FyA 44 Anniversary - Kermés

Today marks 21 months to the day since Erin and I arrived in Peru. Please keep us in your prayers as we enter our last quarter and prepare to say our goodbyes to here and our hellos to home in a few months. And keep an eye out for Quarterly Review stuff later this week!

The last event for the week of anniversary celebration is the Kermés, a fundraiser fair. It includes lots of food, a dads' soccer tournament, a moms' volleyball tournament, a used book sale, a huge BINGO game, and the tómbula. A tómbula is like a raffle where everyone wins. There are a limited number of exciting prizes, and hundred of mediocre prizes. Hermana Rosario is in charge of the tómbula, and the volunteers are her staff for the day. It's a hugely popular part of the Kermés. We opened at 9AM and took an hour break for lunch. By 2PM we had sold all 2249 prizes. At S/.5 per ticket, that means we raised over S/.11,000. Not bad for 4 hours of work.

The tómbula team - ready for sales.

At some point in the next few weeks the total raised by the Kermés will be officially announced. This event is a key source of funds for the school. The new library that was opened on Thursday, part of the funding for that came from last year's Kermés. It's an even that brings the whole school community together to raise money to support the work we do for our students. I think it's a prime example of the 'popular education' pillar of the Fe y Alegría movement.