domingo, 24 de julio de 2011

Snapshot: Art in Zone S

Check out the snapshots from Zone S, an area of extreme poverty in Huaycan... :)




Want to read directly what Gladys, our volunteer art teacher, has to say about our program? Check out her amazing blog here: http://artedperu.blogspot.com/

Thanks for all your hard work, Gladys!

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of the Light and Leadership Initiative. Special thanks to Gladys for the photos and the great work!

lunes, 18 de julio de 2011

We've Been Inked!

No joke, volunteers like LLI.

For her second time around as a volunteer, Ellie Hargadon-Lowe decided to make it official... and permanent: She loves LLI.


A few weeks ago, Ellie tattooed Light and Leadership's logo on her ankle. It came out quite well. Light and Leadership promises, especially to Ellie's mother, that this is not a requirement to be a volunteer :) but it is pretty great to see someone so passionate about our organization and cause.

Going to be at the Glessner House Event this August?! So will this tattoo. Ask Ellie to see it!

...to the National Museum!

This past Saturday, LLI's women's group took a field trip to the national museum to see the Yuyanapaq exhibit, a photographic display of the destruction brought to many Peruvians in cities and small towns by the terrorist group, the Shining Path, in the 1980s and 1990s. The exhibit serves as a way to remember those who suffered or were killed during this tragic time.

I myself have been to this exhibit many times since moving to Lima a few years ago, but I had never experienced it like last Saturday. A majority of these women had lived through this experience as young girls or teenagers and it was so moving, and heart-wrenching, to listen to their stories and commentaries as they viewed the photos of the history they lived through.

Although the exhibit was intense, the mood lightened a bit once we went out for some appetizers and Irene, who's in her 70's, began dancing to the music and laughing with me. This is why I love working with these women: they have difficult pasts, and possibly difficult futures... but they are always positive, resilient and eager to learn more. We have slowly built up this women's group over the past year and it shows no signs of slowing down!

Volunteers Ellie and Jessie pose with three of the women.

Part of the group waiting outside the museum.


Special thanks to Franzi Weil, former LLI volunteer, who graciously sponsored this field trip! Interested in sponsoring a field trip? Contact Lara@lightandleadership.org for more info!

--Lara DeVries, LLI Executive Director

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of Light and Leadership. Special thanks to Jessie Pincus for the photos and to Sarah Renkert and Eleanor Hargadon-Lowe for coordination of the field trip. We'll miss you :(

sábado, 16 de julio de 2011

Woodburning: Check.

This past Tuesday, volunteer Art teacher Gladys Pasapera held a Woodburning workshop with our women's group. Fourteen women picked up a new artisan skill and a few of them discovered they are quite good at it... which got us thinking about a new chapter in our Artisan Project. Stay tuned for more details.

This workshop was something new for our women's group. Light and Leadership is now incorporating different types of educational workshops into our monthly or bimonthly meetings, including art. It was an absolute success! Art is a great way for women to come together, learn something new, and form stronger bonds with each other and with our volunteers. We'll be doing a Woodburning, Part II workshop sometime in late August, so look out for more details then.

Check out a few photos below from the workshop:

Volunteer Ellie Hargadon Lowe, who also coordinated the workshop, with Irene and her woodburning design.

Lara DeVries and Gladys Pasapera with long time participant Marina and her son.

Published on behalf of Light and Leadership by Lara DeVries. Special thanks to Sarah Renkert and Ellie Hargadon Lowe for workshop coordination and the photos, plus thanks to Gladys Pasapera for her time and talent! Great job ladies :)

martes, 14 de junio de 2011

Light and Leadership Celebrates Two Years!

Two years of education programs. Two years of working hard.
Two years of IMPACT on hundreds of families in Huaycan.
Thank you.


On June 12th, LLI celebrated it's two year anniversary with lots of amazing activities. We welcomed over 110 kids and their parents. Kids enjoyed an hour and a half of face paints, balloon animals, I ♥ LLI bracelet making, hula hoops and jump ropes, and MORE. We continued the celebration with our English Vocabulary Bee (Congrats to our SEVEN winners, pictured above!) and a group of students put on a presentation about LLI and how past and current volunteers have gotten involved with LLI. Stay tuned for the video! LLI also handed out special awards to outsanding students in their areas of Physical Education, Chess, Art, English, French, and Participation. Two women also received awards for our Computer Skills class.

It was an amazing day.

Stephanie (also a Vocab Bee Winner!) hula-hoops.

Volunteer Chris Tomlinson hides the rock under one cup and shuffles. It was tough to fool the kids...

Enzo shows off his I ♥ LLI bracelet he made.

Volunteers came out from Lima to help. Gonzalo paints a butterfly for Angelica.

David does "Bozo Buckets"

Packed house for the Vocab Bee!!

Volunteer Lauren Kenyon sits with students during the Bee and awards.

Bryan shows off his winnings for Best Artist in Los Alamos, Zone Z! Way to go.


And at the end of the day, over 20 volunteers from all over the world gathered around to celebrate the amazing day with some "Chifa" (really great Peruvian-Chinese food). Thanks to our in-house volunteers (Ellie Hargadon-Lowe for event coordination), our dedicated staff, local Huaycan volunteers (that's you Katty!), and commuting Lima volunteers.
We did it!

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of the Light and Leadership Initiative. Want to be there next year? Email Lara at Lara@lightandleadership.org. It's a day not to be missed. Special thanks to Mimosa Lindstrom, Jessie Pincus, Natalie Kinsey, and Carlos Motin for generously lending LLI their Anniversary photos!

miércoles, 1 de junio de 2011

Save the Date: Friday, August 12!


Save Friday, August 12th, to celebrate with Light and Leadership! We'll be holding an event at the Glessner House Museum (pictured to the right). Tours of the museum will be available starting at 6:30 pm for only $5!

More details coming soon, but get ready for a night of good food, drinks and great people!

Want to stay updated? Be sure to sign up for our email list on www.lightandleadership.org, follow us on Twitter, and "like" us on Facebook!

sábado, 28 de mayo de 2011

Bunnies, Chicks, and Alpacas!


Earlier this month, Light and Leadership took a group of 9 kids from Zone D, Huaycan, to El Arriero, an interactive farm located on the outside of Lima. LLI provided lunch, transportation and an awesome farm experience to the kids! Kids fed everything from bunnies to alpacas, cows, and other animals, and had the opportunity to pet baby chicks, plant seeds, and have fun together on the playground.

Stay tuned for news on LLI's 2nd Anniversary celebration June 12th, 2011!


Excited kids (big and small...) are excited to check out the birds.

Allison feeding the animals.

Volunteer Mimosa Lindstrom feeds the bunnies.

Aracelli with her chick.

Kids plant seeds in the farm's garden.

Published by Lara DeVries on behalf of Light and Leadership. Special thanks to Mimosa Lindstom for the photos and the field trip planning.