Message to our Godparents and Donors

A new year has started, and thanks to the support and help of our wonderful godparents and benefactors we keep on propelling our centers Alecrim and Arenitas.

With this help, the children receive support in the cognitive area (knowledge), as well as to develop as persons. Likewise, to develop the learning area to its utmost is the good nutrition they receive. Illness control also plays an important role in achieving an overall development of our children.

Due to all the advances and progress we are observing in our children, we have set ourselves as a goal for this year, to find 100 godparents. We want to ask you to help us fulfill this challenge. Currently we have 62 children with more than 70 godparents; if each one of us encourages 1 person we could reach the goal of 100 godparents, and more, thus duplicating the impact we are achieving!!!

If you have any suggestions or ideas, please do not hesitate in writing to us

As usual, you can visit Your Account following this link: My Account

Financial Statements 2006

The 2006 Financial Statements are already in our website. That year we achieved $20,000 (yes! twenty thousand dollars!) from our Godparents and benefactors through the Special Donations program. Click here to review the FS.

Special Donations 2006

Home corner, we have implemented the “Home corner” in the dramatization area of Arenitas center. Wooden furniture has been made in a size accessible to the children; these represent the typical home furniture (kitchen, sink, etc). Click here and you can see more photos

Hot water in Alecrim, Alecrim center has a “Personal Hygiene” program for children 3, 4 and 5 years old. With the donations received we have set up and installed a water heater valued in $380.

Mothers come to the center 2 to 3 times a week to bathe their children. Thanks to these facilities (bathroom with hot water), mothers and children are taught the importance of hygiene habits!

Finally, it is through this habit that the mother-child linkage is fostered, which is not necessarily given in many families within this environment. Click here to see the results

Christmas Campaign – “Giving out Smiles”, thanks to more than 25 persons we were able to buy 190 presents for the children Sonrisas Peru supports; likewise, we arranged 20 baskets that were drawn at the events. All of us who attended enjoyed watching the children’s faces when looking up at Santa Claus and receiving their presents. Click here to see pictures from the events.

Getting to Know the Directors of the Centers

We would like to dedicate these lines to distinguish the work and effort of those who really are in direct contact with these children, and the realities in which they are developed.

Mapi

Alecrim center is managed by Mrs. Maria del Pilar (Mapi) Chávez de Piérola. She is a cheerful, warm, and hard-working woman. The children, parents, and teachers love, esteem and respect her very much and look up at her as a role model! She is a true leader pulling these children ahead!

Mapi studied Initial Education at UNIFE University (children de 0 to 6 years old). Thereafter she worked in different pre-schools as a teacher and in an alphabetization program for adults.

6 years ago she was hired to start the Alecrim center, from the educational proposal to the coordination to build the center. Mapi has been working at the center since the very beginning. Thank you Mapi!

Gery

Gery Idaccio is the director of Arenitas del Mar center. Gery is a very charismatic person, a professional nurse. She arrived from Italy 20 years ago as volunteer in a communitarian health program in Villa El Salvador.

She tells us that what motivated her to live in Peru; specifically in Villa El Salvador was the empathy she had with the children during the time she was helping.

In the year 2000, Gery with a group of professionals formed the Arenitas del Mar center with the purpose of giving the children in pre-school age the opportunity to access an education the zone did not provide.

Gery, with her passion for children and eagerness to help has brought about that the children of Villa El Salvador and their families have a life with more opportunities and the tools to flourish. Thank you Gery!

It is on this account that we want to thank Mapi and Gery for their charisma, the dedication, and enthusiasm they have for the children and communities in which they develop!

Finally, always grateful for all those persons who participate in Sonrisas Peru helping, contributing time or money so we can give Gery and Mapi all the support they need to continue with this great work.

Greetings to all and a Thousand thanks!

Patty & Alberto De Losada