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2014 Year-End

Newsetter

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Greetings from Cochabamba!

It feels like every year we can write, "This year has been a year of big changes," and this year is no different--but that's a good thing! We are constantly growing and changing, learning and refining, venturing into uncharted territory and improving upon that which is well-established. Join us as we wrap up the year by looking back and reflecting on all the wonderful blessings we´ve been able to experience in 2014. Weve also got ways that you can join us for Christmas, so be sure to check it out!

Peace and Blessings,

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This year, we saw the launching of the Sendero de Esperanza home for our girls who´ve aged out of Corazón del Pastor, a major milestone in both the lives of our young women and the foundation at large. It's hard to believe that these women who arrived to us as timid and unsure girls have matured so much in their time with us, and are now living independently, graduating from high school, holding down jobs, and deciding on which university they'll be attending.

We're so very grateful to all of you who've been investing in this program, both the girls who are living in the apartment and also all of our teens who are getting prepared to be able to successfully live independently when their time comes to move on from CDP.

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Above Left: Sofia reading with Fabian and Alejo.
Above Right: Sofia and her helper making a delicious cake.

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Above Left: Ana at her job at the hotel... some of our team members might recognize it :)
Above Right: Ana gets to enjoy one of the prettiest spots in the whole city while working.

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Above Left: Some of the men from the Living Waters team setting up the stove in the new SDE apartment.
Above Right: The girls with Tía Marcela processing that this is their new home.

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Above Left: Sofia and Ana enjoying a visit from "las pequeñas" from CDP.
Above Right: The girls helping out with the shopping for the homes.

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We also moved Pedacito de Cielo... again. We seem to have had such bad luck finding a stable location for the boys' home since we began PDC, but this past move was to a place where we should be able to put down some roots until we are able to have our very own land to build upon.

The boys have made the adjustment well; they have been able to make friends at their new school, and were able to start soccer classes at the local soccer academy, which they are loving.

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Above Left: The Living Waters team also helped us move PDC. That's one of the advantages of a large team!
Above Right: Thankfully, it wasn't too far of a move.

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Above Left: Moving in the new furniture too. It was time for us to move up to regular sized furniture!
Above Right: Even the girls got in on helping get everything set up.

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Above Left: Starting to get things set up in what is now the living room/dining room.
Above Right: The boys have received scholarships from a great soccer academy here, it's been great for kids like Eneas who is full of energy!

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Above Left: Diego running foot work drills.
Above Right: Their coaches really challenge them!

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Above Left: Marco and Alarico during a game.
Above Right: Ready for school!

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Above: Practicing a dance.

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At Corazón del Pastor, the first of the homes NCV opened, we have seen growth and transition as well, not in physically moving them, but in the lives of the girls living there. We've always felt very blessed that we've been able to offer extra-curricular classes to develop and encourage the talents and interests of the girls. However, with so many girls, it had been a challenge trying to coordinate all the girls' classes and still always have at least one tía at home. Now, with so many girls being teenagers, it's been very freeing for everyone because we're able to either send them on their own, or can entrust some of our older girls to accompany the younger girls, so the range of classes has expanded these past few years. The girls have been involved in classes such as ballet, gymnastics, taekwondo, dress-making, swimming, piano, English, and computers to name just a few.

The girls also continue to work on developing their Life Plans on a more detailed level the older they get, so that they are better prepared, have standards and goals they've set for themselves, concrete plans to help ensure they meet those goals, and aren't distracted nor discouraged when the difficulties of "the real world" get in the way of their dreams.

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Above Left: The girls presenting the many folkloric dances from all over Bolivia.
Above Right: Ballet classes.

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Above: And all of that hard work paying off at their recital!

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Above Left: On their way to La Paz and Lake Titicaca! Just to the bus terminal, they weren't that packed in for the whole ride :)
Above Right: Now they're all stretched out ready for the overnight ride to La Paz.

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Above: The whole gang along the shores of Lake Titicaca.

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Above Left: The girls with Tia Liseth on Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun).
Above Right: A few of the girls braved the chilly waters!

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Above: For many of our girls, there could not be a better belated Christmas gift, autographed photos of Justin Bieber!

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Above Left: On their way to school...
Above Right: Paty's quince was a total blast and a wonderful celebration of what an incredible person she is.

Goobyes and Hellos

We know that when a child arrives at NCV, our ultimate goal is to provide and care for that child so that they can be successful in their lives, whether that means being reunited with a biological family member, being adopted, or moving on to independence. We rejoice whenever we see one of our boys or girls move on, yet it can be difficult after investing so much of time, effort, and most importantly, love in that child.

This year, we had five children either move back with his or her biological family or be adopted into a new family. While it's always difficult to say goodbye, because they take such a big piece of our heart with them, we are also full of joy and thanksgiving for the opportunity we have had to be a part of their lives, and in knowing that they are now with a loving family, or able to live independently.

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Above: Alayna and her little sister Catalina were able to return to their mother.

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Above Left: It was so sweet watching Teresa get to know her adoptive mother.
Above Right: It was a long wait, but Mateo was adopted this past August and loves his new family.

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Above Left: Zaquiel was finally able to be reunited with his mother and little brother.
Above Right: Lourdes returned to live with her mother and older sister. Here is the first photo we ever took of her way back in 2006!

Though it has been a mix of joy and saddness to say goobye to these children, whom we love so much, as they have gone to live with family, we've also had been blessed with the opportunity to welcome some new children as well in both our homes and our hearts!

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Above Left: Laura is a talented and caring girl who's been wonderful in welcoming all the new girls since she arrived.
Above Right: It's lovely to see Clara marvel with childlike wonder at the world around her, and her smile is contagious!

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Above: Siblings, Samuel and Natalia, have been adjusting well to their new home, though Natalia is still working on smiling for the camera.

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Above Left: Sometimes we're asked to accept short-term placements, which is how sisters Martina and Paulina first arrived, but they were such a great match for CDP, both we and they are so excited that they are part of our family!
Above Right: Our newest girl, Agustina, who just arrived a week ago.

Teams and Volunteers

This year also brought back many of our extended family members via short-term teams that came from four different teams: Living Waters Community Church of New Hamburg, Ontario; The First Presbyterian Church of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho; a joint team from Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church of Danvers, Massachusetts, and Restoration Anglican Church of Arlington, Virginia; and The Church of the Good Samaritan of Paoli, Pennsylvania.

Our children had a wonderful time getting to reconnect with those who've been coming for years, and getting to know some new friends too. Teams are often one of the ways that sponsors also get to meet their sponsor child, and that's always a meaningful experience for all involved.

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Above Left: The huge team from Living Water Fellowship enjoying a day with the kids at Pairumani Ecopark.
Above Right: Sharing a story with PDC.

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Above Left: Helping PDC move to their new home.
Above Right: Traveling in style during our Mizque Christmas outreach.

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Above Left: Some members from the joint team from Christ the Redeemer and Restoration Anglican enjoying building Legos with the boys.
Above Right: Getting the laundry area all set up.

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Above Left: Our founder, Endel Liias, with a Peggi and the PDC cat, Missifus.
Above Right: It's always amazing when sponsors get to meet their child, but Manolo was super excited too!

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Above Left: Alandra, with her friend, our International Director's daughter.
Above Right: The Good Samaritan team with the mandatory Cristo photo :)

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Above Left: Working on the aquaponics project.
Above Right: Getting some love from our biggest sibling group!

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Above Left: Deryck working on the community project in Mizque.
Above Right: We were so glad that our board member, Kevin, got to meet his sponsor child, Mateo, before he was adopted!

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Above Left: Emily and Kattia taking a break from painting to pose for a photo.
Above Right: Tim, from First Pres Coeur D'Alene, working hard with the boys of PDC.

We're always grateful for the impact that individual volunteers have in the lives of our children. Whether they are here for a few weeks or many months, we love to see the way these people have brought a willingness to share their hearts along with their talents and skills to enrich the lives of our boys, girls and teens.

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Above Left: Elizabeth with Zamora.
Above Right: Caitlin posing with Victoria and Bryssa.

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Above Left: Kimber giving Nohemi a big hug.
Above Right: Magdalena shortly before she returned home, with Catalina.

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Above Left: Selena spending time with Samuel and Fabian.
Above Right: Nora with a few of the girls at one of our 15th birthday celebrations.

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Above Left: Gabby and Sam getting silly with Paty and Bryssa.
Above Right: Georgia posing with Manolo in PDC's back yard.

Grants

Some of the unsung heroes of NCV are our grantmakers. We literally could not exist without them, and so we owe much gratitude for these organizations that give so generously, and make it possible for us to provide excellent care to each child. We all give a heartfelt thanks to all of our grantmakers in 2014, who, though we are not listing their names here as some have requested that their giving not be publicized, are an importnat part of the NCV family. Thank you so much!

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Christmas should always be a wonderful time full of gratefulness for the ultimate gift given to us through Jesus, but also of childlike wonder and merriment, and enjoyment of family and friends. But for children who aren't living with their families, this can be a difficult and even sad time of year. We want to do everything we can to create happy memories for our kids!

If you'd like to help us make Christmas a wonderful experience for all of our kiddos, you can make a donation to NCV http://www.ninosconvalor.org/get-involved/give-now/. You can also give on behalf of someone else as a Christmas gift to them as well! If you would like to do this, instructions can be found online here.

If you sponsor a child, or would just like to send a holiday message to the homes, please write to sponsorship@ninosconvalor.org by the 20th of the month, so we can have your message translated in time for Christmas.

Somehow not only for Christmas
But all the long year through,
The joy that you give to others
Is the joy that comes back to you.
And the more you spend in blessing
The poor and lonely and sad,
The more of your heart's possessing
Returns to make you glad.
- George F. McDougall

Peace and Love from the Kids, Staff and Volunteers of Niños con Valor.

pencil  Check out our Blog!

Keep up to date with what is happening in NCV on our blog. You can also catch up on previous newsletters here. Enjoy!

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If you are in the US, you can either send a check made out to "Ninos con Valor" to the address below, or use our Groundspring online donation page.

Niños con Valor
c/o Laurel Fortin
23515 NE Novelty Hill Rd SteB221-#301
Redmond WA 98053

For instructions on donating outside of the US, please visit our donations page.

pray  Pray!

We know that God loves kids too, so please keep us in your prayers, using these updates as a bit of a guide on what is happening, or by writing us here. We send out weekly prayer requests to those who join our prayermail list. We really appreciate the support!

 

  Learn More about our Projects

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.

CDP

Our home that currently provides care for 22 girls who have been orphaned, abandoned or removed from high-risk situations.

PDC

Our home that currently provides care for 13 boys who have been orphaned, abandoned or removed from high-risk situations.

SDE

Our transitional program, helping prepare teens for independent living once they leave our residential homes.

NCV Newsletter

23515 NE Novelty Hill Rd SteB221-#301
Redmond, WA   98053
USA
www.ninosconvalor.org | info@ninosconvalor.org
Questions? +1 425-891-6237

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