- - Centro Carita Feliz

Each year, Carita Feliz holds a beauty pageant contest, similar to Miss World only on a smaller scale and a lot more fun. There are three categories: Miss Princesita 2006, Miss Chiquitita 2006 and Miss Carita Feliz 2006. Profiles of the candidates and photos from the "heats" will appear shortly.

Peder celebrated his 60th birthday last year in Carita Feliz. Here's a photo that I've forgotten to post from the day.

I have now updated the organisation part of the website with photos and roles of all the staff in Carita Feliz. Its incredible that we have grown to have a staff of 41 people and that really makes me proud. - Andreas

We have a new sponsored class, with 32 students in both Primaria and Secundaria level. The class is being sponsored by the staff of IBS, a company based in Dallas, Texas.

They are Front Row (left to right): Tim McKenney, Cindy Lyons, Jennifer Jamen, Catherine Higginbotham. Back Row (left to right): Paul Fuller, Martin Bergstrand, James Rankin, Andreas Jensen.

Thank you!

Fotos de Ninos que visitan Carita Feliz que estan muy contentos y que participan de las diferentes actividades que se realizan a diario en Carita Feliz. Ellos los gustan que los fotografien!!!!!

The pinatas and arts & crafts work is sold at the center, with the profits going to the artist and to buy more materials for their work.

Another example of the crochet work done by mothers and children at the center.

Estos son algunos de los articulos elaborados por en las diferentes clases, como son bordado y la clase de Pinatas. Estos son vendidos y el 50 % son de los ninos que la elaboran y el otro para comprar materiales para realizar otros articulos.

Despues de la presentacion todo los ninos tiene la oportunidad de bailar y ganar algun premio. Y estas dos ninas no son la excepcion!!!!!. No cree usted que son adorables?

Ninos despues de ganar uno de los premios que se ofrecen a los ninos que participan alegremente en la cenas de los ninos en Carita Feliz. Todos disfrutan y ganan premios, en fin se divierten en grande.

The center is still popular on week nights, with 200+ kids visiting for dinner, show and fun. The dances are both modern (salsa, merengue, reggae, etc) as well as traditional (see photo). Students from the day-classes get to perform to an audience of 200+ of their peers - each night!
In addition, there is fun & games with competitions, singing together, prizes and other performances (theatre, special events, solo performances). In the photo above, we have a game of tug of war. It looks like the girls are winning! This is actually an excellent way of building individual confidence as well as developing team work. Oh, and fun.

Another update - well, it happened some months ago, but its still noteworthy - is that Carita Feliz has a new Director, Miss Evelyn Bermudez. She has been closely involved with the centers activities for several years, but now has the responsibility for the staff and children, as well as ensuring that the center develops in future. - Andreas

We're back online after a short break (almost a year!). However, now Carita Feliz has its own Communications Manager, Rene Berroteran, who will be managing the Carita Feliz website as well as ensuring that news from the center come online. One result of this is that we will have postings in both English and Spanish - I hope you still get the gist of the updates and that the pictures speak for themselves! - Andreas.

This is the logo of Carita Feliz and is used on all uniforms, t-shirts, flags, booklets and exam papers. Locally, it is well known as a sign of trustworthiness and the children and staff are proud to wear it (apparently!).

Managing director Joergen Vig Knudstorp, Lego System recently donated lots of Lego to Carita Feliz. It is a overwhelming success! Children, who never used lego before, build without any instructions.

Delay in the construction of the "Panama Canal" - as the locals call the canal donated by Ib Moeller. A water pipe burst, but is now repaired and the work can continue.

3 new scientific calculators were donated to "Casa de Estudios" They will be used by the 18 scholarship students, who are "Secondario" grades 3, 4 and 5. The donor wanted to remain anonymous.

Grandmother, mother, father and four children - 7 in total - and only one bed! Result: 3 adults in one bed and 4 children sleeps on the dirt floor on a piece of cardboard. Now Carita Feliz rents beds for 1 cordoba/year (a US nickel) and the 4 kids sleep in a bed!

On 8th March, the 21-year-old mother of these 3 small kids died. The children are aged 5, 1 and 6 (see photo). The father is long gone. The grandmother is the only remaining family member to take care of the children. She makes very little money by washing other peoples clothes.
Thanks to a donation from Sonja Christensen, the family now receives a weekly food pack in order to reduce the hardship.

Many of the children in Carita Feliz come from Barrio Solidaridad, a community of 220 very poor houses. Every rainy season the community is flooded, often four ft high. The resulting chaos - especially with latrines being flooded - makes the houses uninhabitable. Thanks to a donation from Ib Moller a drainage canal more than 100 m long will eliminate the problem.

Carita Feliz is offering a new service. Inhalation to reduce problems with respiratory diseases.Virtualy all poor families use wood fires for cooking - often indoor due to rain or sun. The resulting breathing problems especially for small children are serious.

Casa de Estudios is very popular. Here is the afternoon group of "primaria" with its support teacher Adela

- - Centro Carita Feliz - -

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Monday, April 25, 2005

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Friday, April 15, 2005

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