Pool party with kids from Manos de Amor

In April the Kids Club from the La Cruz marina set up a pool party and invited the kids from the orphanage in Bucerias (about 5 miles to the East of La Cruz). Allison from Kenta Anae did most of the coordinating and Katrina who works for the company that owns the marina,  Marival, also helped organize the party. Each of the four families with kids on boats in La Cruz brought some party food and Philo’s bar generously provided enough pizzas for everyone. 

The small pool somehow had enough water for all the kids.

Kyle and Savannah with their popsicles

Another happy popsicle eater 

Savannah and Teresa with the Los Manos kids playing a balloon pool game.
Toni is in the backgorund. 

I have to admit, I was a little worried that the pool party would be depressing, but it turned out to be far more fun than I thought it would be. All the kids enjoyed it. The orphans seemed healthy and happy. It seemed like at least half of the twenty or so kids knew how to swim and none of them looked malnourished or malformed.


Toni from Popoki had some fun stories about the Kids Club Christmas visit to the orphanage last year. Her son, Leo, was dreading the visit. He said, “It will be like revisiting Oliver Twist.” She explained to him that the building is new, the orphanage is clean, and the kids are well taken care of. They have a new playground at the orphanage and they walk to school nearby in Bucerias. 

For the Christmas visit, one of the resident sailors dressed up as Santa Claus and listened to the kids tell him about the dolls and toys they were hoping Santa would bring to them. One of the orphans is blind. She climbed into his lap and was feeling his face to see if the beard was real. It was real. Then she felt up on top of his head and started giggling.  He told her in Spanish, “Yes, Santa is bald.”