Speaking of Clover.

Clover Partners with Skip1 in Peru

I had the chance a couple of months ago to go with Skip1 (a non-profit we love) to Lima, Peru to check out some of the work they are doing there. My intentions were to see if Clover might be able to come along side Skip1′s efforts in Peru, and help in whatever way we could. After getting there, the immediate needs of the little community in Lima we came to serve became strikingly evident… They needed a kitchen and dining room built in order to reopen the orphanage serving the at-risk kids in their area.

The short-story:

Just outside of Lima, Peru, there is a town called Chilca that because of its incredibly quick growth and lack of resources (like most surrounding mountain towns of Lima), has much more people than resources to support them. Because of this quick growth, foundational necessities for growth (i.e. food, water, jobs, and social institutions like orphanages) have become secondary to simply having a shelter. In the midst of this chaotic living situation, a christian organization named ACED has stepped in and really began to help take care of some of these vital elements in these fringe mountain towns. One of these projects began by ACED was an orphanage that was birthed out of a school in the town of Chilca. They built classrooms and meeting areas for the school, as well as housing for 32 at-risk children who needed a place to stay. Having the orphanage on the premises, they also needed some sort of way to feed all the children. A makeshift kitchen was built, but because it was not up to city code, the orphanage had to be shut down and the kids kicked out.

Skip1 has partnered with ACED to build this kitchen and dining room (per Lima city code) in order to reopen the orphanage and once again serve the at-risk kids in the town. But in order to do this (cheaply), it is going to take about $30,000 USD to build the structures, kitchen (with all the appliances needed), and to furnish the dining room appropriately.

(There’s a way better, more complete explanation on Skip1′s site. Check it out here).

Here’s where you come in:

We at Clover have decided to come alongside Skip1 to provide a matching grant to get this project completed. We will match any donation you make for this project through Skip1, up to $15,000 from now until the end of the year. This means that together we can raise the $30,000 needed to build this kitchen and dining room that will allow this orphanage to once again take in these at-risk kids and give them a safe, secure place to live.

We know that many of you are asked to give in lots of ways at this time of the year (or you are doing the asking!), but we wanted to take the risk and share a real, tangible way you can help change some kids’ lives. In the midst of this need, we totally trust that God will take care of these kids in one way or another… We just wanted to share the need with our family!

Here are some pics I snapped of the kids who will be helped by getting the orphanage up and running again… Hopefully it puts a face (or faces) to the cause!