SPECIAL EDITION: 2017 Lima Kids' Christmas Party

Saturday, December 16, 2017

LOTS OF PHOTOS BELOW

Hi Everyone. For the last few years, I have helped out groups that throw Christmas Parties for poor kids in some not that great neighborhoods in Peru. This year, the party I attended was in Laderas de Chillón Manzana S in the Puente Piedra neighborhood, about an hour outside of where I hang out in Lima. I couldn’t find it in a million years; I just get on the bus. Some of the women in that neighborhood have a group called 'Vaso de Leche' (Glass of Milk). They provide Breakfast and Lunch to hungry people in that area, and also, throw a party for the kids every Christmas.

Thanks to the donations of many of my friends in the USA, the Vaso de Leche women were able to step up their game this year and hire a kid’s show as well as their usual gifts, Panettone and Chocolate Milk. Additionally, half because the kids like it, and half because it is fun to do the shopping, we brought along some Books for the kids and also went to the wholesale Candy store and bought almost 400 different Candy Bars for the party.

The added attention of the show brought out what seemed like every kid in that, and surrounding neighborhoods… the place was packed to overflowing! When the committee realized that there were more kids than gifts (they prepared 50 more than they thought that they needed and were still short, they decided to hold back on the books and some of the candy so that every kid got something.

It was super-rewarding to see how much these kids enjoyed the day (and their gifts). There were smiles on every little face and bigger smiles on the bigger faces.

The photos below show the neighborhood we were in, the Vaso de Leche building (white with black spots), preparations, the show, and last, LOTS of happy kids.

The Vaso de Leche building and preparations:

The Show:

Happy Kids:

The Vaso de Leche women were super appreciative of the faceless people back in the United States who donated their hard-earned money so that kids they don’t know on the other side of the equator could have a good holiday. They each made a point to ask me to thank you guys.

When all was said and done, there was about US$230 (750 soles) left over from the donations. I gave it to them and told them to use it for their work during the year – Christmas will take care of itself next time. They asked me if it was OK for them to buy new drywall for their building with the money (you can see that it is rotting on the outside of their building, or perhaps invest in fresh metal for their roof. I told them to use the money as they see best.

Thank you again to everyone that either donated or encouraged me to continue helping these kids out. I cannot impress upon you enough how much this was appreciated, and I strongly recommend that you try to come down one year and attend the party with us. I can help you set up travel, housing, what to see, and, ahem, where to eat during your visit. It’s a big commitment during the holidays, but the payoff is worth it!

Last, some of us mugging for the camera!

If you want to see even more photos, CLICK HERE and it will take you my Facebook album with about twice as many photos. My FB page is open, so we don't need to be connected.