Fundacion El Arenal is starting out their 2018-2019 year strong!
There are 30 families registered at the community center this fall, serving a total of 62 street children from the Feria Libre market. For those of you who are not familiar with Feria Libre, it is the poorest sector of Cuenca where informal salesmen walk the streets, hoping to make a sale and bring home support for their families. If these children were not in El Arenal, they would be roaming the streets of the market, where most get into trouble. El Arenal provides them a safe space to work on their homework, eat a healthy meal, and build a sense of community.
After many staff changes and transitions, the team is finally feeling grounded. The team is engaging in staff gatherings and team building activities to ensure that they are united and best equipped to serve their children. The mornings and afternoons are busy with tutoring sessions with El Arenal staff and their four interns working hard to help these students academically succeed! There is always time for a play break, where the children head outside to the park to get fresh air and play games!
The nutrition program continues despite small budgets, and El Arenal's children are able to rely upon their only nutritious meal of the day! This focus on wellness is important to know if children are in the right ranges for their age, height, and weight, and if they have good levels of nourishment.
Thanks to a Hearts of Gold Ambassador, a new sponsor program started at El Arenal to help each child celebrate their birthday! Every month birthdays are celebrated with a cake and small gift for each birthday child. Their smiles are priceless!
We look forward to reporting back more projects and happenings at El Arenal! Thanks for all of your support to make their work continue on successfully!
