Newsletter November 2021

First of all we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all support – of any kind – during your stay in Switzerland. We have had some wonderful months. I haven’t been in Switzerland for that long in eight years. The highlight was of course September 24th, when our little Mael was born healthy in Männedorf.

Newsletter November 2021 (German)

Overview of newsletters (German)

Switzerland – a little paradise

For our two girls, Angie (13) and Flor (11), the months in Switzerland were something completely new. Unfortunately, we did not receive a travel permit for Nancy (19). She used these months to attend a Bible school (YWAM) in Colombia. After the children were not allowed out of the house for nine months last year due to Corona and the restrictions are still massive this year, Angie and Flor enjoyed the freedom here even more – and so did we, of course. Schools in Peru have been closed for almost two years. For us this was an advantage. This enabled the two girls to take part in online lessons regardless of their location.

There were a lot of new experiences for them: trips to the mountains, ice skating, circus, train rides, inflatables, milking cows, etc. When they saw kindergarten teachers walking alone on the street, they asked in horror: “Where are they Parents?” In the slums near Lima, children are not allowed to travel alone for safety reasons. That’s why Angie and Flor really enjoyed it when they were allowed to play outside until late in the evening with the Spanish-speaking neighborhood children. We don’t allow this in Ventanilla because peer influence is often not healthy there. Many children are hardly controlled by their parents. For example, it happened that an 11-year-old girl next door showed pornography around. And at the birthday party of a 10-year-old they played the bottle game (kissing game) – under the “supervision” of the 16-year-old brother.

I now have to find my way in everyday life in the Peruvian slum. Where can I go for a walk here with our stroller? I miss the forests and meadows in Switzerland. Dealing with the administrative tasks is also a challenge. I obviously underestimated taking care of an infant.

Kindergarten project

Estación Esperanza expanded visibly in 2021. The project became more and more well-known, was perceived more and more consciously by official bodies in administration and politics, and people outside of the original slum (Kouri Haana) became more and more involved in our activities and offers.

At the beginning of 2021 we started work in the new project house in Pachacutec. In June almost 20 children took part in the children’s program; meanwhile the number of participants has risen to 100. There are also many mothers who volunteer to help prepare “Zvieri” for the children. Others take part in the sports activities or sewing courses. Thanks to the new employee couple Samuel and Esther, new activities such as chess courses and ballet have also been introduced. It is always about the same thing: prevention, integration and giving people the opportunity to discover and develop skills. All of this serves to strengthen self-esteem.

Children learn to learn … and so do their parents. The next stage is the construction of the
Kindergarten. We started with that in mid-November. Two years ago we were able to buy a 2007 m2 plot of land at a strategically well-located location at a very affordable price. It is located in the “Mi Peru” district, between the two project houses of Estación Esperanza. The three locations can be reached by bus within 15 minutes.

For us it is a miracle that we could now start building the kindergarten. In March 2021, we received a letter from the political community with the message “No building”. After trying for 1.5 years without a break to get the building permit for the wall, it was a big shock. But then something happened that we had never expected: The mayor died of Covid in April. His closest adviser fled because he had committed many corrupt crimes. Staff positions in the political community have been changed.

Estación Esperanza received permission to build a wall around the site within a month! It turned out that the mayor and his confidante wanted to appropriate our piece of land for themselves. The day before departure we were even able to organize a graffiti competition. The wall mentioned was designed in color on the theme of “Hope”. The short film “A Wall Story from Peru” can be found on the Estación Esperanza website.

In cooperation with an architect from Switzerland and one from Peru, we designed the plans for the kindergarten, the primary school and the public area. We would like to use half of the property at a later date for the following purposes: cafeteria, homework rooms, sports field, meeting hall, etc. This additional infrastructure will promote our educational goals and enable contact to be made with the population. For the time being, priority is given to kindergarten. At the moment we are still collecting money for the completion of the kindergarten. Building in the slums of Lima is more expensive than expected. In the first construction phase, the foundation and the ground floor will be built. The foundation in particular is very complex because of the many earthquakes. In addition, the soil consists mainly of sand, which requires various other stabilization measures.

Construction started: Kindergarten foundation

Family Estacion Esperanza

We are heartily grateful that we are allowed to have a very reliable and active team. The work with all of the programs continued perfectly during our absence. We are amazed that certain work areas have even grown and / or improved. Nathalia and Rodolfo, our deputies, have learned a lot during this time. You were confronted with challenging situations. The most difficult situation was probably when the project minibus was stolen one night. The delinquents contacted Rodolfo by phone the following day and threatened to pay 1200 USD within two days or the car would be dismantled and the various parts sold.

We had to choose to pay – and we were just grateful when people in Switzerland paid for it. In order for the “deal” to go off correctly, we had to pay someone money to check that no car parts had been replaced, etc. We had to pay this agent extra. The handover took place after four days in the late evening behind the airport and only one person was allowed to be present from Estación Esperanza. Rodolfo was pretty scared, but thank God everything went well and he got the bus back. Really cinematic the whole thing!

In October, Rodolfo and Nathalia took in two children from a children’s home. The parents of these siblings are alcoholics. Jennifer (8) and Camilo (10) now live in the Kouri Hanna project house. The Estación Esperanza family is growing.

We wish all the best and God’s blessings. Greetings from Lima