INFOCIMA Nº 13 – JANUARY 2022
Newsletter Nº 13
Smile of the Month
My name is Joel Zarate and I am 11 years old. I came to CIMA almost 2 years ago: my mom brought me to CIMA because I spent a lot of time in an Internet booth and playing with her cell phone.I feel good at CIMA. Sometimes in the farm workshop, for some reason, I feel annoyed. Professor Sebastián advises me and afterwards I feel better. I like all the workshops. I can learn to weld, to play the piano, to paint, to sow.Sometimes with my classmates and I annoy each other, but soon we are friends again.When I grow up I would like to be a police officer.Tutors call us out when we misbehave. This is how we improve our behavior. I feel very grateful for what I am learning at CIMA.
Workshops and Various Activities
Fabric painting workshop – Techniques for handling brushes
In this workshop, students learn different techniques for painting on canvas:
Blur: used to make the painting blend with the surface or also other colors.
Ponceado: leads to a result of nuanced combined colors, but not mixed with each other.
Delineation and definition of contours: is the way to make thin or thick lines.
These techniques help the child or adolescent to:
- develop fine motor skills
- raise self-esteem
- enhance concentration
- facilitate the expression of feeling and communication
- encourage creativity and imagination
Testimonials
Ex – CIMA
Hello, my name is Alejandro Arenas and I am 41 years old. First of all, I thank God, then Father Jean-Louis, then CIMA. I was at CIMA in 1993 and 1994. The center received me with open arms: I did not expect they would welcome me with so much affection, with so much love from Father Jean-Louis and from all those who work at CIMA. My stay at the home was good; I felt free, recognized and loved by my new family that was CIMA. My stay at home helped me straighten my path. Today I am a fulfilled man and I think that my social integration has been a success.
My immense respect goes to all at CIMA, especially Father Jean-Louis, whose contribution is essential for CIMA to move forward. Because of the good CIMA instills in children, today the vast majority of us are good men.
Long life! God continue to bless CIMA and may he give more years of life and health to our dear Father Jean-Louis.
Jonas Pfauter
Volunteer – Germany
I got to know CIMA during my volunteer service with the German Red Cross. More than five years have passed since. Five years in which I have returned to CIMA on several occasions as a volunteer. I have tried to keep contact with all the people I met during my various visits at CIMA and in Peru. The times I spent there were among the best of my life. When I arrived in Lima and met CIMA, everything seemed like a dream to me. It was a bit of a culture shock to go to a foreign country at the age of 18, fresh out of school. However, I was able to quickly settle in and get used to the new environment, especially thanks to the admirable people at CIMA. Of course, there was the language barrier at first, but that subsided after a few weeks. I felt very well, like in a new family. Work at CIMA is very much based on trust. As a volunteer, I had the opportunity and freedom to choose where I could best support the boys and staff.
I quickly got to know the workshops and their great teachers and educators. During the day, we worked in the different workshops, always helping where I could. There were other tasks where my help was needed. At first, for example, it was about accompanying the boys to the doctor and, later, helping to collect donations in Lima. Aside from these daily tasks, I find that an important part of volunteering is spending time with the kids. Listening to music, talking about what comes to mind or playing soccer are simple things, but they can make a big difference. For their rehabilitation, the boys need attention, warmth and affection, things that, unfortunately, some of them have never felt. Little by little I gained the trust of the boys, and became an example for them. Time was passing faster and faster, and before I knew it, the end of my volunteer service was just around the corner. A difficult time began: just like at my arrival in Peru, there was a culture shock when I returned to Germany, and I had to deal with it. My thoughts were still in Cieneguilla and in CIMA, and that feeling persists until today.
I constantly plan my next steps, always with the goal of coming back, and it’s definitely worth it. The family that I got thanks to my work and commitment will accompany me all my life. It makes me incredibly happy and proud. It is a job with more satisfactions; even better, as a good friend said, it is not a job, it is a vocation. I highly recommend a stay at CIMA to you all, young or old; it doesn’t matter how long you stay. The most important thing is to take advantage of it and enjoy it to the fullest and be open to a cultural change. For my part, I will definitely come back and shall never forget the great moments lived and felt there.
CIMA, Lima and Peru have become a second, or maybe, a first home for me and I will always find my way back. There is much more that I would like to write about what I have experienced at CIMA. But there is not enough space for it. With this in mind, I wish the best for the future of CIMA and all the admirable people who work there.
Thank you.
Thanks
Myra Bowen
When we met, Myra had been coming regularly to Peru for years. She visited us after we moved to Cieneguilla, when CIMA was in its second year. Right away, Myra felt comfortable with the kids from the streets, and she soon began to go to Plaza San Martín (in the center of Lima) where children use to hang out.
For more than 30 years, Myra’s input was invaluable. She was on the board of the Canadian Ladies Association and she was always striving to interest people to CIMA and its cause.
Myra had many contacts, whom she always informed about CIMA. For many years she accompanied us on the Board of Directors of CIMA.
Thank you Myra. From the beginning you have had the love and respect of everyone at CIMA, both the children and the collaborators. You have been and are a key element in the history of CIMA.
Jean-Louis Lebel.
Birthday of the Month:
Minors:
- Johan García
- José García
Collaborators:
- Esther Guzmán
- Jean-Louis Lebel
- Sebastián Franco
- Hernán Escalante
- Michele Cordiez
May happiness and love be always with you. May all your wishes come true. Happy Birthday.
News
During the first week of January, the boys returned from their leave. Most of them left on December 23 to spend the holidays with their families. Some of them decided to stay with their families.
On Sunday 16 of January, the director of the house, together with the boys, sang a serenade to Father Jean-Louis for his birthday. On Wednesday 19 of January, we had a lunch with the collaborators, children and volunteers to celebrate father Jean-Louis.