Career Day

Last Saturday our family had the privilege to see Food for the Hungry (FH) in action. Up to this point our days have been filled with mostly language learning, so our time with FH has been limited. This past week however we were invited to help with a special FH project in near by Orna Casa. Orna Casa is a very low income suburb of Sucre and one location of many that FH has an ongoing presence. The project was a "Career Day" that involved around 450 kids from the surrounding villages. Many kids in Bolivia, especially children from low income villages, grow up with little hope of ever living outside of the extreme poverty that is often passed from generation to generation . They are raised in an atmosphere where dreams are squelched by disease, abuse, and abandonment. With that said, one goal of FH is to begin providing opportunity for children to see hope beyond their current circumstances. We believe that all children have been created in the image of God and blessed with skills and abilities that make them unique, beautiful and talented. We desire for children to grasp that life has purpose and that each new day with God brings hope for a brighter future. Not only was this past weekend a kick start for the dreams of many kids, but it ignited a sense of value, meaning, and relevance into the life of many who feel forgotten.

As you can see from the pictures below a wide variety of careers were represented. Police and Fire Department, K-9 unit, EMS unit, doctors, nurses, finance, nutrition, agriculture, social work and many more. Each of these "careers" volunteered their time for the day and brought all kinds of interactive tools to help teach the kids about their job and how they too could some day have a career in their field. The teachers were great and the kids loved it!

K-9 unit showing their stuff.

This boy was proud to show off his flower he received from the agriculture booth.

Getting checked out by the Doc.

Fireman's display

Trying out some fireman's gear

CPR session

Ella enjoyed and was inspired by career day too!

This final picture was the highlight of the day. About 30 minutes prior to the end of the event a bus rolled up filled with the local professional soccer team. For these kids this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. This was like having the Bengals or Reds show up at to an event where you could talk to them and get their autograph. The kids swarmed the bus and every face had a grin from ear to ear.

What an incredible opportunity for these kids to see beyond their circumstances and see that God has created them with purpose and potential. We pray that the seeds of hope that were planted this week will blossom into lives of purpose and impact in the years to come.