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A Talented
Family |
Good Morning NCV family!
As parents, one of the greatest joys is watching our kids grow up and discover their talents. In providing a home and family to our boys and girls, Niños con Valor understands our role as much more than simply meeting an orphaned or abandoned child's basic needs—we are here to help them discover who they are, to dream of who they will become, and to cheer them on every step of the way.
Peace and Blessings, |
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NCV's Got
Talent! |
Oh yes we do! From time to time, we like to plan a fun evening, giving our kids (and staff) the opportunity to show off their talents. This month, Sendero de Esperanza coordinator Liseth Choque, organized an event that included a wide variety of talents, including dance, piano, comedy, baking, hairstyling, and more!
Below are some photos of our incredibly talented kids. We hope that seeing them fills you with as much pride as it does us :)
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Samuel, hopping through a hoop. The smallest "pedacitos" put on a little circus show.
Tía Faela, as a clown, leading the circus troupe.
Tía Genara leads the older boys in a traditional dance.
Evelyn, singing in English!
Some more clowning around.
Paty showing her hip-hop moves.
Tía Lucia, reciting a poem.
Manolo, who ripped off his shirt just moments earlier to show his muscles, ding a headstand.
A group dance routine, with Johana, Evelyn, Bryssa, Martina and Jhoselin.
Karina, handing out some of the crafts she made with recycled materials.
Jhoselin, sharing some baking that she and Adriana prepared.
Bryssa performing a dance as little Claudia mimicks her every move.
Mariela and Martina sharing a comedy routine.
Manolo, Marcos and Timoteo serving cookies that the PDC boys baked.
Paulina happy with all she has learned in just a few short months.
Johana playing a new song.
Zamora, our youngest pianist.
Caitlin, our volutneer piano teacher, playing the grant finale with Mariela.
Finally, presenting Abigail, who was in charge of hair and makeup for the evening.
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Who you Callin'
Chicken? |
| The third week in June, we were visited by an energetic mission team from First Presbyterian Church of Coeur D'Alene, ID. The 11 person group shared some fun and educational activities with the boys and girls of Pedacito de Cielo and Corazón del Pastor, and constructed a chicken coop that in a couple weeks will be home to 25 egg-laying hens! It was a lot of hard work, packed into a short time, yet so much was accomplished. Thank you so much FPCDA - we already miss you and are looking forward to your return! |
The team arriving at the airport, amazingly smiling after 5 flights!
Enjoying the view from inside our van. There was an ongoing count to see how many people we could fit - we got to over 20!
Seflies at the Cristo - smile :)
Team leader, Gordy, conferring with Ron, who spent months prior to the trip researching and designing the chicken coop.
Derek and Ron cutting wood on the new mitre saw they purchased for us, as helper Ariel looks on.
The whole team helping get the second wall up - the wood we used was crazy heavy!
Joan dishing out a tasty lunch prepared by Carolina.
Johana and Laura, putting on screening underneath the coop, no one else fit!
Evelyn helping cut the screening down to size.
Laura pounding in some nails to hold the screening in place.
As the team's trip was short, we weren't able to get the whole coop done. Here, Ron getting a picture with the workers who ended up completing the coop over the next couple of days.
Paty teaching Kierstie a hand clapping game.
The team and the kids spent a fun morning at Parque Bicentenario.
Looking a little bit nervous before entering the skate park.
Hitting the volleyball around.
Tío Carlos and Sofia, putting the meat on the grill at Pairumani, where the team and kids spent a final day together.
Yummy!
Goodbyes are always sad, but all agreed the time shared together was great fun, and relationships were formed that will last a lifetime.
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| Stepping into the Future: Smaller, Family Homes |
An as organization providing residential care to children who are unable to live with their biological families, we are aware and in full support of the UN Guidelines for Alternative Care of Children.
As we mentioned last month, Comunidad Niños con Valor will allow us to increase our total capacity up to 80 children. However, our focus will always be quality of care, over quantity of children. We will progress towards this goal gradually, and each individual house will actually have fewer children living in them than our current two homes. The decision to keep the homes small is based on experience, on feedback from the staff and children we currently work with, and on UN recommendations presented in the document Moving Forward: Implementing the ‘guidelines for the alternative Care of Children’.
Each home will have 3 bedrooms, with two bunkbeds in each room, for ten children and two caregivers. The homes will be separated from one another, include a family garden plot, and will function as a family unit. |
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| Next month, we will share a bit about the location we are looking to move to. |
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| Big Sisters |
We all need someone we can look up to, who can provide us with guidance as we navigate life's obstacles, and who will listen to us unconditionally. As a part of our Sendero de Esperanza program, we seek out "big sisters" for our teens to be this person in their lives. For the past few months, Liseth has been interviewing, and then preparing, a group of new mentors who have applied to be a part of the program.
This month, we introduced five of our teens to their new big sisters. Each mentor is providing us with feedback of their experiences, and so far, we are very encouraged by the positive impact these growing friendships are having on both "big" and "little" sister. While the program is still a very new part of NCV's work with our youth, we are excited about the potential impact it could have as they approach adulthood.
To the left are few photos of their first encounter with each other. |
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| Sponsorship Spotlight |
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| Adriana |
Adriana has been living with us for nearly 9 years now. Since arriving, she has brightened the home with her joy and wit, and has always been a big help to the staff. It has been tough as the younger sister of Sofia, one of our first high school graduates and our first universty student, but she has struck out on her own, and is full of optimism for the future as she plans on being a part of the Sendero de Esperanza transition home.
If you would like to sponsor one of our children, please visit our sponsorship page to learn how you can do so!
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| Fabian |
At a recent court hearing, the Child Defense team who first brought Fabian into residential care couldn't believe it was him. Despite extreme neglect and developmental delays, Fabian has made huge strides. When he arrived just over a year ago, he didn't walk, smile or have any social skills. Now, he is full of energy, and loves his new family. We hope that some day, he will be able to grow up with a loving family.
If you would like to sponsor one of our children, please visit our sponsorship page to learn how you can do so! |
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| All of our programs seek to provide holistic care, as well as integrate children and families living with various physical and mental health issues, including HIV/AIDS. |
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| Our home that provides care for up to 24 girls who have been orphaned, abandoned or removed from high-risk situations. |
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| Our home that provides care for up to 14 boys who have been orphaned, abandoned or removed from high-risk situations. |
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| We also host volunteers, who fulfill important roles within our programs. Click here to learn more. |
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| Our transitional program, helping prepare teens for independent living once they leave our residential homes. |
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