The Helping Lima's Children project in Huaycan is meeting the physical and spiritual needs of children and young people living in Lima's shantytowns.
The Effects of Poverty
One third of Lima's eight million people live in shanty towns, and over half are under fifteen. The effects of poverty are evident—parasites, malnutrition, broken families, drunkenness and abuse.
In spite of this suffering, the evangelical church is alive and active. The Helping Lima's Children project is now run mainly by trained local church members. More than 100 children attend the twice-weekly feeding/educational project for five to twelve-year-olds. The children receive Bible teaching, a nutritious meal, and help with their homework. When they leave at age 12, they can join the adolescent group.
The history
The project began in 1998 at the request of the church. Most families originally came from the Highlands, speak Quechua as their first language and are without stable incomes. They work selling on the streets. Homes are often one roomed cane or wooden structures with polythene roofs and earthen floors. Most now have some access to piped water. In some areas sewage pipes are in the process of being installed. The transforming results hoped for are that the children will do better at school as a result of improved nutrition and help with homework, that parenting skills will improve as a result of the teaching and example given, that the church members will grow spiritually as well as emotionally, mentally and practically and that the improved witness will see many more people becoming practising Christians.
The strategies are:-Training the church leaders and helpers as well as the parents, providing a nutritious meal twice a week for children aged 5-12 years, plus a Christian teaching session and homework help in relevant age groups.
This is followed by an adolescent group on Saturday nights for any teenager in the community, but especially those who finish when aged 12 in the nutritional/educational part of the programme.
Discipleship Making a Difference
The adolescent group has grown to more than 55— the majority originally from the educational and feeding project. Recently, SIM missionaries Bill and Jean Williamson asked those 
who considered themselves Christians to come downstairs after the meeting. More than 30 came, so they have started a discipleship programme.
Hilda, a mother, whose children now attend the adolescent group, is a faithful participant in the mums' Bible study. Not long ago a neighbour physically attacked her, through no fault of her own. Full of anger, she was ready to go and fight back, but her 13-year-old daughter told her, 'No, Mum, as a Christian you cannot do that. God will take care of it.'
