BCF: End-of-2017 Newsletter
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What a long, fun year it's been...
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Greetings from Cochabamba!
We are in our final week of classes and just a month away from Christmas and the end of the year. Without a doubt, 2017 has been full! In addition to school, homework, dance, equine therapy, dentist appointments and all the other day-to-day chaos, we hosted 5 teams and welcomed 8 children and teens into our family - six in the past 2 months! Things don’t seem to slow down, we just adapt :)
We have lots of exciting things to share in our final newsletter of the year, and as always plenty of awesome photos of our kids. Also, we have some great ways you can help us finish the year strong by giving some alternative gifts this Christmas, or buying one of our awesome new t-shirts!
Paz y Bendiciones,
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*Please note, for legal reasons and confidentiality, all children's names have been changes, and fotos of children under 18-years-old have been modified to protect their identities.
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Let's get Ready for Christmas!
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One last chance to support BCF and buy presents for your loved ones
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Tis' the season, and before we share our latest program updates, we want to share a great way that you can give a gift to a loved one, while helping out Niños con Valor at the same time!
Before we share, however, we just want to say "thank you". We have had a fantastic fundraising year, and this has allowed us to improve the quality of care we are providing our children, open our pre-Sendero apartment, and launch our Caminos Abiertos al Cambio residential therapy program. Your support goes a long way in Bolivia, and is making true, lasting change in our kids' lives.
Now, for the gift ideas :) Check out these great alternative gifts that will help support our children as we continue to provide them with the best possible care we can. Just click on an image and you'll be taken to our special Alternative Gift donation page. Once you've made a donation, you'll receive a link for a downloadable acknowledgement that you can print out and share with the person you are giving a gift to.
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$22
Complete care cost for a child for 1 da
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$25
One month of therapy for one of the children in our homes
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$50
A birthday celebration for a boy or girl
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$100
One month supply of diapers for all of our babies and infants
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A Peek Into our Daily Lives
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A snapshot of our “normal” days
The introduction of two new babies, Martin in Pedacito de Cielo (boy’s home) and Wanda in Corazón del Pastor (girl’s home), has really shaken things up. There is a tenderness from the children that is quite precious. Studying, cleaning and eating are a big part of each day. The fun and laughter cannot be contained as you can see in these pictures.
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Behind the scenes
When you see a beautiful picture of our kids, have you ever wondered about the behind the scenes? What it takes to capture their smile? There is a great deal of activity! In general, outside of the day-to-day, there is so much going on - trips, special activities, sponsorship photo shoots, fundraising - and so many people involved to make it all happen.
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A stealthy selfie taken of a camera shy Natalia.
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A sisterly snuggle between Jhoselin and Clara.
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Always happy to help, sorting socks became sock puppets for Ramiro.
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As Sandra and Cristina warm up, Timoteo is more than ready for his sponsorship photo.
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Mari enjoying her first, very own water bottle.
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Manolo casually poses for his sponsorship photo.
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A beautiful smile from Fabian.
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Alarico, Alandra, Bemabe & Vanesa chose their own photo op.
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Claudia and Cristina in the morning.
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How many people does it take to make Martin smile?
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Pals Victoria and Zamora taking a break in the kitchen.
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Waiting patiently for their turn for their sponsorship photos.
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Puzzle time with Marta and Sandra.
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Cristina and Paulina, those dimples, though!
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Diego, Pedro, Eneas and Tomás get water from the tank.
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Samuel and Ramiro could be a in catalog.
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A yummy lunch with Tía Claudia, Greta and Tía Lili.
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Alandra and Zuleika were flag holders for their school.
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Tía Minerva and Jhoselin surround Martin with love.
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Paty, Elias and Tío Carlos shoot the breeze.
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So much is going on in this picture!!!
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Eneas, Marcos, Luis and Timoteo explain Mastermind to a volunteer.
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Victoria, Mari and Greta posing with our new semi-industrial oven, purchased with our Boogie 4 Bolivia funds.
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Tomas, ready to dig into his birthday cake.
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Posing with a walking tree in the jungle.
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Elena and Abigail at the table in the Sendero transition home.
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Carlos and the boys ready for Halloween at school.
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Clara and Rosa share a plate to practice being better friends.
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The boys at a military fair.
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Sisters Zamora and Alandra helping Tia Maritza make bread for the home.
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Cristina praying: the most important "behind the scenes" work of all.
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Agustina helping get things organized at Corazón.
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Hanging with a monkey in the Chapare jungle.
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Clara leads a happy chorus back from school.
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The girls doing an activity during a workshop.
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Every year we set up table to remember our loved ones on Todos Santos.
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Recreation time in the park with Cristina and Sandra, a great way to spend excess energy.
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The boys happily showing off their student bonus.
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Part of a fair day planned by volunteer, Camille.
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Pedacito de Cielo ready for some serious spring cleaning.
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Tía Minerva decides it's time to cool off.
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Manolo presenting at a school fair.
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Several of our girls at the wedding of Tía Liseth.
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Cynthia sharing what she has learned with the other teens in Caminos Abiertos al Cambio.
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Tyson with Mrs. Frank's kindergarten class, who support NCV through child sponsorship.
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Welcoming our 2017 New Arrivals
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Vanesa rejoined our home in July after 2 years of living back with her mom. She is now a part of our "pre-Sendero" apartment, and preparing herself for the big move to the SDE transition home in 2019.
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Elena, Vanesa's older sister, also returned in July, and went straight into our SDE transition home. She finishes up school this week, and graduated from high school on December 11th! Next year, she is nervous and excited to start her post-secondary education.
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Martin arrived at the end of September due to his health needs, and quickly became the center of attention as the baby in the home. The other boys love to make him smile, and he has brought a real joy to the home.
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Not to be outdone, Corazón welcomed their own baby in the home in October. Wanda, who officially joined the NCV in June but was in hospital for 4 months before arriving, is an energetic, curious baby who has also become the center of attention due to her extreme cuteness.
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Manuel joined us along with his twin brother, Enrique, in October, so that he could receive the support he needs due to his hearing impairment. He and our staff have been learning sign language together, and his is adapting very well to his new home.
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Martin's twin, Enrique, also joined us in October. The brothers had been living in a much larger home, where while loved, they had not received the individualized attention they needed. Now, Enrique is making great progress in his studies and gaining confidence in himself.
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Greta and her brother, Elias, joined us in October from a dangerous family situation, and due to her medical needs. She was unsure of the new situation when she arrived, but has made fast friends with the other girls, and is always ready with a smile for everyone arriving at the home.
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Elias is Greta's younger brother, and also arrived in October. He was shy from the start, and took longer to adjust than Greta. He has always been very protective of his sister due to her special needs, and has grown to be likewise helpful with and protective of the younger boys in PDC.
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Camille is a volunteer who joined us from France in June, and while her time with us has been short, her investment in our kids has been immense.
We are so thankful for all the special activities she has planned, for her boundless love for our children, for the friendships she has formed with the staff and other volunteers, for starting a pen-pal exchange with students in France, for her support in hosting our visiting teams, and for getting a grant so we could re-launch our street outreach.
We will miss you Tia Camille, and hope you will return soon!
Nuestra casa es tu casa por siempre!
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Teaching Tía Minerva at the climbing wall.
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Helping with a team's garden project in Pedacito.
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With a happy, dapper looking Pedro.
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With volunteers Cristina and Lizzy peeling potatoes.
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At a paintball activity with the SDE teens she organized.
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Having a sleepover with the boys and Tía Evelyn.
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Spending time at a job fair with the SDE teens.
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Hanging out at the street outreach she helped launch.
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Wanda, Clara and Camille smiling for a selfie.
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Thank you for following our updates this year, for your prayers and support for our children. 2017 has been a truly busy, yet wonderful, year, and we are so excited about the road ahead.
From all the kids and staff of Niños con Valor -
A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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