Lima, Peru is home to one of South America’s largest cities. It borders the continent’s beautiful Pacific coast and is a metropolis of museums, art, and ancient civilizations. On the outside, it appears perfect, but on the outskirts of a wonderful city lies the sad truth. Children throughout Lima are often sold into child labor because their parents can’t afford to take care of them properly, which leads education to be put on a back burner or completely thrown out. Here in the United States, education is not only a right of every American citizen through grade 12, but a privilege children often take for granted. It isn’t every day students wake up excited for school, and they often forget the wonderful opportunities they are offered in a country which is free. Thanks to the founder of Voices4Peru, former Pleasant Valley alum Daniel Klopp, some children’s futures seem brighter than they could have ever imagined.

This past August of 2016, Stephanie Risius, Spanish teacher, took a group of students to Lima, Peru on a mission to help the children at Voices4Peru. Risius and six Pleasant Valley students flew across the Pacific to join Klopp for eleven days.

During this next coming summer of 2017, Risius plans to take another trip to Peru on a journey similar to their last. Risius says, “Our mission is to volunteer at Voices4Peru again,” playing sports with the children and helping in any way they can. Watch the video linked below the article for an insight on what Voices4Peru is all about.

In order for students to attend the trip, they must raise money to help the children at the school. According to Risius, students are fundraising by “collecting monetary donations, looking for sponsors, and selling poinsettias as well as PV/Peru shirts.” Although the entire school cannot go on the trip, donations and sponsors are always welcome. During the Christmas season, Risius will be doing a Christmas Coin Campaign to collect money for the children’s Christmas presents.

Imagining a life without the education students have received in their years of schooling is hard, but unfortunately some are living it as reality. It is important to pay attention to the given situations in life in order to understand the importance of giving back to those who haven’t been as fortunate.