Leon Jones

In the spring of 1998 I accompanied some friends to three Peruvian towns: the mountain towns of Ayachucho and Cusco and the remote jungle town of Iquitos. The purpose of the trip was to ascertain the needs of poor Indian children.

When we returned to Atlanta, I was sure I would I would never see Peru again. I was wrong. Though I was making more money than I had ever hoped to make, the image of the indigenous Peruvian children kept tugging at my heart. So, I shut down my business, sold my house, and returned to Peru – though I had no idea where I would live in Peru or what I would do there.

During the past twenty-one years I have started and operated the following programs in the poorest community in Iquitos: a wawawasi (free daycare center), a girls’ volleyball team to help combat teen pregnancy, a free milk program, an annual Christmas party, and a house for abandoned children.

These programs have been financed by my family, friends, and my life savings.