"Bruce Peru" Donation Successful

[from Jen Mahran for "Bruce Peru"]

A huge thank you to Soles4Souls for their shoe contribution to "Bruce Peru" in Lima. John and I used our 23 kilos, each, of excess luggage space on the flight from New York City to Lima to carry along two huge bags of children's shoes. The shoes ranged in size, color, make, brand, and style but I guarantee each and every pair will go to a very appreciative child in Peru.

In Peru 26% of school age children are not in school. Bruce Peru and its volunteers have found ways to recruit these children, educate them to make up for the years of education they have missed, help them prep for entrance exams, and eventually help matriculate them into the grade they belong. They also help pay their registration fees, uniform costs, and class materials. Now Bruce Peru has 40 prep style schools and over 2,000 students - and the wave of education is spreading throughout the Americas.

We dropped the shoes off with Josh in Lima who told us a little more about his role as a volunteer for Bruce Peru. He is volunteering for two months and serving as a monitor in the classrooms, and helping transport the kids to the Bruce Peru schools. He explained to us how these children often don't know how to behave in school as they've never had to sit still for an hour, let alone a day. The Bruce Peru schools help teach these children the basics of school protocol including not only education skills, but behavioral ones as well. He noted that the shoes will go directly to the children, many of whom are wearing hand-me downs which have been passed down for far too many years. For some, if not all, it will be their first pair of new shoes.

For more information on BRUCE PERU, visit http://www.bruceperu.org.