We’ve all heard of children mowing lawns and raking leaves to earn enough money for a bike or a skateboard. But have you ever heard of children reading to earn alpacas?
In Lehi, Utah, school children from Eaglecrest Elementary have been doing just that. They held a fundraiser and gathered sponsors to help them with a PTA-sponsored reading program with a humanitarian twist – when they have reached their school-wide reading goal of 5,000 hours, they will use the money to buy alpacas to donate to the Sunflower Orphanage in Peru, a charity funded by Richard Paul Evans. The alpacas would then be used to earn money to keep the orphanage afloat.
Each alpaca is $175, a price too high for the orphanage to afford. But with the donations they have received from the sponsors of the school children, they could buy up to ten alpacas. Once the new wings are added to the orphanage building, it will house up to 88 children, taking them off the street and giving them a real chance at life. A greenhouse is built in conjunction with the orphanage, allowing them to grow their own food and become self-sustaining in some regards.
Many of the orphans housed have never had a real bed or regular food. They come to the orphanage wearing the clothes on their backs, with no extras. Education has never been an option for them. But now children in Utah have had their own educations enriched through this program. Before, they couldn’t fathom the idea of two and three year olds being raised by an older sibling, often under the age of eight themselves. But now the Utah children have seen pictures and know the harsh stories from the streets of Peru, and they have been empowered to do something about it. Education and humanitarian aid going hand in hand – it seems like a natural combination to me.
To learn more about how you can help this orphanage, click here. Be sure to note the photograph of the beautiful valley where the orphanage is located.
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