Free education for 60 deprived children in Peru

Dear friends of Picaflor House,

During the last 3 months, our schedule has been full of activities, educational, supportive and recreational. The children have been able to develop their abilities and skills as well as learning vital lessons for their development.

As part of Picaflor's commitment to protecting the children in our care, we have a responsibility to teach children about their own safety, rights and means of protection. One of our interns ran our child safety workshops for children from the age of 5 upwards where they learn to have confidence in themselves, understand their feelings, distinguish between trusted adults, recognize inappropriate touches and resilience.

We also welcomed new interns from France and the UK to our team, who have created dynamic and creative classes, where the children were able to learn about new cultures, customs and traditions. The children learned about the importance of understanding that the world is much more than what we see around us. Learning about the different continents, countries, cities, and communities is essential for building responsible citizens. Being exposed to people from different cultures and studying different cultures stimulates creativity by exposing them to what is different. The children enjoyed sharing their experiences and knowledge and were always curious and full of questions.

Our garden has also provided harvests of carrots, cherry tomatoes, spinach, aguaymanto (native species) and chamomile that were used to prepare our nutritious lunches. The daily lunches that the children receive ensure they have enough nutrition in their lives as well as full stomachs during the day when their parents are busy working.

During this season we had many celebrations such as Student Day and Halloween where the children enjoyed games, face painting and traditional dances, we shared delicious snacks with their friends and teachers.

This year we will be doing two traditional Christams chocolatadas, which is where hot chocolate and panaton bread is shared with the children. The one at Picaflor House will be next week while this week we made a chocolatada at a rural village where we run our mobile library project. It was a very emotional day as the parents of the community expressed their gratitude and support for the teachers and the work that Picaflor House does for the development of their children. 

Without a doubt, it has been a year of many challenges and achievements that we could not have been achieved without you. You've Already made a valuable difference in our community. Keep an eye out for future updates about how you've helped.