We received an amazing donation of 4 Computers, 3 monitors, 2 printers, modems, keyboards, mouse, printer cartridges, and what seems like 5km of cables! A huge thank you to Astar Air Cargo LLC USA for getting them to Peru from The United States!
We want to donate them to poor, regional schools that do not have computers but we need some help! The computers’ hard-drives were wiped to delete any sensitive information so we need to get all the equipment serviced, install operating systems, and install Windows and Microsoft Office before the kids can use them. One of the printers isn’t working and needs to be repaired as well.
I am working on an approximate estimate of US$400 to get it all done, depending on what is exactly wrong with the printer. If you are able to help us get these computers working please make a donation. This might even be one for all the I.T. workers out there. If everyone working behind a computer donated $5 we’d have the funds in no time. Thanks! And keep watching for photos of the computers and where they end up!
One of my favourite projects to do is to help families in extreme poverty and try to make their lives a little easier. The director of a very poor school in Agustino, on the edge of Lima, Peru introduced us to Alejandra, who was from my one of the poorest families at the school. Alejandra is a 7 year old girl who lives with her mother, aunty and 77 year old grandmother. Her mother is uneducated and unemployed although occasionally works at the local markets making fresh orange juice or washing clothes. Her aunty has kidney renal failure, and needs dialysis three times a week to drain the body of fluids, toxins, and balance electrolytes, which usually your kidneys would do. She has had this condition for over 20 years and needs a kidney transplant. Alejandra’s father left when she was 3 months old and has had no contact with her since and provides no money.
The area where they live is dangerous, very poor, dirt roads, no parks, and poor water cleanliness (there is a need to boil all consumable water). Their living conditions are poor, they don’t have a bathroom, shower or running water. They share a communal bathroom/shower behind their apartment with 4 other dwellings. Their apartment has windows but no glass attached and only covered by loose material and is cold at night. They have concrete flooring, a small stove which runs off a portable gas bottle, no fridge and the beds are in terrible condition (one was an old fold-out spring bed which must have been at least 30 years old). Their rent is 200 Peruvian soles per month (US$ 75). Due to the unemployment of Alejandra’s mother and the medical problems of Alejandra’s aunty and the age of the grandmother, they struggle week-to-week and it was very evident in their living conditions and lack of food.
Alejandra has few books, and they are mostly toddlers’ jigsaw books with missing pieces. When asked what she would like most she said food after hearing her mother say the same, but when pressed she teared up a little and mentioned toys because she only has the soft fluffy toys she has had since being a baby. She mostly wore the same old clothes on various different meetings and there wasn’t a lot of food in the house. The director of the school told me Alejandra is a keen student, extremely well behaved but behind the level of the other kids, particularly in mathematics (probably due to her mother being unable to help her with homework due to her own poor education level). Personally I was struck by the sweet nature of Alejandra and how happy she seems to be regardless of their financial situation.
Our initial concern for Alejandra and her family was their lack of food. On Sunday 29 July we delivered various foods, rice, beans, sugar, washing powder, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, cereal, cooking oil, etc. In August we also delivered some gifts for Alejandra…much needed clothes, books, some educational games and toys and a set of dolls. We set up weekly tutoring for Alejandra to help improve her level. We also want to help her mother to be more self-sufficient and be able to provide for her family. We are discussing the possibility of providing a small portable cooker for her to sell hamburgers and snacks in front of the school or in the markets.
Sadly Alejandra’s case is not unusual in Peru. For so many families it is a daily struggle to survive. We really need to be thankful for having clean water, for having food and receiving a good education. A big thank you to Bec and her friends in Australia for wanting to make a difference to a poor family here and donating money to make this possible. We’ll keep you posted on Alejandra’s tutoring and school results! We want to help out as many families as possibly, particularly coming up to Christmas. If you are able to help us continue with these incredibly important projects please send us a donation, and remember every dollar counts! You can also specify exactly what you would like to do with your donation. Sometimes people want to buy food for Westfalia Orphanage, clothes or shoes for the poor, etc.
Thanks for keeping track of what we’re up to! As always, feel free to share this on Facebook or email your friend to try and spread the word. Thanks!
Can you spot the difference below?
Well in case you can’t, the stove on the left was 20 years old, 4 of the 6 burners didn’t function and had to be disconnected due to gas leaks and was just an all-round dangerous appliance to have around the almost 100 children of the orphanage. With the help of donations we were able to replace it with a new stove and a whole set of pots and pans to replace the old blackened ones that were bent out of shape, broken or had handles missing thereby making them extremely dangerous.
As you can see from the photos above, there was a lot of interest in the installation of the new stove. This new stove means the kitchen can now operate with all 6 burners. The old stove only had 2 functioning burners making it very difficult to provide meals for the almost 100 children of Westfalia Orphanage. It also means a level of safety the old stove with its leaks couldn’t provide.
The pictures above are some of the new pots and pans that were purchased to replace the old, broken or dangerous ones. As always, a big thank you to those that donated. Like this new stove project, or the clean water project which provided clean, bacteria-free water for the first time in the 22 years of Westfalia Orphanage’s existence, the repairing of the dozens of broken windows at the orphanage, ongoing English classes, new dance classes, or the regular food and supplies provided to the rural poor like the kids of Westfalia, we have many projects waiting to happen and just need the financial support to make them happen. If you are able to help, please send a donation. And remember, 100% of donations go toward the projects. Nobody receives any kind of salary. This was my goal is creating sonrisas, to provide a fair, easy way to get help from you to the people that need it the most, like the kids of the Huerta Village school in rural Peru shown in the photo below which was the very first project for sonrisasenperu . No salaries, no company cars, no hotels and conferences. Just feet on the ground. So rest assured your money is working hard.
If you aren’t financially able to help please spread the word and tell your friends and family about www.sonrisasenperu.org. Share this post on your social media or forward the email. Thank you for your support and helping to make a difference in the lives of others less fortunate than ourselves. Scott Jeppesen
Westfalia Orphanage is a non-government rural orphanage on the outskirts of Lima, Peru and home to around 100 children from a few months old to 18 years old. Receiving only a monthly quota of rice from the government the orphanage struggles to care for these children from all kinds of backgrounds, physical, sexual abuse, abandonment, street kids or simply where their families cannot afford to feed and take care of them. With your support we recently helped provide a clean drinking water system for the kids. Previously they were using the contaminated local river water for drinking, bathing and washing with. Now they need our help once again.
The kitchen stove pictured above has served the orphanage since it began 20 years and is now well overdue for a replacement. The stove initially had 6 burners, of which only 2 presently work. The other 4 have malfunctioned, including gas leaks, to the point where they had to be removed. This industrial stove is the only means of cooking for the 100 children and over 20 carers and uses huge pots that hold around 200 litres (50 gallons). Cooking in a regular home for a family would be difficult with only 2 functioning cookers, so cooking for well over 100 people with only 2 is almost impossible. Not to mention the safety concern with such an old stove with a history of gas leaks.
The quote for a replacement stove (the same commercial brand as the existing stove) is US $1,150 (or S/3000 Peruvian Soles). There is also a need to replace the small pots used to carry food to the individual seven houses. The current pots are often missing handles, have leaks and are in a terrible condition. So we are hoping to raise a total of US $1,500.
If you would like to help, please send a donation. If you aren’t financially able to help, you could help spread the word and tell your friends and family about www.sonrisasenperu.org. Share this post on your social media or forward the email. Thank you for your support and helping to make a difference in the lives of others less fortunate than ourselves.
English classes have started again at Westfalia Orphanage! A huge thanks to Alex and Business Links institute in Lima for donating all the English texts for the children. A big thanks also goes out to the teachers at Business Links who donate their Saturdays to go all the way to Cieneguilla to teach the children (over 90 minutes each way by public transport!).
Two classes run concurrently and we have different teachers come each week to give the kids a better learning experience and to allow them to hear different accents (sadly we only have one Australian representative to teach them the real way to speak!).
The kids love the classes and it’s also a great way to teach them a skill and give them an edge when it comes time to look for work amongst the almost 9 million people in Lima, Peru.
It has been a longer journey than we anticipated for the kids of Westfalia Orphanage, but clean drinking water is now provided to a dedicated faucet in the main kitchen. This eliminates the need to boil dirty water every day to supply the houses and to provide drinking water for the almost 100 children to take to school. No more wasting money on propane for boiling. No more running out of drinking water before they run out of day.
The process required ordering numerous components from the U.S. and Canada as they were not available in Peru. We could have sourced items here to install a system without the safety feature that we wanted, but that was not acceptable. Sourcing what we wanted from the U.S. increased the cost by more than $450, but that was a small price to pay for the security that we felt was imperative. The photo below shows the complete system.
I think that the only items in this photo that were sourced in Peru would include the pipes, the valves and the board the system is mounted on. We could not source the clear filter containers, and we wanted those so that a visual inspection of the filters was possible without taking them apart. We also could not source the quality of filters that we wanted, the UV sterilizer that would accept a solenoid valve to protect against using contaminated water in the event of bulb failure, low UV emission or electrical failure. To us, that was a priority. In the event of any of those circumstances, the vale closes and the water supply is shut off. No chance of using contaminated water.
At the top center of the board is the UV monitor that indicates UV emission, running at a perfect 99%, counts the days until bulb replacement and also sounds an alarm if there is any bulb failure of loss of UV. To the right of that is a circuit breaker that protects the system from any possible electrical overload. At the far left is the brass solenoid valve connected to the UV sterilizer. To the right, mounted on a separate board, is a pump that guarantees a constant flow of 3 gallons per minute, sufficient to push water through the large carbon filter at the bottom right. The system includes the carbon filter and two sediment filters. The valve at the lower left is only for draining the system when we need to change the UV bulb or the filters.
In the photo below you can see the new water tank on the left. This tank is dedicated solely to drinking and cooking water as well as washing fruits and vegetables. The other tank will receive untreated water and will be used only for cleaning.
Below are close up photos of each section of the system. We installed complete instructions in Spanish as well as a tag to indicate the date of every bulb change and a large warning label about the danger of handling the bulb during changing.
We checked the system and everything was perfect. The best part, everyone was thrilled with it as you can see from some of the photos below of the children sampling the new, clean water. The work of boiling and distributing drinking water for almost 100 children is a thing of the past. The days of the children going thirsty in late afternoon and at night because the boiled water had been used up, history! Every morning they fill the water jugs for the houses from the dedicated faucet in less than 20 minutes. When they need a refill, no problem. We have done a lot of things here, but I rate this as by far the most rewarding thing that we have accomplished. We could not have done it without the generous donations of some wonderful people. You really have made a huge difference in the lives of these children.
We are now investigating and planning for phase 2 which would involve only using water from the well and never from the river (except for watering gardens, etc.), cleansing the 45,000 litre cistern as well as the pipes leading to the houses and the interior plumbing with a chlorine shock, installing some form of purification system to the cistern (likely chlorine injection and ozone treatment) and feeding clean water to every house. Clean water to drink, brush their teeth, shower, wash their clothes and clean their dishes. This would also involve installing a solar electric system at the well location and eliminating the need to spend $1,000 a month on diesel fuel to run the existing pump. We would also move to using a submersible well pump instead of the elevated pump that they now use. The details are complex and we are very fortunate to have amazing help from Randy, who has been invaluable with his help and knowledge. I know that he is mulling over this project already and will come up with a detailed plan. The frightening part will be the cost. That will be huge by comparison to what we spent on Phase 1. But on we go! A huge thanks to George as well for steering this project with Randy. Amazing work guys. Thanks also to those who donated and helped these kids have clean, drinking water that will never run out!
We are finally approaching the date of installation for the water purification system. Over the past month we have reviewed the original plan, made a few tweaks to accommodate some new discoveries and finalized the overall plan. We are assigning some responsibilities to the orphanage that involve better protection for the water cisterns and the well from potential pollutants. As it stands, the cisterns and the well are not properly protected from the possible introduction of foreign material, in particular fecal pollution and/or entry into the system of some unsuspecting living thing that might fall in, die, and pollute the entire system. This is an easy remedy with the simple fabrication of a more protective well cover and covers for the roof access points to the cisterns.
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.
“Tengo sed” (I’m thirsty) are words that we hear too often from the children at Westfalia. With a water supply that is unfit for drinking, they need to boil drinking water every morning for distribution to the houses. The supply always runs out before the day does. To alleviate this problem, our friend George S. with a lot of amazing, technical help from Randy is installing a water purification system at the main kitchen. Currently the orphanage gets its water needs from the local river which runs openly, and unsafely, past livestock and other pollutants. Recent water tests have shown alarming bacteria levels in this water. The total coliforms were 500 colonies/100ml (western standards are “less than 1” coliform for drinking water) and the fecal coliforms were 300 ( western standards are “less than 200 fecals” for “contact water” which is washing and bathing). So the water the 100 children use is not even safe to shower in!
| Acceptable Western standards | Westfalia water | |
| Coliform bacteria (colonies/100mL) | less than 1 (for drinking) | 500 |
| Fecal coliform bacteria (col/100mL) | less than 200 (for bathing) | 300 |
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.
Summer is here in Peru and swim classes for 2012 are underway for the 100 kids of Westfalia Orphanage! We use a local tourist restaurant which is about a 15 minute walk from the orphanage which has a pool that we use for a fee.
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!
On Friday 10 February 2012 we took the entire orphanage on a beach trip to Punta Hermosa (Point Beautiful), 50km to the south of Lima, Peru. The kids were loaded up on 2 buses and made the almost 2 hour journey from the dusty, dry hills of Cieneguilla to the Pacific Ocean.
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!