Greetings from Cochabamba,

October and November have been busy months despite the start of summer vacations for our kids. We have celebrated lots of birthdays and Halloween, enjoyed year-end school activities, and started in on vacation activities.

Coming to the end of a year is always exciting for us. This is not only because it gives pause to reflect on all that has happened during the previous year, or because it triggers us to dream about what will be in the year to come, but because in the midst of all this reflection and dream casting, it is a time when we can enjoy some down time with our kids, get out of the routine, and just appreciate all the goodness in our lives.

We hope that through these updates, you are able to share our joy in the growth of our children.

Peace and Love,

Fería Costumbrista:

The boys from Germán Busch School had a fun experience participating in a folkloric fair, where they presented typical foods from the provinces in Cochabamba. The kids ate a lot of different foods – doesn't it look yummy?

Above Left: Diego, Zaquiel and Lucas all smiles at the fair.
Above Right: Lucas and Bemabe listening carefully to a cooking explanation.

Above: A sampling of some of the food that was on display, some of which the kids helped prepare.

Above Left: Lucas, just because we love his smile so much :)
Above Right: The boys with their teacher.

Bono Juancito Pinto:

In 2006, the current Bolivian government launched a program called the "Juancito Pinto Bonus". This program provides a 200 boliviano cash grant at the end of each school year to children between grades 1 and 8. The program has had a remarkable impact on school attendance, and it is a major help to NCV as we have significant educational needs. Marcos was very happy to receive this bonus for the first time, and said that in addition to school supplies, he would like to spend some of his "earnings" on a huge ice cream.

Above Left: Marcos waiting in line, then at a table, and finally leaving, with a slight smirk, cash-in-hand.

Halloween:

In Bolivia, the start of November means celebrating Día de los Santos (All Saints Day) and Día de los Muertos (All Souls Day). Since NCV is global in its vision, our kids get the whole package - on October 31st our boys also celebrated Halloween! Tío Memo and Tía Kathy planned a day of treats and games. The tias of the home weren't willing to be left behind, and jumped into the fun as well. The day went brilliantly!

Above: Manolo and Cedro, trying on the wizard hat.

Above: Tía Isabel and Tía Kathy getting into the spirit of things.

Actividades Escolares:

The girls of CDP also participated in some fun year end school activities. The girls of Luis Quintin Vila School, a school for older kids that includes a technical component, held an exhibition of the projects they have been working on throughout the year. Congratulations to our girls for all their hard work!

Above: A sampling of some of the projects our girls worked on.

Above Left: Ana and Nohemi in front of an emroidery project.
Above Right: Elena poses in front of the food section at the fair.

In addition to educational activities, our girls demonstrated their sports and arts prowess. Mariela participated in the festival of dance at San Vicente de Paul School, and Paty was super content receiving her medal for the school Olympics.

Above Left: Mariela dancing the a folkloric dance in a tipoy, a traditional dress in the lowlands of Bolivia.
Above Right: Paty showing off her bling.

Wedding:

As a final update for CDP, our girls also were asked by Janita, a lay minister at their church, La Trinidad, to participate in her wedding as maids of honor. Janita married Diego, a Sunday School teacher from La Trinidad, and had dresses made for each of the girls as a special gift. The celebration was held at Carachipampa, a Christian school just outside of the city.

This was the first wedding that most of our girls had attended, so it was a new and exciting experience for them. They enjoyed a tasty meal and a beautiful wedding cake. The girls were a highlight for those invited, as they were full of energy, dancing, laughing, and overall just having a wonderful time.

Above Left: The girls posing before the celebration begins.
Above Right: Twins Jhoselin and Johana presenting the Bolivian flag.

Above: The younger set of girls sitting patiently for a photo.

Above: And the older group, a bit more dramatic in their poses :)

Above: The happy couple!

Above Left: Vanesa looking gorgeous in her dress.
Above Right: We just had to include this shot of Victoria, one of the few calm, sweet moments.

Above Left: Bryssa, Vanesa and Adriana getting silly.
Above Right: Looking at these kids faces, you'd almost wonder what was in those glasses :)

Above: Janita and Diego with their maids of honor.

We are gearing up for our annual Christmas event in Mizque. Since 2007, we have been reaching out to impoverished communities, bringing Christmas cheer to kids and families who would otherwise go through the season with absolutely no joy, no experience of the magic of the season. These events have been taking place in Mizque since 2009, and this year will bring us to three communities: Kuri, Uchama and Pantipampa.

In addition to bringing Christmas cheer, these visits also mark the beginning in a new phase of our work in Mizque. These three communities are the communities chosen by the municipality and NCV to be the pilot communities for our efforts of holistic community outreach. These efforts include improving education and healthcare, and eventually will include water collection and purification.

This Christmas, we are estimating that we will be reaching out to 200 families, and around 400 children! Our visit will be mid-January, and we have a lot of needs, so if you would like to support us in this, below is a breakdown of what sort of costs we are looking at.

We will also be taking most of our teens from CDP this year to help us out and give them an opportunity to give back, something that has been a rewarding experience for them in the past. This doubles as their vacation trip, whereas our younger girls will take trips closer to home.

• 200 baskets for families: $2045
• 400 toys for children (0-12 years old): $1170
• Transportation: $440
• 3 days/nights room and board (5 staff and 15 girls): $1405

So, in total, we need $5060. We should mention that we are engaged in local drives to gather gifts and dried goods as well. It sounds like a lot, but the impact, and the number of families and children being reached, is incredible. If you can, please consider making a donation, indicating "OAT Christmas" in the memo of your check or in the comments section of the online donation form.

Above Left: Sofia on a trip earlier this year. These are incredible opportunities for our girls to pay-it-forward.
Above Right: Children lining up for the big gift handout at last year's event.

In our last update, we mentioned that we celebrated little Cedro's birthday. That was on October 22nd. Incredibly, we don't have any more birthdays in Pedacito until February! We did, however, have a great time celebrating Tía Laura's birthday. Laura wanted to have a party with the kids, and party they did :)

The same cannot be said for Corazón del Pastor. These past two months, we have celebrated the birthdays of Victoria, Bryssa, Olivia, twins Jhoselin and Johana, Valeria, Raeka, Sofia and Kattia, not to mentioned Tias Lucia, Jackie and Maritza.

In our OAT program, both Efrain and his grandmother celebrated birthdays this month. It is so exciting to know that this family, which just four years ago was facing a very uncertain future, is still together and is now flourishing thanks to our supporters.

Above Left: Olivia checking out her cake before digging in.
Above Right: The twins, Jhoselin and Johana celebrating their 12th birthday together.

Above: Tía Laura before and after having her face pushed into the cake. (FYI - this is tradition :)

Above: Here, Efrain showing off his present, alongside sister Raquel.

Christmas is just around the corner, so plans are starting to come together—not only for our trip to Mizque, but also for both of our homes and the families we support externally. We are so thankful for Elevation, The Commons, and Living Waters for launching a fundraising campaign in their churches to raise what we need to ensure each of our children receive a special gift, have a stocking stuffed on Christmas morning, and are able to share in a wonderful Christmas meal as a family.

We look forward to sharing all about it in our next update!

December first marks World AIDS Day, and each year in the time leading up to this event, the government program working to create awareness and prevent transmission of HIV, hosts seminars to bring together different groups working with HIV/Aids.

This year, the theme was "Care and Attention of Children Living with and/or Affected by HIV/Aids". Seventy percent of NCV staff attended the seminar, where they received practical training, and reinforced their knowledge of HIV/Aids. Niños con Valor was presented as a model and pioneer in the care of children living with HIV, and we were able to share in greater detail the work we do as well, including our unique nutritional program.

We our so proud of our staff for the incredible work they do!

Above Left: Tía Maritza demonstrating how to make vitamin rich green smoothies.
Above Right: A photo of those who atteneded the seminar.

Above: A photo of some of our staff on the final day of the seminar.

We are sending this letter just after the start of December, so are also able to share a few photos with you from World AIDS Day. The girls from CDP joined the early morning march, and some of the older teens lingered afterwards to check out the various stands set up in the main plaza.

Above Left: Our girls at Plaza Sebastian before the march began.
Above Right: Marching behind a banner which reads: "Network of Latin American Young Adults, United in Response to HIV/AIDS".

Above Left: Elena, Sofia, Ana, Lourdes and Olivia stand in front of an educational game.
Above Right: Some of the older girls posing in the main plaza.

As you enter into this magical time of year, may you find encouragement in all you have accomplished this past year, may you be filled with hope for what the coming year will hold, and may you be blessed with time to spend with family and friends.

Peace and Love From the Children, the Staff, and the Volunteers of Niños con Valor.