In terms of expenses thus far, I have attached copies of the invoices for items that were ordered from the U.S. from two separate companies, HomePlus and Fresh Water Systems. These items have reached Peru now and we have begun the installation process!

Total for two invoices: $957.97

Repacking and shipping from Florida: $202.30

Purchase of locally available filters, mounting board etc: s/408.59 soles ($153.60)

Total expenses paid to date: $957.97 + $202.3 + $153.60 = $1,313.87

Randy assembled all the components for the actual filter unit and hooked it up in his own kitchen for a test run! (see photo below).  The system includes the UV (that big long thing on the left), three filters (the biggest one being a carbon block filter, the others for sediment) a pump to ensure adequate water pressure, a solenoid switch to shut the system down in the event of electrical failure, light failure or low UV. A UV monitor that shows the rate of UV and also sounds an alarm when UV falls below safe levels or the light burns out, and also clocks the days until changing the bulb. A circuit breaker system to protect against electrical surge. More photos of the installation process will be posted as they occur.

But we still have more work to do…

Expenses still to be incurred:

IGV (Peruvian tax on foreign goods) Approx: $200

2″ PVC pipe and fittings for re-routing of water feed to storage tank. Approx: s/400 soles ($151)

3/4 inch PVC pipe and fittings to supply kitchen roof tank from primary storage tank. Approx: s/200 soles ($75)

New 1/2 hp pump for primary storage tank. s/150 soles ($57)

Final water test $53

Total of anticipated additional expenses: $200 + $151 + $75 + $57 + $53 = $536

Estimated final total: $1,313.87 + $536 = $1,849.87

PLUS, we also need to purchase some do-it-yourself kits so that the orphanage can perform regular testing, clean the existing water tanks, install an additional tank, prepare a trench for the new pvc pipe etc. which will also add additional costs. We are hoping to have everything installed and running in the next month (fingers crossed!).

So to those that have helped us get this far, thank you so much for making a difference in the lives of these 94 orphans. For those that have been waiting for the right opportunity…here it is!

If you are able to help us continue with this incredibly important project please send us a donation, and remember every dollar counts! Also please show this link to your friends and family as well. Thanks.

They also have access to a well through the use of a generator to pump the water to the orphanage. The cost of fuel for the generator is about US $30 per day which they can’t afford so they use the river water unless it is deemed too unclean (solely by appearance – no testing), in which case they reluctantly use the generator. Even with the well water, it is still unsafe for drinking.

Unsafe cleaning water can be overcome by boiling, and Westfalia does this where possible. They boil water daily to try to meet the needs of safe drinking water and cooking water for the 100 children and staff. This is a very slow and tedious daily process and it still doesn’t meet their entire needs. Not to mention that the water for washing dishes and bathing (that goes directly to the 7 houses) is TWO AND A HALF times higher in CONTAMINATION than MINIMUM Western standards.

 Check out the embedded video of the  boiling water process

The cost for the primary components for the water purification system we are installing at the main kitchen is being paid for thanks to the generous donations by members of British Expats and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their help. Now we need your help too. We are in need of additional funding to replace a roof top water tank at the kitchen and also a replacement pump for a large water holding tank as well as a few other items to ensure that we have covered all of our bases for this project.  This project is intended to fill an immediate need for a ‘single point’ clean drinking water supply. The ultimate goal is to obtain sufficient funding to expand the project to serve all 7 of the houses occupied by the children.   That will involve a significant increase in the size of a water purification system as well as new piping to the houses. 

All of us have the luxury of simply turning on a tap to get all the clean drinking water that we need.  These children do not. All of us can take a shower in water that is not infested with bacteria.  These children cannot.  We hope that you will join us in this important effort to ensure the good health of these wonderful kids. If you are able to help us with this important project please send us a donation, and remember every dollar counts! Thanks.

The kids live in 7 houses and we take one house at a time to the local pool to enjoy a day of sun, swimming and fun. The pool we’re using this summer has a huge water slide which the kids think is the Peruvian equivalent of Disneyworld!

 Only a couple of the 100 children can actually swim, so while it is obviously important to teach them how to swim, it is also a good excuse to get out of the orphanage and have some fun. It’s school holidays now so it’s a perfect time to have some fun, err, i mean learn water safety!

After swimming we organize lunch, drinks and some biscuits for the kids to give them some energy for the walk back up the hill to the orphanage! A big thanks to Stef for helping out each week (and making chicken sandwiches. I’ll do it this week I promise!), George for pool security and Dinah and Billy for coming along. The cost for the kickboards and floats, use of the pool, food and drinks for the kids works out at over $5 for each child, each week. So if you are able to help train a future Olympic swimmer or help with any of our projects please send us a donation, and remember every dollar counts! Find us on facebook (feel free to post the sonrisas link to boost awareness!) and please tell your friends and family about us! Thanks!

In another simple act that we take for granted, it was the first time that most of the kids had even seen a beach or the Pacific Ocean. It was definitely the highlight of my 2 years working with the kids of Westfalia Orphanage to see their faces as they saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time! They were beyond excited, and ran back-and-forth as the waves rolled in in a cross between fear and joy!

Check out the embedded video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEqiKfAYdYk&feature=youtu.be

After some time most were at least up to their shins in the water and a few of the more daring boys went in up to their waists. For the younger ones especially it was a very scary sight to see all this water crashing in and rolling up the beach. At one stage I had 4 or 5 kids holding my hands and arms as we slowly advanced into the water meeting the incoming waves with shrieks and screams, and then laughter.

While the primary aim of sonrisasenperu is to educate the kids to try and break the cycle of poverty that sees many generations of rural poor simply following the same cycle that their parents and grandparents went through, it is also to give the children a sense of normality. For poor children that live in an orphanage on the edge of Lima, doing simple things we take for granted such as a trip to a museum, a bus ride, or a trip to the beach, raises their morale.

Check out the video of Estrella talking about her first time at the beach http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-syQ_GTPd8&context=C3cbe59dADOEgsToPDskLhTA98KR4O96HYA50zCZ20

A simple trip to the beach gives them a sense of normality, it gives them the sensations ‘normal’ kids would feel. And it shows them that people care about them. So thank you for those that have donated, spread the sonrisas word and made these things possible for these wonderful kids. If you are able to help us with our projects please send us a donation, and remember every dollar counts! Find us on facebook and tell your friends and family about us!

 The area has a huge mosquito problem, it gets very cold at night in Cieneguilla (below 10ºC or 50ºF), not to mention the dangers of sharp glass around the kids, so it was an urgent project. 

It was financed with money left over from our Christmas Party (Dec 17) and Christmas turkey lunch (Dec 24) so I want to send out a big thank you again to those that donated.

Sonrisas has a lot planned for this year. We’ve already started swimming lessons, we’re taking the entire orphanage to the beach next weekend (the first time that most of the kids will see the ocean!), and we’re hoping to start the repair/painting of the childrens’ rooms next month. But all the things cost money so we desperately need help. If you are able please send a donation or email us here to donate clothes, books, etc. Please tell your friends and family about www.sonrisasenperu.org. Thanks for your support!

We played some games including musical chairs (one of the kids’ favourites) and water balloon catching (a pair of kids start close and throw the water bomb to each other and then take a step back and repeat the process until the water bomb explodes on someone!).

Then at the end we armed each child with a water bomb and it turned into a free-for-all.

 We had a lot of chips, drinks and lollies before the traditional turkey lunch and even a spot of dancing!

 We handed out Christmas presents to those who missed out on the Christmas Party on December 17th as well as a Christmas pack for all the ‘tias’ and ‘tios’ (aunties and uncles) – the staff who work so hard every day to create a family environment for these kids.

After this we had some general fun including improvising games and activities for the kids to keep them amused.

The Christmas traditional turkey lunch was a great success and a lot of fun and, like everything sonrisasenperu.org does, impossible without your help and support. If we hadn’t put on this day the kids’ would have literally sat around doing absolutely nothing. Can you imagine 100 orphans sitting around on the most festive day of the year? As if they haven’t gone through enough without having to feel even more lonely on such a day. So I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped out. The friends of New York who raised money at their Christmas party, Patricia from France who raised money at her birthday party, Kelly and the gang at British Ex-Pats and everyone else who donated money, food, clothes and time. A huge thanks to Sean and his son Andrew for coming out and being so generous, as well as George, Alex, Stef, Minnie, Sharita and Ricardo.

Money raised is also going to our other projects. We’re about to replace 72 broken window panes of the childrens’ accomodation as well the other buildings. The area has a terrible mosquito problem, Cieneguilla is extremely cold at night and the sharp edges of the broken glass is extremely dangerous for the children so this is an urgent one. We’re also going to paint the childrens’ rooms. There are 4 or 5 children per room and the walls are old brickwork that is in desperate need of some love. We’ve already started weekly swimming lessons at a local pool and purchased the kickboards and floats. BUT, we need your help to continue. If you are able to help us carry out these projects please send us a donation, and remember every dollar counts! Find us on facebook as well, and feel free to tell your friends and family about us!
 

On Saturday 17th Sonrisasenperu hosted the annual Westfalia Orphanage Christmas Party and, with the help of so many people, it was even bigger and better than last year. There were lots of games and prizes, face painting, a delicious lunch of a Peruvian national dish (arroz con pollo), jelly, chocolate milk, soft drink and sweets. It was such a special day for the 94 orphans that come from all over Peru and live at the remote orphanage in Cieneguilla on the outskirts of Lima.

A huge thank you to the energetic George S and his tireless work helping me organize everything. Also a big thanks to Pamela who helps me so much every week. Miguel, Lilly, Silvia and the gang at New Horizons, Kelly and the gang at British Ex-Pats, the staff and students at Business Links and all the amazing donors who helped make this day possible.

Each child received two gifts each and it was amazing to see the looks on their faces as they came up and collected them. These aren’t kids who have playstations, MP3′s, and toys we took for granted growing up so their faces were beaming as they came up.

There were also some people who attended the party and gave out the actual gifts they bought for the kids.

And seeing the kids opening their presents was an amazing sight.

The kids really enjoyed the games and face painting.

So again, a big thank you to those who have helped us make this event so special. And thank you to all those who have donated funds, food, clothes, and their time to these kids. Over the past 2 years I have personally seen amazing changes in the demeanour of these children. All come from dire situations whether it be physical or sexual abuse, abandonment, from the streets, or simply that their families cannot afford to care for them. They come from all parts of Peru and join this big family. And they continually grow in character from shy and reserved children into loving, confident, caring, empathetic teenagers. And this doesn’t simply occur through giving food, clothes or classes but from constant contact and letting them know that people do care about them; that they are worthwhile. And the children are well aware of the global help they receive and constantly ask me about the people and countries that contribute. So thank you.

Our next event for the kids is a traditional turkey Christmas lunch on December 24. Sonrisasenperu is also planning new projects for 2012 including classes for Westfalia Orphanage (such as swimming, art and English) as well as the painting and repair of the kids’ accommodation, more museum and cultural trips for the kids (including a trip to the beach as only a couple of the 100 kids at Westfalia have seen the ocean), as well as visits to terminally-ill children in hospital. If you would like to help out please click here or help spread the word. Thanks!

On December 17 we’re hosting our annual Sonrisasenperu Christmas party for the 100 kids of Westfalia Orphanage. These kids all come from broken and abusive homes, abandonment or their families had to give them up as they simply don’t have the money to care for them. These kids don’t have toys, video games, televisions or any of the things we took for granted as kids so we want to brighten up their Christmas which is traditionally a sad time for them as they don’t have the family time we all have.

 We started to get the children to write letters asking for what they wanted for Christmas and noticed that instead of asking for Barbie dolls or toy trucks, the kids were generally asking for food and fruit! Some were also asking for their school text books for the following year (since they generally had to copy the teachers’ books the whole year as they couldn’t afford their own). But we’re going to organise each child a present anyway as well as throw a party for the kids with food, drinks and lots of games. We’re even going to try and hire a jumping castle depending on the costs … BUT we need your help! If you can help out please send us a donation, and remember every dollar counts! And if you would also like a Christmas card that the kids personally made send us an email. If you’re here in Lima Peru and want to donate a gift, please send us an email.

You can also see photos of the children at http://thechildrenofwestfaliaorphanage.wordpress.com/up-close-and-personal-individual-photos/ or check out more info on Westfalia Orphanage

From Rebecca and the Canterbury College kids from Brisbane  Australia dragging 6 huge bags of clothes and books through 3 airports, Wally from Illinois in the U.S. and his contributors. Natalie, Sandra, Sharon and their wonderful families bringing 85 pairs of shoes from Virginia, U.S.A., Bronwyn from Brisbane and her fundraising efforts, to my old school friend Wanda organising a fund raiser at the Marsden High, Brisbane Australia reunion. And in Lima Peru to the many  people who have donated everything from food, clothes, toys, books and stationery and even a blender! Thanks also to those who have come out to visit Westfalia Orphanage and those that have helped out with events and projects.

Remember that almost all of the rural kids we support own nothing except the clothes on their backs and shortages of books and even food is an everday event. We always need help so if you are able please send a donation or email us here to donate clothes, books, etc. Please tell your friends and family about www.sonrisasenperu.org. Thanks!

These kids have no family and need all the help they can get. Help us make a difference.