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Greetings from Cochabamba,

With the season of Lent ending and Easter just beginning, we are still reminded of the meaning of Easter in our lives. Often times, Easter is a simple gathering of friends and family. It is in these gatherings with friends and family that we reflect on our relationships. Have there been moments of tension and frustration? Have there been moments of peace and joy? What have we done to rectify these moments of tension and frustration? What have we done to encourage more moments of peace and joy? These are hard but necessary questions in order to evaluate how we can maintain the meaning of Easter in our lives---the renewal of relationships.

At Ninos con Valor, we have been able to recognize the meaning of Easter within the Foundation. We had an Easter egg hunt in which we gathered and had the simple joy of viewing the world through the lens of an excited child---smiles and giggles on their faces. We celebrated the Last Supper of Jesus through a Seder meal. We sang "Happy Birthday" as one of our kids turned 4 years old. Through all of these moments, we stood happy and rejoiced that we celebrated many occasions as a community.

Peace and Joy,

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Easter Observances

Holidays are both joyous and stressful, as we immerse ourselves in all of the planning and preparations for the events of family and religious gatherings, the actual meaning of what we're all planning for can easily be lost. While we recognize that our children are not able to be with their individual birth families to celebrate Easter, we strive to create the most family-like atmosphere possible for our kids. We do this with lots of staff and volunteer participation in preparing a variety of activities that encompass both cultural and religious traditions as well as a bit of international flare, and times to both seriously contemplate the meaning of this season as well as celebrate the joy that we find in the reality of Easter.

We began the celebrations with an Easter egg hunt that involved everyone from CDP and PDC. This was really more of a Children's Day egg hunt than an Easter egg hunt, as this was our big fun outing for all the kids to celebrate their special day. The whole crew, which now requires two van trips, went to Tiquipaya to spend the day out at the country home of the hospitable Smith-Firestone family. Tia Kimber hid all 118 eggs and the girls rushed to every corner of the yard to find them. Inside each egg, there was a surprise which included chocolate and various prizes. The girls had so much fun as they were looking for all of the eggs. Then the girls helped hide the eggs for the little ones at PDC; it was so hard for them to not go running to tell PDC kids where all the eggs were hidden!

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Above Left: The girls are listening intently to Kimber. Hmm..is she giving us any clues in these instructions?
Above Right: Bryssa and brother Bemabe happy to be sharing in the fun day together.

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Above Left: Looking in every possible spot, the girls are hoping to have success in finding these hidden eggs.
Above Right: With having found her eggs, Karina is seeing what exactly is inside.

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Above Left: Paty and Cynthia are deciding what to trade with each other.
Above Right: Karina and some of the girls are trying to find what would be a good prize for their efforts!

They looked in every place to find those eggs! Their eggs were also filled with surprises which included stickers, sweets and popcorn. After hunting for all of the eggs, they quickly devoured their sweets and popcorn.

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Above Left: Waiting for the fun to begin, Marcos and Victoria sit in the arms of staff member Sarah. What love!
Above Right: Cynthia from Corazon del Pastor, helping Miguel count his found eggs!

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Above Left: Marcos has found some eggs, but exactly how many?
Above Right: Zaquiel eating his popcorn inside one of the eggs.

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Above Left: Alarico with his goody bag!
Above Right: Victoria, Lily, and Lucas seeing how many eggs they have found.

We then enjoyed just being out in the countryside, with the children commenting on the beautiful flowers, and of course the younger ones being very excited at all the cows and sheep that we passed by on the way home. What a fun day!

Another way the girls celebrated Easter was through having a Seder meal, which has become a Maundy Thursday tradition at CDP. With its roots in the Jewish faith, the Seder meal is a way to remember the Passover, the meal that Jesus observed with his disciples before the crucifixion. With tables and chairs pushed to the walls and white sheets placed on the floor, the dining room was transformed from a room where the girls come and go to a sacred space where this ritual is observed. Along with the haggadah, the scripted telling of the Passover story, the girls listened intently to various bible passages and discussed the verses amongst themselves. They washed the hands of the girl next to them as a gesture of humility. They tasted matzoh and drank grape juice and gained a deeper understanding behind the meaning of these elements. The girls enjoyed this other form of worship.

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Above Left: Valeria, reading from the Bible about the Passover.
Above Right: Alandra and Karina listening to some of the Bible readings.

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Above Left: Paty and Cynthia washing each other's hands.
Above Right: Mariela and Vanesa taking their turn in washing each other's hands.

On Good Friday, there was a mix of fun and reflection as the beginning of the day brought an outing to a local swimming spot for all the kids, where they not only enjoyed the pools, but there was tons of space to play all sorts of games and just enjoy being outside on such a lovely day. In the evening, things became more somber as they reenacted the Stations of the Cross and were able to reflect upon the immensity of the sacrifice being offered.

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Above Left: The centurions walking Christ to his death.
Above Right: Evelyn, Adriana and Paty, the sombre centurions.

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Above: Jhoselin representing Christ on the crucifix.

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Above: No caption needed.

The girls headed to their respective churches to celebrate Resurrection Sunday and enjoyed this special time that allowed them to complete the Easter experience- from somber reflection and grief to the joy and celebration that comes with redemption and new life.

NCV Birthdays

This month brought a birthday celebration to each of our programs...

Miguel celebrated his 4th birthday this month! It was quite the exciting day. All the kids as well as staff and volunteers helped Miguel celebrate. The kids dressed up in their finest clothes. The staff and volunteers decorated the place with balloons and a piñata. There was jello, cookies, cake, and pizza! Another surprise was the arrival of Miguel's godparents. They brought him a truck so big he could fit into it! It was a wonderful day for Miguel!

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Above Left: Social worker Sonia sharing a moment with Miguel!
Above Right: Miguel and his birthday cake. Looks very tasty!

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Above Left: Guillermo and Miguel ready for the party!
Above Right: All the kids focused on their jello and cookies!

Over at CDP we celebrated Zamora's 4th birthday about which she was very excited as she showed everyone her fingers how many years old she was now. The older girls did a great job of making a beautiful (and tasty) cake. Unfortunately we were without a camera, but be assured that she loved every minute of having the spotlight on her :)

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Above : Zamora, being ridiculously cute.

We also celebrated Raquel's 11th birthday with an ice cream cake, something a little different to go with the unusually hot weather we were having. She's still so timid, but definitely interacting more with us than when we first met her in 2009. We enjoyed a lovely morning with the family and Raquel likewise enjoyed both her cake and her new 'Barbie' doll. We are currently looking for a sponsor for her, specifically right now to help with the costs of treating a very bad infection that she has on her face by her ear that will leave bad permanent scarring if not treated soon. She's very self-conscious about this, and it only exacerbates her already timid demeanor. Please visit our site to learn how to sponsor Raquel.

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Above Left: Raquel happy with her new doll.
Above Right: Raquel with Sonia and older sister Trella.

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Above: Abigail, Cynthia and Sofia from CDP joined us to celebrate Raquel's birthday.

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This month we were invited by the Municipality of Mizque to join a coalition of organizations from various backgrounds that are currently involved in, or would like to be involved in projects that are improving the lives of those living in and around Mizque. While the meetings got off to a slow start, it was helpful to learn about other groups working in the same area, and especially those who are involved in the same focus areas as we are. Likewise, we were able to share with others what NCV has been doing and what we'd like to be able to do in the future. Jackie is heading up the Education and Health focus group, so that the organizations involved in these areas can effectively coordinate our efforts. We are excited by the prospects that this new advancement offers in terms of creating long-term investment in these communities through various types of trainings, health clinics, improved infrastructure and advocacy for the rights of women and children. We look forward to sharing with you as things move ahead!

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Above: Jackie participating in a group exercise to define needs and actions.

New Website - Sponsorship Profiles

Finally, before we wrap up this month's newsletter, we want to point you to our updated website, which is going to be easier for us to keep up-to-date. The link is the same: www.ninosconvalor.org.

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This month, we are posting profiles of each of our children every day. For such a small amount each month you can become a sponsor to one of these children and help us continue to meet their needs!

Thank you to each and every person that makes our work possible! We are able to continue improving the lives of our kids through your support. We are very grateful to have you as part of our support team. Have a wonderful Easter season!

Love and Peace from the kids, the staff, and the 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!

dollar sign  Give Now

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 Karen Mitchell
PO Box 223
New Hampton NH 03256

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 provides care for up to 24 girls who have been orphaned, abandoned or removed from high-risk situations.

PDC

Our baby home for up to 12 children, and daycare for up to 12 more, who have been orphaned, abandoned or removed from high-risk situations.

ONE

Our program working with families and communities to strengthen community care of children and to prevent family disintegration.

NCV Newsletter

PO Box 223, New Hampton, NH, USA
www.ninosconvalor.org | info@ninosconvalor.org
Questions? +1 603-707-0201

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