Christmas 2009

This years Christmas party, while more compact than usual (fewer than 200 children invited) nonetheless seemed the happiest in memory. For the first time each school put on special costumes which were made by the children and sang their favorite Christmas songs. The competition was fierce but two Miss World contestants had little trouble separating first and second place from

the competing choirs of our shanty schools from the barrios of Trujillo. This year we hosted Christmas parties in our schools throughout Latin America in 13 cities from Panama to Bolivia. Our impact this year has been greater than any previous, and we accomplished this on our smallest budget in awhile. Though not a religious organisation we still must acknowledge the many many answered prayers which has seen our mission through to the end of 2009. We must also acknowledge the tireless work of our wonderful dedicated staff. And our teachers, both our own and those the Ministry of Education are now providing to more and more of our schools. We have unsung heroes in cities we can only get to about twice a year, teachers who implement our programme as strictly and well as any of our headquarters schools - they recruit semi abandoned children and train them up to be exemplary pupils. We are grateful and honoured to be able to participate in this rewarding work.

Challenges and Fun Times July-Sept. 2002

Preparing young Offenders for a better life.Under an agreement with the Peruvian Ministry of Prisons we are training young inmates in skills which will help them land jobs when they return to society.... Our reliable instructor, Max, is now giving classes 3 days a week in electricity. We donate the cost of materials and transport. 1 September 2002




Our fiesta in celebration of the "International Childrens Day".
When our Street Childrencame together with staff and visitors to party, compete for prizes, dance and receive gifts.... September 2002In an average day there is little joy in the life of a child who lives in the open or who by reason of extreme poverty is forced by an abandoned mother to forego his or her education and work until late at night on the city's dangerous streets selling candy or shining shoes. Most of them have both
drugs and health problems, many are abused by adults. We try to bring them together at least twice each month to have some fun.



Eight new orphans join Albergue Nicole D'AmecourtUnder an accord with the National Foundation for Children, Peru, we accepted 8 children who are too old for adoption (ages 13 - 17).


And then Nicole herself turned up for her second visit to Peru.
She came laden with clothes and gifts for the children. [Nicole and Bruce co-founded our parent NGO in 1976, and Nicole serves on the Board of Bruce Peru] Nicole to the right, Ana Tere in background to the left.

War on cancer, TrujilloWe held our first free clinic for abandoned mothers at our campus in central Trujillo, including clases in prevention and examinations by an obstetition.... Mothers came from our 15 mothers clubs and more will return on forthcoming week ends..

A child is born For three months we looked after an abandoned expectant mother who we found sleeping in a park. On July 24 at 6:AM she gave birth. Bruce delivered a healthy baby boy, Juan Daniel

Anatere Rosell Grigalba is now our President, (Bruce, only our founder).

Night at the Ballet Eusebio, ex-street kid turned ballet dancer and master instructor presented the students of our academy and members of his company in a glittering performance at the Municipal Theatre.... 1 July 2002

Psychological therapy Our staff of Psycologists conducted a day of
counselling for some of our abandoned mothers the first week end of July.

Normally they go to the mothers' homes, but with more than 900 mothers and only 4 Psycologists

Challenges and Fun Times - April-June 2002

Opening of Cafe Zaguan Trujillo's newest restaurant is really a school for the children of Shelter Nicole D'Amecourt ... 03 June 2002Under the training and supervision of some of the city's best chefs our children are learning to cook both traditional and fine Peruvian cuising, including a range of tempting pies and cakes for desert.

Mothers Day at Bruce Perú Fiesta, dancers, singers, theatre,
mother of the year: Trujillo ... 11 May 2002Perhaps the largest Mothers Day celebration in the city with mothers, children, guests and artists coming from all over the region.

Forum on Family Violence Our psycologists and social workers were joined by visiting professionals to work with parents and volunteers in dealing with the causes and solutions to family violence. The positive results are already being realized by some of our children.

Our first anniversary The National Police Band, young dancers from our Mothers Clubs and our staff and children celebrated our first year in Perú... 15 May 2002

Training our Volunteers Psychologists, Social Workers and

Teaching professionals from the National University, Social Services, Psychology, the Boiy Scouts and the Fire Department participated in a two day seminar, training our volunteers.

Challenges and Fun Times- March 2002

International day of the woman 08 March 2002


When 600 mothers from BrucePeru's 6 Restaurants Corazon paraded in the center of Trujillo.

Day at the Beach When Bruce Peru took 700 children and mothers for a fun day at the beach, including lunch, sports and prizes.

Tito Cabrejo, our first resident family practice doctor in our own Medical Clinic

And Maria Kunstadter, DDS and her family of densits and assistants give secon f several annual dental clinics, some at our clinic, aome with our children in borrowedclinisc. (Thei year she did 82 fillings).

23 March 2002

Bruce presides over forums at National University - Econiomics and Nutrition

Challenges and Fun Times in Trujillo - February 2002

Our children completed the first English course .
Sandra returned to England and Menorca, the new teacher, Nadia, arrived from Scotland to start the second course









Our Cooperative fish farm in the more tropical north is nourishing our children and mothers.

We inaugurate the first of many community health centresand provide the first of what will turn out to be an annualevent: free utering cancer tests for woimen of child bearingage. TEN per cent tested positive, and the same would repeatyear after year. This cancer is an epidemic among poorLatin American women.

Challenges and happy times in Trujillo

February 2002

Teaching Abandoned Children and Single Mothers together
COURSES: EnglishMusicFrench Reading/MathComputers Handicrafts ArtSport ElectricTheatreConstructionDanceGardening Cooking Catering Child Care





January 2002
History of our Dance Academy In October 2001 we were approached by Mercy Delgado Prado, the Cuban prima balerina of Trujillo; who asked if we would permit her to start a dance academy for children on our campus. We agreed, on condition that the academy would offer free classes to street children. After consideration Mercy decided that her future belonged in ballet, not in street children's issues.
So we turned to a street-child-turned-ballet-dancer, Eusebio Rabines, who - in cooperation with the street childrens progran of Bruce Peru, opened the academy to regular students and street children: "Vision de la Danza".


22 December 2001
Christmas Party for Trujillo Street Children
The children who live and work on the streets of Trujillo gathered Saturday morning at 8:00 AM to participate in our Christmas Choclatada 2001. To entertain them we brought in a band, two dance companies, father Christmas, mother Christmas and popular cartoon characters. The festivities lasted through lunch - there were sandwiches, cakes, sweet meats, hot chocolate and snacks. The children took home christmas cakes, along with books, clothes and toys. There were contests, dances and games. By mid afternoon one wanted to leave. We had to announce that there were candied apples for everyone waiting at the door. By late afternoon the party was over and our crew of happy volunteers set to work putting the place back together as a restaurant. It was a joyous event!



15 December 2001
Ruth Carolina is three years old (she is also the 700th street child to enter the Trujillo projects of Bruce Peru)
She lives on the streets of Trujillo with her eight year old sister Rosa and her seven year old brother Jorge, her mother and father.
Ruth Carolinas parents at first let their children eat for free at Restaurant Corazon , but recently they have not been coming. Sister Rosa explains it is because the three want to stay for the classes and recreation we offer after lunch; she says they do not earn money for their parents when they are here and this makes their parents angry.
One day before Christmas when they did not come for lunch Ruth Carolina says she was hungry and ate a big cockroach that was passing her on the pavement. She giggles bashfully as she reveals the fresh scar on her wrist where the IV needle was attached. She spent the week of Christmas in the childrens emergency ward.The cockroach had been walking in poison just before she ate it
We are working to persuade the parents to release their children into foster care. If they refuse the police are prepared to bring them to us under a civil custody order.
Ruth Carolina is an adorable loving little girl. We want to find her adoptive parents.
[Note: In 2002 we were able to place Ruth Carolina in an Orphanage connected with Bruce Peru, and in 2003 she was adopted by a Peruvian family.].

Challenges and happy times in Trujillo

23 December 2001

Cultural Excursionfor 50 Street Children

A gift to Bruce Peru from the Tourist Board of Trujillo
8:00 AM The big Linea bus pulled up in front of Restauraunt Corazon Jr. Independencia 309. Onboard were four hosts from MITINCI (Minbistry of Tourism, regional office), led by Aurora Li and Mireya Zegarra.
9:00 AM The chiuldren, joined by three volunteers from Bruce Peru, boarded the bus and the party set off for the Inca sun temple on the ourskirts of Trujillo (Las Huacas del Sol y la Luna); and a fascinating hour long tour guided by the the four hosts from MITINCI.
10:30 AMThe party then progressed to Chan Chan, the massive Inca ruin separating Trujillo from its beach resort Huanchaco. Chan Chan, in pre Columbian time was a city of a million inhabitants. It is now a vast ruin of of adobe walls and foundations, with a large and impressive museum where the central square and ajoining buildings have been restored and recreated to create the atmosphere of the center of an ancient city which was twice as large as the beautiful conquestador city of Trujillo. The artifacts which have been gleaned from four centuries of archiologican investigation in Chan Chan have been assembled in this grand museum.
12:30 PMThe children and their hosts then reboarded the bus and continued the three kilometers to Huanchaco, the beautiful Pacific coast resort and surfers paradise (which boasts the worlds longest wave). An hour of sunbathing, swimming in the surf and collecting shrimp and crabs was followed by a picnic brought out from the kitchen of Restaurant Corazon.
3:30 PMAll were safely back at Restauraunt Corazon to give their thanks to our generous hosts, who also gave a Christmas gift to each child, and to resume their life on the streets of Trujillo - and for some to return to their home in Algergue Nicole D*Amecourt.
We want to thank our friends at MITINCI for offering our children this educational and fun excursion.