¡Greetings from Cochabamba!

While perhaps unconventional, Niños con Valor is a tightknit family nonetheless. Many of our kids have learned to walk and talk together; they have gone through the tribulations of adolescence side-by-side; they have shared, quarreled, and stood up for each other. Our kids come from diverse backgrounds, often from broken family situations. In the Corazón del Pastor girls' home and the Pedacito de Cielo boys' home, we strive to provide them with a nurturing environment to grow up in and to fill this missing part of their childhood. Volunteers, teams, and friends are very important members of our extended NCV family.

Family is a powerful word and a founding value of Niños con Valor (NCV). The girls have been writing reflections on the meaning of family. Adriana would like to share her passage:

"Para mí, la familia es algo bonito que todo ser humano tiene. Hay momentos en que la familia pasa momentos tristes y felices, siempre se apoyan unos a otros. La familia también está formada por papa, mama, hijo, hija, abuelo, y abuela, etc. Para mí la familia significa unidad y protección. En la casa donde yo vivo mi familia es grande y hay momentos que pasamos muy divertidos y es muy bueno porque nos dan todo lo que necesitamos y nos dan su cariño y amor y eso es bueno porque la familia siempre debe de haber cariño y respeto."

Translation: "To me, family is a beautiful thing that is part of being human. Family members support one another through both the happy and sad moments. Families can be composed of a dad, mom, kids, and grandparents. But for me, family means unity and protection. In the home where I live, my family is large and we have a lot of fun. It is great because they give us kids everything we need, and they give us affection and love. This is important because families need to be caring and respectful."

Peace and Blessings,

Above: Adriana with Kevin, one of our US board members.

Our Niños con Valor family is constantly growing. It has been a great joy to welcome the pair of siblings, Samuel and Natalia, into our homes. We have lots of brothers and sisters between the boys’ and girls’ homes, and try to integrate as one large family as much as possible. Samuel and Natalia lived separately in the past, and are excited to finally be reunited!

Adjusting to a new city, climate, and home is a big deal. Samuel and Natalia arrived from La Paz with frightened eyes, but the tías and other children have embraced them with loving and open arms. They have already begun to settle in to their new lives. What a blessing to receive such beautiful children!

Above Left: Paty excited to meet her new siblings.
Above Right: Welcome to Corazón del Pastor!

Above Left: Homework time with Mariela.
Above Right: On the swings with Victoria.

Above: Samuel and Natalia after two weeks in the homes.

Birthdays are a special time to share with family and friends. The tías went all out to make Mateo's 5th birthday memorable: they made a cake, prepared party favors, decorated the dining room, and created invitations. Mateo drew a picture on each invitation to give to the tías, younger girls at Corazón del Pastor, and friends.

In spite of his small stature, Mateo is bursting with a huge personality. His mischievous look, his contagious laugh, and his unrelenting curiosity make your heart leap. Completing his 5th year was a special day in the home. All of the kids dressed up in their Sunday best and lined up at the door to greet Mateo and wish him happy birthday. We sang, ate cake, and played outside the rest of the afternoon.

Above Left: The invitation.
Above Right: Mateo greeting Nohemi and Victoria.

Above Left: Everyone ready for the party.
Above Right: Eating jello!

Above Left: Thinking of three wishes.
Above Right: Cake face!!!—a Bolivian birthday tradition.

Above Left: The beautiful guests from Corazón del Pastor.
Above Right: Mateo with his childhood friend—how big they both are now!

Many of the tías share their own families with the kids of Niños con Valor as well. Tía Paty's two-year-old, Filipe, spends a lot of time in Corazón del Pastor. He is truly a brother to the girls. His baptism party was a full house event. Elena baked a cake, Jhoselin and Johana made frosting, and Ana meticulously decorated the cake. Tía Paty and her husband arrived with Filipe and all of his godparents to share a toast and enjoy hot chocolate and other sweet treats.

Above Left: Decorating the cake.
Above Right: Zamora, Clara, and Karina enjoying their celebratory hot chocolate, cake, and empanadas.

Volunteers are a huge help to our organization. We are grateful for the love and support they pour into our kids and for the diversity of their contributions.

They bring fresh energy into the daily care we provide our kids. Many of our volunteers are working on defined projects that they are particularly passionate about or experienced with. Let's see what they have been up to!

In Corazón del Pastor, many of the girls have been participating in a fitness program. In addition to running, biking, and playing soccer in the park, the girls have begun Taekwondo lessons and dance classes. Sam has been doing Taekwondo since preschool and while he was here in Bolivia, he enjoyed accompanying the girls to their classes and seeing their progress. Taekwondo is a fabulous way to learn discipline, self-control, and resilience—not to mention get more aerobically fit.

Elizabeth was here for 6 weeks, and also contributed to the fitness program. She taught dance classes for the boys and girls in both homes, using a fusion of ballet, modern, and jazz techniques. One of Elizabeth's goals is to cultivate a community around dance. While an individual art in many ways, creating and performing a dance presentation relies heavily on teamwork. The tías and other volunteers have been getting to take advantage of Elizabeth's expertise as well!

Above Left: Laura preparing to kick.
Above Right: Group squats.

Above Left: Evelyn and Mariela practicing self-defense moves.
Above Right: Abigail giving her "goodbye kick" to Tío Sam (a Taekwondo tradition).

Above Left: Warm-up jumping routine with Tía Elizabeth.
Above Right: Dance class with the older girls.

Above Left: Dance class with the little ones.
Above Right: Preparing for their performance.

Above Left: Clara in ballet class.
Above Right: The little girls performing their dance routine for a visiting team.

Some kids need a little extra attention. Our volunteers, Sarah, Nora, Caitlin, and Jennifer have been giving just that to Fabian, one of our newer Pedacito boys. They have helped teach him to walk and be affectionate. We are lucky to have such caring volunteers that give him the extra love he needs.

Above Left: Sarah and Fabian.
Above Right: Nora and Fabian.

Above Left: Caitlin teaching Fabian how to ride the scooter.
Above Right: Jennifer and Fabian practicing climbing the stairs.

Even when here for a short time, volunteers can have lasting impacts on our kids. Gabby came to Bolivia for 2 months in order to teach sexual education workshops to our adolescent girls in Corazón del Pastor and in a state-run home that we partner with. Comprehensive sexual education is a crucial component of confronting violence against women. She collaborated with Tía Marcela and a Bolivian organization called CIES. Topics include healthy relationships, gender roles, anatomy, hygiene, and sexually transmitted diseases. Ultimately the course has been empowering and instructive. It has also helped open up conversations between the girls and the tías.

Above Left: Sexual education class with CIES.
Above Right: Corazón del Pastor girls sharing with the girls from Ciuadela.

Above Left: Hanging with Tía Gabby on the playground.
Above Right: Abigail and Tía Gabby helping out with aquaponics.

'Tis the season for visitors! This winter, we received three teams from the US, all members of churches who are a part of our extended NCV family. Coming all the way to Cochabamba from Idaho, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and DC, a total of 31 people joined us to get to know our staff and children, and find creative ways to bless them and the projects they are a part of. This is no small act of commitment—we as so appreciative of their help and dedication! Like our volunteers, members of teams come from a variety of backgrounds, and it is inspiring to see people come together in their shared desire to touch the lives of children in need.

First Presbyterian Church of Coeur D'Alene

In April, Emily and Tim visited us as a vision team from the First Presbyterian Church of Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. Vision trips are different from mission and service trips, in that vision teams come specifically to learn about the inner workings of our organization. They met with the leadership of the children's ministry of La Trinidad (the church our children attend), had a wonderful evening with the Bolivian board of directors, and, of course, spent plenty of time with the kids and tías in the homes.

It was a busy week. We visited the circus, summited El Cristo, did arts and crafts in the homes, painted the CDP playroom, and made progress on the aquaponics project. We also took a reality tour of other orphanages in Cochabamba. This reality tour invokes different reactions for everybody and can be a very eye-opening experience. It can be a good reminder of what we are able to provide our kids that larger homes cannot. Rather than material items, what makes NCV unique is the loving family environment and individual support and encouragement that our tías pour into the kids.

Above Left: Leveling the aquaponics bed.
Above Right: Tim and Diego playing blocks.

Above Left: "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
Above Right: Emily and Kattia painting the playroom.

Above Left: Emily helping the boys with a craft project.
Above Right: Tim and Emily with the La Trinidad children and youth ministry leadership.

Above Left: Overlooking Cochabamba.
Above Right: Working on a structure to support aquaponics plants.

Christ the Redeemer and Restoration Churches

This July, the Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church from Massachusetts and the Restoration Anglican Church from Virginia united as a mission team. By the end of their week in Cochabamba, you would never guess that several team members had just met for the first time in the airport!

It was particularly heart-warming to see kids connect with their sponsors, and amazing to watch how these relationships transcend language barriers. A highlight of the trip was playing in one of the big local parks, Parque Bicentenario. The mission team members jumped right in with the kiddos—tobogganing down the slides, swinging on the monkey bars, and riding the train around the park.

On the team's final day in Bolivia, we celebrated our annual "Niños con Valor Family Day" at Pairumani Park, a popular weekend getaway for Cochabamba residents. NCV board members, volunteers, and our caregivers, along with many of their families, joined in the festivities. The morning activities consisted of three-legged relays, egg-on-a-spoon races, and a newspaper fashion contest. Meanwhile, the older girls took charge of cleaning the griddles with lemon and chicken skin, and later roasting massive quantities of beef, chicken, sausage, and pork. What a memorable day, celebrating our giant family!

Above Left: Lynn, with her sponsor child Manolo.
Above Right: Linda helping Bicelia out in the kitchen.

Above Left: Karen showing the card her sponsor child, Evelyn, made for her.
Above Right: Evan helping Zaquiel out with a weaving craft.

Above Left: Homemade kites on top of the Cristo.
Above Right: Hard at work making beanbag chairs!

Above Left: Keep going team - we've got 6 chairs to go!
Above Right: The boys racing their new cars.

Above Left: Who knew sewing could be such fun?
Above Right: Alandra and Kattia painting wooden crosses.

Above Left: Adriana creating a German-themed cross in honor of the World Cup.
Above Right: Greg helping prepare the aquaponics plant bed.

Above Left: Transporting stones for the aquaponics plant bed.
Above Right: Marcos masterfully executing the monkey-bars.

Above: Fun on the slide!

Above Left: Everyone boarding the train…Let’s go for a ride!
Above Right: Sofia placing the beef on grill.

Above Left: Sisters tending to the meat.
Above Right: Vanesa parading her newspaper gown.

The Church of the Good Samaritan

This August, we were joined by a mission team from the Good Samaritan Church from Paoli, Pennsylvania. It was an entertaining week, beginning with a cultural fair to celebrate Cochabamba's birthday on August 6th. Later, the team put together a magic show and science exposition for the kids. They did card tricks, made potato clocks, and planted the idea that being a scientist is pretty cool in our kids' heads.

The team shared their kind hearts and warm smiles with rural communities outside of Cochabamba as well. They traveled with the older girls of Corazón del Pastor to the provice of Mizque. There, we installed chicken coops and provided laying hens to four community schools. Many of the schoolchildren are undernourished and must walk long distances in order to attend school. Daily eggs will provide them with nourishment as well as incentive to attend school.

After a week of bonding, sharing, and giving, the Good Sam church said their goodbyes. We are thankful for all of their help, and hope they return soon!

Above Left: Chuck and Mary teaching the kids the "Cha-Cha".
Above Right: Mariela performing her comedy routine.

Above Left: Karina, checking out the food options at our cultural fair.
Above Right: Teresa, our stylish miss Bolivia.

Above Left: Some of the girls posing in their traditional dance costumes.
Above Right: Christie painting nails during the spa day she organized.

Above Left: Kevin teaching the boys how to power a clock using potatoes.
Above Right: Kevin, Deryck and Chuck digging holes for a clothesline.

Above Left: Cara and Deryck painting in PDC.
Above Right: Cara reading Diego a book.

Above Left: The girls climbing in the back of the truck to head up to work in a couple communities.
Above Right: Building one of the chicken coops in the village of Uchama Baja.

Above Left: Community members help install the chicken coops.
Above Right: Paty giving the chickens some water.

Above Left: Geoff goaltending in a soccer game in Mizque.
Above Right: Some of the team enjoying some local cuisine.

Above Left: Nohemi gives Chuck a hug during our final goodbyes.
Above Right: In such a short time, we made some great friends.

Above Left: Meeting up with members of the Bolivian board of directors.
Above Right: The group on their final day at La Trinidad, where they ran workshops with the congregation.

So, this is our family—large and diverse, but united with a single heart. To all of our wonderful caregivers, volunteers, teams, friends, and supporters: Thank you for loving our kids, for sharing your passions with them, for helping them achieve their goals, for enriching their lives with your diverse world perspectives, for contributing innovation and manpower to our projects, and for becoming part of our Niños con Valor family. You are near-and-dear to our hearts.

Peace and Love from the children, staff and volunteers of Niños con Valor.