Happiness Project Update: Project Kids’ Carousel

We’ve all heard the phrase: when you give, you get … It’s better to give than receive. But this saying burst to life in Huaycan, Peru on August 9th.

Dozens of NOVICA artisans, staff, partners and community members came together on this day to give new life to a preschool that was, quite literally, falling apart. The result was magical: kids smiling from ear-to-ear, artisans tearing up when passing out gifts, and a mother openly weeping as she received her very first kitchen table, allowing her family to eat together.

A community comes together

We first heard about the “Kids’ Carousel” preschool from NOVICA textile artisan Alfredo Falcon. Alfredo’s workshop is near there, and he had been wanting to fix up the school for a long time. He noticed that the roof was leaking, the dirt floor was muddy, and the school supplies were virtually non-existent. He also knew about a little boy attending the school who was always short on food. Jean Paul’s mom was doing her best, but didn’t have enough money to send her son to school with lunch.

So when Alfredo heard about our Happiness Projects, he knew that the time was right. NOVICA was excited to help him and the kids out, and a plan began to formulate.

In early August, other artisans began asking how they could get involved. Some offered to donate food or other items to Jean Paul and his classmates. A dozen artists even volunteered to come out to work on the preschool in person.

NOVICA CEO Roberto Milk and his family were so excited about the project, they even decided to come help out — all the way from Los Angeles, California! Members of the Grassroots Business Fund team in Lima, Peru were also eager to get involved. In addition, a number of loyal NOVICA customers (identified below) donated money via our online fundraising campaign to help the effort. Alfredo suddenly had a large team and enough money to make a big difference!

Happiness Project brought to life

On Saturday, August 9th, all the planning finally came together. NOVICA artisans and staff bussed an hour-and-a-half from Lima to the dusty shanty-town of Huaycan. They immediately got to work painting, sanding, and filling the class with supplies.

The team had poured concrete on the dirt floor a few days before, so all the chairs and tables needed to be moved back in, too. Once the hard work was completed, it was time for gifts.

When artisan Antonio Marquez finished painting the mural on the outside, he came into the preschool with his arms filled with gifts. The kids were so excited! They each got a new toy, and Roberto’s children helped Mina (his wife and fellow NOVICA co-founder) pass out backpacks stuffed with school supplies. Mina, her friends, and the NOVICA HQ team had contributed 7 suitcases of clothes and 22 backpacks filled with toys as a surprise gift for the preschoolers.

The preschoolers, who have so little, were so excited for even the smallest item. Their excitement was contagious; their joy spread to everyone in the room.

In a touching moment, Jean Paul excitedly opened a bag of candy — but instead of eating it, he first offered it to his brother. Antonio and other artists were clearly emotional when seeing that and the rest of the kids’ smiling faces at the preschool.

A family brought even closer together

Later in the day, we moved down the hill to Jean Paul’s house. He was eager to show us inside the one-room home, where he lived with his mom, brother, and grandparents. We gave his mom the food donations, as well as the kitchen table. She cried and said how she never thought she could afford a table. She told us how much it meant to her that they could all eat together now. We were so moved that many of us cried as well. We couldn’t believe how little she had, but how positive and uplifting her whole family was.

We plan to follow up with Jean Paul and his preschool. We would love to continue helping this community and trying to find employment for Jean Paul’s mom. Our Peru Happiness Project was a huge success — and we want to thank you for being a part of it!

 Artisan volunteers

Thanks to the artists who donated their time and talents:

Alfredo Falcon

Alberto Aparicio

Antonio Marquez

Cerapio Vallejo

Jose Rios from Rios family

Juan Luis from Quispe Family

Julio Sanchez

Kiro

Miguel Mejia

Moises Alvarez and his wife

Theus

Happiness Project Supporters

Thank you to those donated, making this day such an uplifting one. This project was completely funded by your donations.

Darlene Abt, Charles A. Matthews, Grant C. Speight, Margaret J Wilson, Shari E. Bradley, Carol J. Gannon, Laurie Robinson, Lisa M. Woods, Patricia Leao, Martha Milk, Michelle A. Palagi, Katsutoshi Nogami, Beth B. Dreyfuss, Stacy Russell, Victoria Schroeder, Franklin L. Millner, Douglas A. Cozby, William J. Morris, Adriana Trajtenberg, Galina Dorenskaya, Oliver Watts, Jessica F. Munro, Christina Bacock, Darcyana Moreno, Carol Dukes, Thomas E. Kistler, Lídia B. Nercessian, Adriana Barrera Espinosa, Janet Freedman, Katherine Jacobson, Valerie McClintock, Camilla Granasen, Brenda Garcia, Judith L. Wagner, Dorothy J. Makinen, Michael Roitman, Mary Beth Smith, Dale Tascier, Una McClure, Dannye C. Riley, Gloria Hu.

. . . plus 38 wonderful supporters who chose to remain anonymous.