Another Successful Curry Evening

On Monday 30^th June Paul O'Brien organised another successful curry evening, this time at the Indian Voojan in Cheltenham. Over 50 curry lovers, many of them active supporters of SKIP, gathered to sample the delights of this new addition to the Cheltenham restaurant scene. Our thanks go to the staff who supplied a delicious fixed price menu.

Also many thanks to all those who generously supported the raffle enabling us to raise over £500 in total!

"San Pedro" Feria in Huanchaco !!!

On the 29th of June Huanchaco held its annual celebration of "Dia de San Pedro". San Pedro, the patron saint of the fishermen, is a an important figure in Huanchaco - a city where the fishermen still use the same style hand made reed boats as their ancestors of the Mochica y Chimú cultures had used a thousand years ago.

People from all over Peru came for the celebration.

Thanks to the municipality of Huanchaco SKIP was there to celebrate as well. We had a small stand where SKIP mothers were able to sell their handmade bags, jewelry, and other crafts. One of the mums also sold delicious tamales (making the SKIP volunteers especially happy). The day was a great success, and perhaps more importantly, a wonderful opportunity for the mothers and volunteers to spend a relax day together under the sun.

Friday afternoon workshops at SKIP

Carrying on from the success of the summer school programme, volunteers have continued to run a variety of exciting workshops for children on Friday afternoons. Joseph has continued his English classes, and there are also chess and guitar lessons on offer. All the children have shown great potential and enthusiasm in these three areas, but special mention goes to eleven year old Gersen, who has put such an amazing effort into learning English, even to the point of composing his own extensive notebook of English vocabulary, which is already half full!

>> Check Ari´s Post on the volunteers blog : "Hello Teacher, my friend forever"

Surfing classes for SKIP kids

Since December SKIP has been working with ‘Chicho’s surfing school’ (Muchik) to give secondary school students from Porvenir the opportunity to take surfing lessons. Early every Monday during the summer SKIP volunteers take the children by bus to the beach at Huanchaco, one of the best places for surfing and learning to surf in Peru. A group of Spanish surfers (Hands and Surf) have helped us by providing some boards and gears for the kids and ‘Chicho’s Surfing School’ provides the free teaching.

Chicho’s Muchik surf school is run by experienced and friendly surf teachers who have been really enthusiastic about helping kids in the community and working with SKIP. By renting their boards to the Huanchaco tourists, Chicho and his brother Omar (both experienced surf teachers) have been able to raise money and pay transportation and food for the SKIP children. Chicho´s family has always been known in Huanchaco for the social help they provide to the Huanchaco kids and now to Porvenir Children.

Thanks to this collaboration kids who would never otherwise get the opportunity to surf (nor see the ocean) are having fun riding the waves. And some of them promise to be future Peru champions !

A special thank to you, Chicho !!