We have been visiting  Marcaconga and several poor nearby villages for the past six years.

They are located in a scenic area near several lakes. The elevation of over thirteen thousand feet.  The local economy is mainly agriculture including corn and potatoes .  The drive from Cusco takes around two and a half hours.  Our caravan included one large truck, a van, and three other vehicles.

Our early visits took place in a large room which held about three hundred people, but it soon became dangerously overcrowded.   As a result, over the last four years,  we have been meeting at an outdoor stadium that can accommodate over one thousand-five hundred people.

the  event begins as soon as we get set up.   But first the hot chocolate has to be prepared over a wood fire.  Next, the cakes and rolls are readied.

Meanwhile Carla’s mother leads other adults organizing the boys and girls  into circles where they receive refreshments.  Upbeat music plays in the background creating a party atmosphere.

The stands are filled with mostly elderly adults who also receive food and drink.

Santa walks around the stadium greeting and shaking hands with everyone in attendance.  Lots of Ho Ho Ho’s and Feliz Navidads can be heard.

Meanwhile, the volunteers prepare the children to receive gifts.    The boys usually go first and form lines based on size with the smallest going first.  The clothing and toys for the youngest are placed at the  head of the line and we adjust to the ages and sizes as the children move through.  We repeat this process with the girls.   After each one receives their gifts, they exit the stadium.

Next come the elderly.  They also line up to receive their warm clothing with the women going first.

We help over one thousand-five hundred people here and it takes all fifteen Peruvian Orphan Fund volunteers  as well as the Mayor  and some locals to help the celebration run smoothly.