Peru (MNN) ― In mid-March, we reported the story of aluminum thieves who made off with the platforms of playgrounds intended for the poorest kids of Peru.
Rich Anderson with Kids Alive International says the story since then has been one of redemption, but it didn't quite go the way he thought it would. "The thieves were never caught. The playground equipment was never recovered."
However, the publicity the news coverage brought to Kids Alive was encouraging to a team that thought their summer projects were destroyed by the thieves. "I didn't know how we were going to get past this. I didn't know how we were going to be able to build the three playgrounds that we wanted to build in Peru this summer. We had already recruited the teams that were going to go and do that," Anderson says. "God just worked it out for the good."
Here's what happened as a result of their loss: "We were offered a playground from a church (and we'll be taking it out this Saturday). It's next door to a large department store. That department store declared a bankruptcy and is now bank-owned," Anderson says. The bank thought it'd be a great idea to donate the playground. Even better, they got an idea about using what they already had: "We were able to resurrect the original playground that had the decks stolen by borrowing from another playground that we already had in storage and using those decks."
Even better, they now have a way to prevent another thief from striking. "We now have indoor storage for as long as we want it. We have 1,500 square feet with a concrete floor, beautiful lighting, and a loading dock. That was given to us as a result, too! God really worked it out."
The playgrounds from the church and the bank are earmarked for Zambia later this year. However, because they now have the materials they need to fill the project needs, "We shipped on Monday to Peru. We shipped three playgrounds. We're going to be building one in Andahuaylas in the Andes Mountains, one in Pucallpa, which is in the Amazon Rainforest, and one in Pachacamac, which is a slum community outside of Lima."
The playgrounds are kid-magnets. They afford children the opportunity for a childhood--something that poverty can leach away. More importantly, Anderson says, the playgrounds are tools for ministry. "It brings in additional kids who want to come to our Christian schools and want to get involved in our afterschool programs as a result of that playground. That's where they hear about Jesus. The playground itself is not going to lead someone to Christ, but using it as a tool to bring those kids in and then sharing Christ with them, that's what we're all about."
There's more about Kids Alive's work in Peru at our Featured Links.
