The Chicos of Brazos Abiertos

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Hi Everyone,

these are pictures of 22 out of the 25 children who live permanently at the orphanage. One point of interest is that the orphanage, in fact, actually serves as a soup kitchen and day-care/tutoring service for many kids in the neighborhood, not just the orphans. Over the course of one day, we are told, Brazos Abiertos usually serves around 200 to 300 meals per day. Each time we've been to Brazos in the morning, there are easily over 15 kids who are there but aren't actually orphans. These get kids get meals, school tutoring, clothes, and a place to stay other than their owns homes during the day when they're not at school.

We think the sponsorship idea for the orphans has a lot of potential for being a viable project, but Brazos has many more people it reaches out to then just the orphans. We're afraid the sponsorship may exclude the non-orphan kids there, who probably come from tough and often neglectful homes. On the other hand, we think the sponsoring project is very special because it is so personal and immediately creates a bridge between "us" and "them". Projects such as building a playroom or improving the school room and bringing materials (aside from the dormitory idea) look like they might affect more children beneficially. Anyway, we just have to get more info.

Hoping you're well,

Matt

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