was about! However,

after the party I discovered that it was a mo-ment of joy and beauty; it was the time to tell the girls that they have a beautiful life in front of them and it has only just begun, and to tell the boys that their future decisions can take them on wonderful life journeys. It was not only and event for the honored but also for all the children in the house. It’s always exciting to spend a day celebrating something special. That’s the reason why I dedicated this issue to the Quinceañera celebrations; the girls fill the ma-gazine with grace. We also have other impor-tant parties these months and the children have enjoyed two weeks of winter holidays.

During this quarter we admitted 19 new children, it’s the first time that we have grown so quickly and we had have to adapt to accommodate the new family members by living more closely but we are glad that they are with us in NPH. We hope to soon be living with more space when we move to our new home; we are only waiting for the electricity. I have faith in the company and I hope that I can write the next issue from the new property.

olga perez

Communication Officer

meet nuestros pequeños

WALTER (20)

Luis Walter was born in Cajamarca in 1991. Since 2005 he has lived in NPH Peru and last year comple-ted his studies at secon-dary school. He hopes to attend university in 2012 and enjoys living and wor-king in the NPH house

WALTER (20)

ERIKA (14)Erika was born in 1997. She is currently studying first grade of secoundary school. She is one of the journalists of Nuestros Pe-queños Periodistas and is excited to be part of the small team which helps to provide information about our lives.

AHIAS (19)Ahias was born in the Amazon in 1991. He en-tered NPH in March 2005 speaking only Aguaruna, his native dialect, but very quickly learned Spanish. He is now studying for starting the university.

RAFAEL (17)Jose Rafael was born in Cajamarca in 1994. Since 2005 he has lived in NPH Peru and this year comple-ted his studies at secon-dary school. He is full of energy and has a big inter-est in learning everything.

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Celebration cci

Saturday the 28th of May was a special day in NPH Peru–we had a big celebration to honor the Godparents who have given so much over the years. Being a Godparent is

more than sending money, it’s making a difference in one life, it’s connecting with a wonderful heart and it’s building a future for a child.

The children become crazy when they talk about their Godparents and save the pictures and the letters like treasures. They know how im-portant they are, that’s why we dedicated a special day for all the sponsors around the world. The preparation started weeks ago through the dedication, one more time, of the youth group. The leaders of the house planned a beautiful day full of games and happiness.

Godparent's Day

thanks for your generosity godparents

At one station the children ate delicious popcorn, while at the roulette station they had to be care-ful; Eliseo and his brother Javier won once on the scooter, but Leti received a balloon full of flour on her head.

Continuing the celebration we ate an amazing barbecue outside which included rice, potatoes, salad and steak–you would be surprised how much food the children of NPH can eat, they never get full! Before lunch we always say a prayer to God but this day, the prayer was for the sponsors. Hector recited a special prayer for the Godparents: “Thanks to the Godparents who give us so much without knowing. They make things possible for us, they are in our hearts and we ask God to take care of them and their families. Thank you Godparents and God bless you.”

“I have a Godmother in Italy. I want to meet her some day. She sends me beautiful letters and maybe some-day I can travel to her house,” said Liz. During the afternoon the children played soccer, volleyball or enjoyed the prizes from the kermes. “We prepared this day with a lot of effort and enthusiasm because the Godparents are so important to us, we owe them so much. We want to make this day unforgettable and give thanks to them. I wish someday all the Godparents are able to visit the house,” explained Alcidez, the leader of the youth group.

In the afternoon we had one more surprise: plates full of ice cream. The little ones ate plates bigger than themselves, but they licked their lips for hours. Thanks to all the Godparents for making this day possible and having this incredible heart for the children. We will always be grateful for your generosity and your big heart.

The night before, most of the children went to bed late after preparing the equipment. Even after the power was cut during the night, the children and the workers didn’t stop–everything has a solution!

After breakfast all the children gave their best smile for a group picture we prepared as a big mural dedicated to the Godparents. It was chaotic to coor-dinate 73 children for taking a picture, but the result was a great shot–some were looking at the flags of their Godparents’ countries, others were trying to read the posters in Dutch and other languages, but all of them had beautiful smiles.

Then we had a funny and amusing morning with a kermes. The children obtained nine tickets with which to play games and win sweets, pencils and books. They bowled, threw hoops around a bottle and played soccer with tins. “I popped a balloon and I won wonderful stickers!” shouted Carmen after one game.

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Celebration

By OLGA PÉREZ

Mothers day A celebration forall the tias

Working as a tía in NPH Peru involves many things–it is at times challenging as we must be very demanding with the children but at other times it can

be easy because we are surrounded by unconditional love. One thing for sure, working as a tía, we become mothers. Currently, the tías of Peru take care of 73 children in all, and all of whom we are very proud. On Sunday, May 8th, Mother’s Day, all the tías star-ted their day by receiving a special hug and choco-lates from the children, but the real celebration was held on Tuesday the 10th.

The tías all sat at a long table, each with her own rose, while the youth group prepared a nice show including a performance, speeches and presents. It was a great afternoon full of fun, surprises and affec-tion. It was also a nice reunion because all the tías were there–the tias from the office who are not able to visit the house frequently, the tías who work in the kitchen and the tías from the babies’ house–nobody was missing!

The show that the children put on included typical Peruvian dances, karaoke, a funny reggaeton dance, a dramatic performance and a beautiful poem. All the children participated, from toddlers to the oldest ones, and all the performances had only one theme: moms. They provided us with beautiful words and made us feel grateful to be with NPH Peru.

The youth group also prepared some games for the moms. The first game consisted of eating a banana with hands tied. It was a difficult test but some did achieve to peel the fruit and eat it. For the second game we formed two groups, and each member had to build a pyramid of cups then carefully walk with it. If the pyramid fell, she had to start all over again. It was incredible how loud the children cheered for the tías, but ultimately, only one group won.

The final surprise included the election of Queen Mom Tía Betty, as crowned by the children. Then everyone enjoyed a piñata in the shape of a heart. All the tías had a chance to hit it with eyes covered while the children gave clues as to where to find the piñata. The problem was that all of the children were shouting and screaming different directions! It was chaotic fun but we laughed until the piñata broke and a rain of sweets appeared from inside.

Finally, we all enjoyed a delicious dinner with flower centerpieces and before the night was over, the youth group toasted the moms. As a tía, I thank the youth group for preparing this wonderful afternoon–I am very honored to share my life with these children and I will carry them in my heart forever.

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Celebration cci Celebration

By OLGA PÉREZ

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Birthday OutingHappy special birthday!

Every three months we celebrate the birthdays of the children. Yesterday was the turn of the children born in April, May and June, and they had the

chance to spend a special afternoon in the market and ate a delicious dinner.

After lunch a van picked all of the birthday children and chaperones up at the house and drove us to the market of San Vicente de Cañete. During the trip the children discussed what they wanted to buy. “I will look for soccer trousers,” said Hector. “I need beautiful shoes,” explained Rosa. “Don’t forget about the socks and the washtub,” reminded Liz. This special shopping trip was possible thanks to the go-dparents who help our children every month.

The market was busy and noisy. All the mer-chants ask you to buy their goods, but you need to be more clever than they are and haggle.

Tía Betty, the sponsorship officer, distributed the money from the sponsors to the older children and the money for the little ones was given to one worker who was in charge of helping them purchase what they needed.

The children bought t-shirts, shoes, socks, jackets, washtubs, CDs and sweets. “I don’t know which to choose,” said a confused Rosa who was searching for a pair of shoes; she had covered all the shoes stands but she was still hesitant. “What is the color of your dress?” asked Mayra trying to help her. “Pink! I like silver or black,” replied Rosa. Four stands later, she finally found gorgeous shoes and she loves them.

It was a tiring and productive afternoon and the reward was a delicious dinner in a restaurant: chicken with French fries, salad and soft drinks. “Pass me the ketchup and the mayo,” orated Carlos at the table. The dinner was really mouth-watering, the children were exhausted after shopping but the

dinner returned their strength. Some of them couldn’t finish all their chicken, others wanted more. Suddenly we heard the happy birthday song in the restaurant and tía Betty had bought two cakes. It was a perfect dessert for the night. Each child had two pieces, one of chocolate and one of the three milks cake. Their smiles were awesome and their energy could knock down any wall.

When the dinner finished, it was time to come back home. Some of the children could not stay awake and fell asleep in the van, but I’m sure they were having happy dreams.

We thank the sponsors for giving these children the chance to have a special birthday, and for giving them the opportunity to feel special and blessed.

We appreciate all the effort that you make for these children and I’m positive that they appreciate this gift.

Celebration cci Celebration

By OLGA PÉREZ & WALTER LLAMOGA

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PERUVIAN DAYAfter five months of school without rest, the children of NPH enjoyed two weeks of vacations.It coincided with the Peruvian Independence Day. During this period the children assisted a parade, celebrated a gymkhana and apprecia-ted the landscape of the surrounding villages.

July 27th the children participated in the school parade for Indepen-dece Day, the school competed with other schools and all of them had to wear a perfect uniform and march with energy and dedica-tion.

The next day was the time for the gymkhana, eight teams made up by children of all ages had to pass several tests. Some showed their ability dancing, others in a memory game, the little ones had to finish a puzzle and the workers made the biggest bubble gum. All the teams had chosen a specific color to represent themselves and the screams and cheers for their teams didn’t stop. Then the group test started, the whole group had to cross a tree trunk that rested

over a pool of water. The last test was playing tug of war, only one team could win but everyone put in all the effort and we had a good time.

On other days the youth group or-ganized a football and volleyball tournament, a general knowledge competition and a drawing contest. The boys walked to Uchupampa, a nearby town and the girls spent one morning in the river taking a

bath and sunbathing. The entire house took a trip to the suspen-sion bridge, one hour walking from the house, it was a beautiful walk close to the river and the moun-tains, and the older children had to carry some of the little ones until we arrived to a clearing where we had lunch, played games and got wet in the river.

Now the children can start school with renovated energy.

July 28th of 1824 we commemorate our independence. Heroes fought and gave their lives for our territories and our country. For me that means that I can identify and be proud to be born in Peru, it’s a party when all the Peruvians joined for watching the pa-rades with the military forces, policeman and the president.

A day before the schools all over the coun-try march, my two little brothers went to the parade in their school. It is a feeling of patriotism, the history incited love for my country. I never feel more Peruvian that when I remember and honor our ancestors, so many men and facts that we can take as an example for work with unity for Peru.

MY LOVELY PERU

Celebration cci

By OLGA PÉREZ

By WALTER LLAMOGA

Celebration

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Celebration l

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Purple, white and blue were the colors of the last celebration in NPH Peru. the house was unrecognizable–the dining room dressed in full regalia as two children turned eighteen and became gentlemen, and three quinceañeras were absolutely gorgeous.

MyFifteenBirthday

By OLGA PÉREZ

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One month ago we started the preparations to celebrate the quinceañeras (Spanish for 15-year-olds). All the workers had a job and the girls started to measure their

dresses. Saturday morning was the time to clean and decorate every corner of the house. As time passed, the nervousness was palpable. While Anita, Adela and Yoshelin did their hair, Franklin and Alcidez tied their neckties and the rest of us got ready for the night.

The quinceañeras attended the mass in Lunahuaná with their partners. The church was decorated with small flowers and a boys’ choir sang beautiful melo-dies. It was a special mass dedicated to them and the priest blessed five gold chains which will protect our children. After the mass, the entire house reunited in a corridor to watch as the honorees went down the stairs, “Imagine that I step on the dress and I fall, I will be so ashamed,” said a nervous Yoshelin. Luckily they descended remarkably elegantly and then pre-pared for the presentation in the dining room.

“I feel very blessed by God and Padre Wasson for be-ing here with my brothers, they give me the chance to have a future and I won’t miss this opportunity,” explained Franklin in his toast. The children expres-sed their feelings in their speeches; even Alfredo, our National Director was full of praise as showed how proud he is of them. Although the girls were shaking and nervous when the waltz started, they moved with the music and their dresses moved like waves.

Pork roast, rice, mashed potatoes, onion and a salad with carrots, apples and pineapple were the ingre-dients for a delicious dinner where no plate had lef-tovers. The girls had been holding little bouquets all night, but after dinner was the time to throw them to the boys; “Don’t push!” screamed the boys who were behind Anita before she threw hers. The boys with the faster hands had the luck to dance with the quinceañeras.

Suddenly the music changed, a rain of confetti floo-ded the dining room and three clowns appeared dancing. It was time for the crazy hour! The clowns entertained the children, did a conga line and didn’t allow anyone to sit again. Then we danced with the DJ until 2am in the morning and enjoyed a delicious cake. “I’m so exhausted but it was very fun,” decla-red Elvis, “I danced all night.”

It was an unforgettable night and we congratulate the quinceañeras and the eighteen year old boys we are sure that they will become wonderful people. Thanks to all the people who made this celebration possible.

“I feel very blessed by god and Padre Wasson for being here with my brothers, they give me the chance to have a future and I won’t miss this opportunity” said Franklin

“Although the girls were shaking and nervous when the waltz started, they moved with the music and their dresses moved like waves.”

Celebration

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Ahias Wampus

MassWaltz

l. Dress - Make up2. the mass3. Presentation4. toast 5. Waltz6. Dinner 7. Pictures8. Party

K

Y

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When I was a child I always dreamed about becoming a princessWhen I was a girl I started to feel changes in my bodyI thought that I enjoyed freedom in my youth

I see that when I grow up I become more responsible I always dreamed about falling in love with my prince But I realize how fleeting love is

I had little trips, but I found the strength to stand up I broke rules, but it was in a stage of I wanted to conquer the world, but I felt I wasn’t ready

I never forget that I was born yesterdayTime doesn’t wait and all the things that I didprepared me for my future

Today more than ever, I have to take care of the realityTake care of this cruel worldI’m fifteen but I still have a lot of lifeAnd tomorrow I will start my beautiful youth

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Thank you for sharing this

special Quinceañera with me, and hope

that you will continue to be an

important part of my life as I move

forward into adulthood

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contruction updateThe six houses from our property are finally finished and connected by the new paths. We have a beautiful development between the blocks, even the houses five and six are connecting with their path. With this stage finish we have been able to plant the grass between the spaces of the paths.

We have a complete structure to our gate

and we installed the iron doors. The gate

was created primarily to ensure the safety

of all who live there, to create a feeling of

where the property starts and to commu-

nicate to the visitors that they are coming

into a NPH house, because we will mark the

door with the NPH logo.

Green is now a prominent color on the construction site and has brea-thed life into the houses. We also have pretty trees which will provide beauty and shade. By planting trees and grass we are beginning to turn the property into a homey and less artificial environment. Green is now a prominent color on the construction site and when we finish the electricity network we will able to turn on the sewage plant. It is finished and its objective is to produce a disposable effluent without causing harm to the surrounding environment, and also prevent pollution.

We installed five prefabricated buildings that had been in use

in the school of Lunahuaná. After the earthquake of 2007 NPH

Peru donated ten prefabricated buildings to Lunahuana’s school

where our children are currently educated.

These prefabricated buildings provided classrooms because the school building was virtually destroyed. Our National Director, Alfredo Hernandez, has asked for help from the school and it has let us have five prefabricated buildings which will house therapy, psychology, the clinic, an isolation room for new or ill children and a storage room.

Construction cci Construction

By OLGA PÉREZ

Children cci Children

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new children

93

It is always good to welcome new children in our family because it means

that we can change one life. This quarter is the time that we have

accepted more children, nineteen children joined NPH Peru. With this, NPH

Peru now has 93 children.

Children

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Hermelinda has a diffi-cult and uncertain past; since she was little she suffered

unfair situations. In 2006 NPH Peru came into her life, back when the house was situated in Cajamarca in the north of Peru. She had been abandoned and the entry to our home was con-sidered by the authorities for her protection.

Hermelinda had been living with people who didn’t have any fa-mily ties with her. It seems that her mother, who apparently has a mental illness, gave her as a present to a woman when Her-melinda was two years old. The woman and her family had the girl illegally for four years–they couldn’t afford to support her, she didn’t go to school and was a victim of psychological and physical abuse. Tía Olga, who has taken care of Hermelinda since she entered, remembered that the girl was very untrusting at the beginning and was sur-prised by everything. “The first days she always asked about everything, ‘Why do I have to shower?’ ‘Why do they cook so much?’ she had been isolated without any stimulation, the world was a mystery for her,” explained Tía Olga.

Hermelinda only remembers that she used to live with a wo-man who runs a little farm. She had never held a book before joining NPH. “She took the book backward,” said Tía Olga. At six

years of age, Hermelinda had no education, so the caregivers did their best to teach Hermelinda how to read, write, understand and analyze. “We tried hard for her education but now she is doing great at school and she is at the right level,” clarified Tía Olga. Hermelinda doesn’t have a birth certificate and still to-day the identity of her mother is not known. She feels at home in NPH, but when Visitor’s Day neared, a rain of questions fell over her. “We are her family now but sometimes she needs to know about her roots. Luc-kily, she can feel secure at NPH and she is protected,” explained Tia Olga.

Hermelinda is a curious and smi-ling girl–she loves performing typical Peruvian dances and laughing with other children. She doesn’t know yet what she wants to become in the future but Tía Olga is sure that she will be a wonderful woman. “She’s a great girl, we have a special affection for each other. She values all the material things that she has here but also the personal side of being part of this family,” said Tía Olga. She is very loving and always has a hug for everybody; she is also observant and pays attention to her surroundings. “If she sees you doing something she runs at once for observing what you are doing,” explained Tia Olga. In spite of her past, day by day Hermelinda is doing all right and now she has a bright future in front of her.

Hermelinda

2524 By OLGA PÉREZ

T his is the story of three young girls who are seventeen years old who joined NPH one month ago. They have big dreams and all the energy

to turn them into a reality. Their life had been a constant journey, living in several orphana-ges, but it seems that finally they found their permanent home in NPH Perú.Estefani wants to become an obstetrician. Elba prefers to study accounting and Dina chose to enter a conservatory. Now they know for sure that they could go onto uni-versity in the future. The three knew each other in their previous orphanage. “I had lived there for six years so I don’t remem-ber how life is in another place,” said Elba. The home they lived in was for girls only but the biggest difference is that when you turn eighteen you have to leave it . “It was a great news that I would be transfered to NPH because now I can continue studying and have a future,” explained Dina.The girls do not have a relationship with their father and the three were forced to live with relatives who didn’t properly care for them. The mother of Estefani didn’t assume any responsibility so she lived with her grandmother and then ended up living in an aunt’s house where she was in a bad environment. She then decided to join the girls home. “I met up with two sisters that I almost didn’t remember, it was a beautiful surprise. They were adopted one year ago by a family in the USA but I’m happy because they could have a better life,” commented Estefani. Elba’s father died when she was little and her mother was always outside the home. She lived in extreme poverty and entered a orphanage with her brothers but after a while it was only for boys and she was transferred to another home.Dina’s mother passed away without leaving a birth certificate. She then went to live with an aunt until she was nine. There she received psychological and physical abuse but thanks to a neighbor she joined an orphanage. “It was a little orphanage managed by a nun but then I had to move

again to another orphanage. There I received the visit of a godparent who lived in the community and they were the only visit that I received,” said Dina.One year ago our social worker interviewed the girls and thanks to their good behavior and grades, they were transferred to NPH. “I was so happy,” said Estefani. “We would know another reality and I was so excited with the idea,” said Dina. The girls arrived on a sunny Thursday, nervous and anxious. “I was so surprised with the presentation in the dining room,” commented Dina. “The shock for me is the way that they serve the food and one child checks if my hands are clean when I enter the dining hall to eat,” observed an astonished Estefani.They have many changes in their lives adjusting to their new home and school. “In the other house we used to watch television every day as it was their form of entertainment,” affirmed Dina. “I noticed a change in the food. I never ate so much soup!” revealed Elba. Not only in theIn their last school, it was only for women and the level was a little bit higher. “We experienced another school system there. It was more like a university system,” explained Dina.It is amazing to see how comforable and sure of themselves these three girls are. When they arrived, their head was full of questions: Could we adapt? Will we get used to the house? Will we be accepted by the children? Then they joined the Youth Group and all the doubts went away. “Thanks to the group we feel involved in the house and the youths in the group have helped us adapt,” concluded Estefani. “It was also amazing because in the other house we weren’t able to organize anything and here the young children can make their opinion and be listened to,” replied Elba.This is the story of three young girls full of energy and dreams, three young girls who have suffered in the past but have never given up. This is the story of three young girls who start a new time of their lives, a time when they can be wherever they decide.

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Elba, Estefani & Dina Children

By OLGA PÉREZ

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She has been working at the home more than a year and her responsibilities are huge. Before arrived to NPH, Yannina was a clinic nurse and she taught other nurses. “I’d never

thought about being a pediatrician, I liked working with newborns but I used to imagine working in the administrative area. I used to say that working with children would be hard,” remembers Yanina.

She came to NPH through a friend who worked as a caregiver at the house. “What I found remarkable in this house was the babies and all the polite children–the fact that I was able to be with so many beautiful children,” says Yanina. After her arrival, she beca-me the nurse of the house–the core of her job is to provide nursing care to the children, which invol-ves the regular check-ups, provision of treatments and reports on the children to the correct people. Yannina is very busy but she is aware that her job is essential. “I have two jobs here, I’m a professional but I also do a humanistic work. I’m in constant learning,” explains Yannina.

As nurses, Yannina and her colleagues have the responsibility of controlling the schedule of the treatments and they plays a key role in the overall recovery of all children. It is also their responsibility to gather information and learn about the medical history of children who come under their care. They also have administrative tasks, such as the com-pletion of paperwork and reports. “Primary health assistance is my job. I control the chronic disease in the house and manage the health situation,” explains Yannina. NPH Peru is growing fast and the clinic, that started small, is slowly growing. “It will be good having a doctor, although the children of the house are more healthy than others–thanks God our children aren’t sickly,” says Yannina.

She best thing for Yannina is the time that she spends with the children. “Their smile makes me feel happy, I love when they come and give me a spontaneous hug. Sometimes when I walk in the streets and I see a kid selling things or sleeping outside I thank God that my children are in NPH,” said Yannina.

She works Monday through Friday, but one of her biggest problems is the distance. “The house is loca-ted in a distant place, and I live an hour from here.” Our house is located in the village of Lunahuana. It is a beautiful place but far away from the hospital. When the nurse has to bring children to the hospi-tal, she has to leave her position in the house, travel one hour and spend the whole day in San Vicente de Cañete. Yanina is conscious that living in Lunahuaná makes the things harder, so she is looking forward to moving to our new property in Cañete. “Consul-tations would be easy, the medicine would be closer and we would achieve more coordination with the clinics and hospitals. Last week three babies were sick, I was worried because I couldn’t obtain the me-dicine and I had to make a lot of calls and discover combinations to get the things, if the medicine had taken more hours the babies would have been in a serious danger,” explains Yannina.

Yannina is more than a nurse–she talks with the children and gives them advice. It is obvious that she enjoys being around the children. NPH Peru is lucky to have her as a part of the family.

Yannina A fulltime nurse

Our home cci Our home

By OLGA PÉREZ

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Going to the Market! We shop in the local

market for cooking the whole weekOn Saturday mornings, the NPH Peru sche-

dule is more relaxed than during the rest of the week–the breakfast is later, the children

have less stress and we wake up later–except for the three boys who go to the local market to do the food shopping for the whole week.

They need to travel one hour to the local market of San Vicente de Cañete. Benito, Rafa and Franklin are the chosen boys who go every week. The cook makes a list of food to feed almost 100 people three times a day.

The market of Cañete is a chaotic and vibrant place where you can buy a lot of vegetables, fruits, meat, dairy products and snacks, have a look at how the people live day-to-day and smell the scents of local produce. The three boys split up to make the orders at different stands. “Rafa and I usually walk asking for the things and the quantities, and then Benito pays and checks the quality,” says Franklin. The boys know the market like the back of their hands. “We go to see the fish, follow me” Franklin tells me. While we walk through little passageway we say hello to seve-ral people, then we arrive where the fish is and start a discussion about the price.

“Every day they try to sell the things more expensive because the prices go up, but we need to fight for the best deal for both–we also need to check the quality of the material,” explains Benito.

Benito has been in charge of the market money for two years now–he controls the expenses and is responsible for paying for everything. “It’s a big responsibility, but I like it because it means that the workers have confidence in me. I take this com-mitment very serious considering that the feeding of the house depends on us,” says Benito. He will finish his service year in December and then one of the other boys will assume the charge. “I love coming to the market, talking with the people and seeing the other side of life,” describes Benito. “I enjoy when they give us fruit as a present or we can taste things,” emphasizes Rafael. Today the stall keepers give us four apples as a gift and a bag of avocados, but coming to the market also has a downside. “I don’t like the dirtiness of the market and all the dogs that walk inside,” remarks Benito.

When we finish the shopping, we have to find an available car to bring all the things to the house. We fill the entire trunk and the roof rack of the car. “You buy a food for a year,” says the driver; “Only for a week but we have 100 mouths to feed,” replies Franklin.

Finally the car arrives at the home, the children run to snoop what we bought and help to carry the load to the kitchen. One more week we are thankful to be able to fill the pantry and keep our children healthy and strong.

“I love coming to the market, talking with the people and seeing the other side of life,” describes Benito

Our home

By OLGA PÉREZ & RAFAEL LLAMOGA

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Our home cci Our home

NPH Peru has been working with MyGoodShop.com since May. It involves a great deal of work, above all for the coordinator, Beatriz Lopez, who has

to combine it with her others tasks. “For me is a big challenge searching for people all over the world that want to help us with our basic things such as

rice, diapers and gas,” said Betty.

But what is MyGoodShop (MGS) that makes it so special? This online store works directly with the houses identifying the needs. With the donations Betty purchases the articles and sends a short

message to the donor, many times along with a photo, of the delivery of the gift. “This way there is more transparency for the donor, I send a thank you letter with a picture of us buying the product,

other with the children receiving or consuming it, it shows that the donation is really arriving to our children,” explained Betty.

Other NPH countries have been working with MyGoodShop.com for a long time. Peru planed its entry one year ago through coordination between our National Director and the head of MGS. “I’m glad that we finally started this year because our yearly budget for 2011 only in-

cluded 90 children, right now we have 93 and there are still four months left to finish the year. Because of that fact there is a bigger necessity in our house,” commented Betty.

Some basic products such as the rice, apples or groceries have increased in price these last months in Peru, thanks to the

project some daily products will be bought with the designated funds from MGS. “We can save money for our monthly bud-get because we are in a monetary crisis that we haven’t got

through since 2008,” related Betty.

$ 20.21

CAn OF POWdEREd MILK

$ 23.04LAundRy SOAP

$ 288

KIT OF BASIC dRugS In THE CLInIC

SACK OF RICE

$49.65

By OLGA PÉREZ

I feel really good in NPH, my caregivers give me advice constantly and now I know that I could be a good woman in the future. In my house I didn’t eat three meals at day, and here I can wear beautiful clothes.

Cinthia (11)

Paul (8)In NPH Peru I feel happy becau-se I have friends and caregivers. The difference with my previous home is that now I have to share more things with the other chil-dren. Before moving here I used to eat only twice at day, but now I enjoy three meals and I can eat fruit.

QUOTES

How do you feel being in

NPH? What is the difference

with your home?

I love being here and have my own bed. Here a caregiver takes care of me and I live with my friends who I can play after do my homework.

Alonso (7)

Thanks to NPH I have the strength to carry on with my life, but especially with my studies. In the previous orphanage we watched te-levision every day, but here I have different activities to do

dina (16)

Judith (10)I’m glad to be here with my siblings. It feels like home, it’s like I’m living with my family. The biggest change is that now my bed has sheets. But also I eat delicious food and I wear clothes for different occasions.

By WALTER LLAMOGA & ERIKA HUARI