As I’ve written before, 4 year old Luis is one of the youngest and smallest boys at the Casa Girasoles Puerto Alegria home.

He is frequently climbing up on my lap, whether it be while I’m sitting on a bench in the dining room, riding to & from Iquitos on the boat, or swinging in a hammock. He’s around so much, that one of the caregivers calls him my little boy.

Since Luis is so young and not semi-self sufficient as the older boys, the caregivers has to spend more time and energy working with him (and Oriel, the other 5 year old that lives in Puerto Alegria). There is something sweet and sincere to watch a young man take care of two little boys like a father takes care of his own children. Especially in this machismo culture where men don’t take care of their own children, frequently abandoning them in the streets (hence the Girasoles abandoned boy program), to see the caregivers care for and love boys (not just Luis and Oriel, but all 40) like their own children is admirable.

In this photo, we were out to lunch in Iquitos eating pollos a la brasa (delicious rotisserie chicken) with all of the 40 Girasoles, which is definitely a treat.