"Help them help themselves" (Laura)

One of the lessons we've learned in our endeavors to help street
children is to "help them help themselves".  A good example is
Carlotta, the girl in the yellow collared dress in the right side of
this picture.  Carlotta's father is MIA and the mother cannot sustain
the family.  Carlotta is registered at El Bichito (The Little Bug)
and comes regularly for the daily meal.  The women running the home
discovered Carlotta's amazing voice and her love for performing
Peruvian songs and dances, but since she always had to rent her
costume to do so, it took up the majority of whatever she earned.  So
a native costume was purchased and now she is able to help provide
for her family.  These simple type acts help break the cycle of
poverty within an entire family.