I was in the Peruvian capital of Lima last week. Did you know the city celebrated its 472nd anniversary a couple of weeks ago. There was still a bit of a celebration going on in down town Miraflores, as i walked across Park Kennedy, looking at the art and searching for my favourite Peruvian artist Nestor Lopez. Nestor wasn’t in sight and i guess Martha was glad because I think another Peruvian classic painting hanging in the lounge would just about “do her heed in” Anyway I was there showing a few folk around the projects we have been supporting as the chair of the Vine Trust. Our partners Union Biblica are delivering an amazing programme working with street boys and also delivering a free health service to over 100,000 people in the Amazon basin.

Late one night I walked the streets of down town Lima and saw young girls prostituting themselves, children who were high on glue and drugs.

The staff of Union Biblica handed out bread and porridge and the kids lapped it up. These were the abandoned children of Lima. In some quarters of peruvian society they are regarded as street vermin. Often they hide in sewers during the day and come out at night to see what they can find to eat or steal.

Got me thinking. We too have abandoned children in Scotland, immotionally abandoned by parents who give them everything except love. The amazing thing is that when these children encounter love they become different people. The photographs below show the difference a year or two can make in a child’s life given the proper care. These pictures were taken at Kusi near Yungay, one of the seven sites where the Vine Trust is partnering Union Biblica in rehabilitating street children

This is a magical place high in the Andes away from the dry and dusty streets of the capital.