Our second program in just as many days featured a return to another one of our familiar Peru-based community partners: Beneficencia de Lima.

Having worked with them on several different occasions, I couldn’t wait to revisit their campus at Puericultorio Perez Aranibar, just a 15 minute walk from my home in Magdalena. As is the case for most repeat sessions, I was particularly excited to see if there were any familiar faces and how the place might’ve changed.

I arrived about 15 minutes ahead of our 4:30 session, which ended up running for nearly two whole hours. Barely past security, I was greeted warmly by one of my contacts at Beneficencia de Lima, Andrea, who was standing just beyond PPA’s front gate.

I grabbed one of my bags full of soccer balls, while she snagged the other. Together, we made our way towards the boys’ wing. With a bit of extra time on our hands, she was quick and eager to share some updates in the four years since my last visit on campus.

“How many kids are there nowadays?” I asked.

“Well, right now we have a bit less.. about 120,” she said, still a huge number. “And you’ll likely be working with about 20 kids today, ages 6-18.”

I knew at least one face would be familiar. Maria Paz is one of my original contacts from our first ever session with Puericultorio Perez Aranibar.

“Any other new faces, besides her, Andrea?” I asked. She smiled and nodded gently. “There are definitely some,” she said.

I cannot stress how good it is to see a familiar face or two anywhere in the world when running programs. With that thought fresh on the brain, I couldn’t wait to start.

“It’s the same field, right?” I asked, just to make sure of my bearings.

“Yes… it’s in the same place, but it’s been upgraded,” she said with a smile, noting a recent facelift the old turf field had undergone.

Man, I like what they have done with the place! There were nets surrounding the court, climbing high into the sky to protect any stray clearances. The turf was tidy and well-kept. They also had a spray-painted KIA logo at centerfield, presumably recognizing the company responsible for the upgrades. 

The kids just finished school, and they leisurely made their way to the field, greeting me with hellos and handshakes.

“Hola, Profe!” some of the younger guys would exclaim.

I thought back hard to my last session with Puericultorio Perez Aranibar and recalled watching the European Champions League with the kids, and as time would have it, there was similarly a big matchup today between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. After setting up our first drill and organizing the kids into partners, I was introduced to PPA’s resident photographer, Marcelo, and enjoyed a few moments of chopping it up about footy.

“Profe, jugamos?” said an older boy, eager to get things started. 

The beneficiaries, as they so often are, were huge fans of our listening drill. From there, we hit some passing lines before breaking into a drill set at goal. It was 1 on 1, and the kids were super into it. I was deployed into goal, and I couldn’t help but to watch along with pride as one by one the kids stepped up into the role I once had in the center of the field to help run the drill themselves. It was certainly a full-circle moment, and a reflection of their eagerness to step into positions of leadership.

On the way to campus, I realized I had forgotten my whistle, but the kids made sure this was no problem, giving me their absolute attention.

“Profe, un partido?” asked that same boy from earlier.

“Siiiii! Vamos!” I exclaimed.

What a joy this scrimmage was.

“Quiero jugar,” I said to the boys, making sure they knew my intention to experience the game beyond the role of just ‘el árbitro’.

I was eager to play and was happy I got to, because this scrimmage had everything – including tricks and rainbows! The older boys were putting on a show and, I won’t lie, they slotted the ball through my legs a couple times. No shame in the game though, that’s just showbiz! My penance, I suppose, for doing the same to a couple of boys the other day.

My intentions were different though, and to my surprise, many of the older boys on the opposing side shared the same goal. We all wanted to get the young ones involved, finding ourselves constantly dishing the ball off to them in front of goal, so they might etch their names on the scoresheet too.

“Ankara Messi, Ankara Messi!” yelled out one of the most talented boys in the session, as a younger lad motored down the field with the ball glued to his boots.

The program was already 45 minutes longer than I expected it to be, so I blew my whistle and brought the group in for a huddle. It was time for them to have dinner and it was time for me to pass out a bracelet for each one of them, along with the ten new soccer balls for them to use whenever they felt like playing.

“Thanks for coming back,” said Andrea, as I headed back towards the front gate. “You are always welcome here.”