NCV Newsletter Update: July 2010

Greetings from Cochabamba, Bolivia!

Change. Expected, unexpected... it's a part of life. What do we do when an unheralded vagary breaks into the relative calm and structure of our lives?

In his poem, Hawk Roosting, Ted Hughes describes a proud hawk looking down from his roost above proclaiming,

Nothing has changed since I began.
My eye has permitted no change.
I am going to keep things like this.

Sometimes, without knowing how, we can find ourselves with such an outlook. We are in a good place, we feel we are heading in a good direction, and we would like if things could stay that way.

However, as they say, life happens. This past month has been a challenging one for NCV. While the day-to-day in our homes has been pretty much normal (if that is a word we can use for 2 homes with over 30 kids :o), there have been a couple of big unexpected changes that have presented themselves to us.

So, as you read about these changes, please pray that how we are reacting to them is beneficial to our kids, and consider how you can help us out. And, of course, enjoy the regular updates and photos - our kids are just ridiculously cute :o)

Peace and Love,
Tyson

While most of you have been suffering through scorching temperatures, our girls ended up getting an unexpected additional 'vacation' from school this month because of nationwide record breaking cold temperatures. This was a change our girls both welcomed and didn't welcome, as it means classes will run later on into the year.

Usually, we've gone on a group vacation during winter break, but this year we decided to provide the girls with the opportunity to take enrichment classes and many of the older girls went to a creative arts camp. They also got to go on a few day trips and enjoy the city.

Thanks to all of you for making it possible for our girls to discover and grow their talents!

Left - Paty clearly enjoying a lazy vacation morning.
Right - Kattia having fun with bubbles.

Left - More fun with bubbles!.
Right - Angela learning how to make art out of recycled materials.

Left - The girls playing with a neighborhood dog at the park.
Right - Kattia in her arts & crafts class.

Left - Vanesa leaping through the air at the Aquatic Park.
Right - Jhoselin as Queen of the Hill.

Left - Tia Martiza with the older girls at the Simon Patiño mansion.
Right - Lourdes enjoying a visit with her niece and nephew.

Above - Up close and personal with Vanesa and Tia Megan.

A Note from Rachel:

Our survey research project about HIV and young people living on the street is making progress! We recently administered surveys to about 60 youth at three different locations around Cochabamba. After a day full of card games, surveys, soccer, question and answer sessions about HIV/AIDS and lunch, the research team can now focus on the next phase of the research process - data entry and analysis. Wish us luck! More updates to come soon.

Last week Jackie, Tyson and Kimber headed back out to Mizque and Patawasi where we did our Christmas outreach last year to do some follow-up as well as preparations for an upcoming project that we're doing in conjunction with Orkney Helping Hands in September.

After an initially positive interaction with the people we built friendships with the last time we were there, politics reared its ugly head, and things got uncomfortably tense. There's been a massive upheaval in all areas of the local government there, including in child services, and we were unprepared to deal with their ongoing issues and how they would affect our trip. We were getting discouraged when, because of pride, it looked like things might not happen, but in the end, we had some very productive conversations, including with the mayor, and things are looking good for our next trip.

We'll be going to Patawasi to help them update their daycare that is in serious need of just the basics. The children there live with very little, and it's going to be such a blessing to be able to provide the materials for a good early education as well as better nutrition.

Left - Tyson with one of the sweethearts that we remember fondly from our Christmas trip.
Right - One of many of the beautiful girls in this small village.

Left - Don Jhonny, who runs the daycare, is explaining the needs of the community. That's the stove in the background.
Right - The small amount of materials that they have are well-worn, but well cared for too.

First off, this has been a fun month of birthdays! If you want to read more and see some more photos please visit our blog.

At the beginning of this month, due to mounting circumstances like constraints of space, an increasingly difficult landlord and chronic repairs to the home, we all came to the general consensus that it was time to move PDC to a new place. We were thinking in January, however the owner called a meeting the week after we started the search to let us know he wanted to end the contract. And thus began the frustrating process of finding a new space big enough for all of our needs, as well as some space to grow as we continue to take in new children at the home and daycare.

After a few weeks of seeing many homes that we kept trying to somehow envision as the new PDC, this past Monday we stepped through the gate to a home that we were instantly convinced was the right home. There were a few obstacles, but we worked through it and signed for the home yesterday.

The home is in better condition than our current one, has a large yard, a great layout for the home and daycare spaces, lots of storage and even a few fruit trees. It's also in a safer and quieter area of the city, but still has lots of public transportation close by for parents to be able to bring their children to the daycare. On top of all this great news, it's cheaper than the home that we're renting now!

We're so grateful for all the prayers that were poured out for this process. We definitely felt God's blessing on this home, and we're convinced that your prayers made the difference. If you're not already a part of our prayer team and would like to be, contact us here.

As with any move, there are going to be additional, unanticipated costs. We are in need of extra funding to prepare the new home to be able to meet the needs of our children with special medical needs- things like hot running water, rugs in the play areas, and baby proofing the home. If you'd like to give a special gift to help make this new home a fabulous place for all our little kiddos, visit our Donate Now page and where there is a drop-down menu saying Please Direct my Gift in the Following Way, select PDC MOVING COSTS.

Left - Marcos bundled up for the perceived winter here in Bolivia ;)
Right - Alexis all dolled up.

Left - Miguel loves building cubes!
Right - Chale helping to shell peas in the kitchen- it's great for fine motor skills.

Left - Tia Eliana with Manolo on his 3rd birthday.
Right - Marcos loving his new construction vehicle set.

Left - Acacio a wee bit nervous for his first visit to the dentist.
Right - Chale being very brave for his little brother in the dentist's chair.

Left - Mateo celebrating his 1st birthday by already digging into his cake.
Right - Chale watching Tia Evelin's puppet show.

Left - Victoria hanging out with her new bud Chale.
Right - Tia Megan with Nohemi.

Above - Tia Evelin doing a puppet show to teach the kids about first and last names.

Left - The new house!!!
Right - Looking out over the yard from the second floor- those are pacay (a yummy Bolivian fruit), lemon and avocado trees that you see down there!

Child Sponsorship Challenge

Usually, this is where we share about a specific child in one of our homes and encourage you to consider becoming one of the most important people in this child's life - a sponsor or, as they translate it here in Bolivia, a padrino (godparent).

Today, however, we want to throw out a challenge. In order to completely cover the costs of both homes, which means food, rent, education, staffing, the works, each child needs 7-8 sponsors at $30/month depending on their individual needs. Presently, 17 of the 38 children we support in CDP, PDC and OAT don't even have a single sponsor! So the challenge is to make sure each child has at least one sponsor. With nearly 500 people on this mailing list, that means we only need around 3% of you take up this challenge - what do you think? Can we do it?

If you want to help us, please visit our Sponsorship Page or contact Kelley Journey at kelley@ninosconvalor.org. She can also be reached by phone at 978-998-9171.

If you do not have internet access, or would prefer to send a check, please write to the following address:

Ninos con Valor, c/o Karen Mitchell
PO Box 223
New Hampton, NH 03256

Another Big Change

One of the biggest changes that has taken place has actually not been here in Bolivia, but up in the US. Not long ago, we announced that Kelley Journey would be taking on the role of board president for our US sister-charity. Upon her return to the US she has decided to pursue other options. She will be continuing to help us with our child sponsorship program, but this has meant that our new board of directors have already had some big leadership decisions to make.

We are excited to announce that the new US Board President is Kate Heier. Kate has been down to Bolivia many times and is a passionate supporter of NCV. In upcoming newsletters, we will take some space here to introduce you to the new US Board of directors. These folks work closely with the leadership here in Bolivia to ensure that NCV's vision is able to press forward. Please keep them in your prayers as they are working on some pretty exciting things state-side!

Also, if you would like to help out from outside of Bolivia in any way (not just in the US) - recruiting sponsors, maintaining the website, with graphic design, organizing fundraisers - send us an email and we will put you in touch with who you need to be in touch with :o)

Change is an inevitable part of life, otherwise we would not be living. But whether the change is for better or for worse, we have the final decision on how we will incorporate it into our lives and move forward. With uncertain vacations schedules, an unexpected move, and US leadership shifts, we have had a month of change. But we embrace it, and look forward with anticipation and excitement towards what is next!

Peace and Love from the kids, staff and volunteers of Niños con Valor!

* All names have been changed to protect the children's privacy.

If you are interested in supporting us financially as we continue to invest in these children, in their futures and in our own, please visit our web page to learn how.