Changing lives of child domestic workers in Peru

Dear Friends,

We have had some extraordinary months and moments at Jugando Aprendo since we last wrote.  Many of the changes to the center, such as the installation of a large water tank, a sink with running water, access to potable water, healthy snacks, increased hours that the center is open, as well as capacity building in the form of training for the promotoras (mentors) are in full swing.

Jugando Aprendo recently celebrated its 4^th anniversary, and a dance party complete with cake and speeches from beneficiaries proved to be a huge success.  There was not a dry eye in the house as Liz Eveli Leyva Reyes, the coordinator and a promotora in the center, promised that this year was to be the best year yet, while a local mother from the community thanked the center for it’s hard work, explaining how much her son had achieved in school due to the out of school assistance he receives at Jugando Aprendo. 

It is with a deep sense of gratitude that we write this letter, thanking you.  Our success is not separate from yours; we have accomplished this together.

Because of our collective efforts, socially deprioritized child domestic workers in a shantytown on the margins of Lima, Peru now have a real, physical place that provides stability, nutrition, hydration, socialization, and tutoring.  Soon, a psychologist will be available for both the families of the children, as well as the children themselves, providing mental healthcare to all affected by the scourge of child labor.  As promised, educational materials, such as books and games are meticulously being inventoried, as we search for the best deal.    

I hope you are able to grasp, if only slightly, what your donations have done.  The change in Jugando Aprendo is palpable, and awe-inspiring.  Thank you.

Your support is integral to daily operations in our center.  We have yet to fulfill our yearly requirement, and depend on you to ensure operations can continue.   Please continue supporting us, and consider another donation.  Thank you.

Highest Regards,

Brendan Hieber

Mentor, Jugando Aprendo  

Dearest Friends,

Congratulations.  With your incredible support, we have come so very far.  Our team here in Peru has celebrated each outpouring of your faith, in the form of a contribution to our project, as an investment against the injustice of slavery, shame and the entrenched cycle of poverty that operates around the world, and in the shantytowns existing on the outskirts of Lima, Peru.  Each donation, as I write this numbering at exactly 100, fights social inequality, and fights for literacy, safety, laughter, mental health, and hope.

We were overjoyed, as we reached out to you on "Bonus Day," and were received with many of you reaching back.  You gave us hope, as this latest Bonus Day campaign was among our most successful.  Thank you.  We feel proud and empowered, and you should as well.  Own that moment, because without your unbelievable support, that moment would never have been possible.

We look to the future knowing that more is possible for our world, and knowing that this humanity, in this time, can and has made it so.  From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you, and wish you to know that we will not cease working.  Please continue to support us.  We are at a critical moment in our fundraising process.  Help us make everything we know we must do a reality for the child laborers of Lima, Peru.  You are the gamechangers.  

We will leave you with a quote, "It's true that there are many injustices in the world, many worthy causes competing for attention and support, and we all have divided allegiances.  We focus on this topic because, to us, this kind of oppression feels transcendent--and so does the opportunity.  We have seen that outsiders can truly make a significant difference," Half the Sky,  Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, p. xxi 

Thank you.