11 of Lima's poorest schools receive books

Jacek Zychowicz

On December 4th, 2009, our volunteers took place in a ceremony at the mayor’soffice of the Santa Anita district of Lima where we presented educational books and DVDs to 11 of the poorest schools in the district. Each school received 29 DVDs, six beautifully illustrated hard cover books containing CD with narration, 10 CDs with songs and dramas, 2 sets of 35 posters portraying good manners and spiritual values, and last but not least, a motivational quote book for the principal’s desk.

The very moving ceremony started with our introduction and explanation of the materials. We projected clips from the DVDs on the screen and gave tips regarding the use of the books and posters. The mayor came forward and gave a beautiful speech about the importance of teaching children good values from a young age. She commented how our materials perfectly complement and aid teachers in instilling good values in their pupils. All the while holding one of our books, she mentioned that they have never before received such beautiful gifts and jokingly remarked that she felt "jealous" not to get any such books for her town hall library. We promised to find sponsors for it.

One by one the directors of the schools came forward to say how thankful they were – many with tears in the eyes. These schools are very poor and have difficult time providing even the most basic equipment for their pupils. This donation is a first step in our cooperation with the office of the Santa Anita Mayor. We have discussed other pressing projects on which we will collaborate with the help of the private sector of Lima's industry.

The donation of these materials was possible due to generous sponsorship of Activated Ministries. We, together with the mayor and the directors of all 11 schools would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you all the best in the coming year.