Welcome back to Smarter Every Day.

Every December it's a tradition for me to make

a video down here in Peru

about an orphanage project I've been working on.

Specifically it's with Not Forgotten

and I make the video every December

because I want people to vote for Not Forgotten

on the Project for Awesome website.

This year I'm not just gonna update you

on the orphanage.

Apparently there's an Amazonian river monster

project that I've been a part of

that I didn't know about.

So today let's go check out the orphanage

then I'll tell you about river monsters.

Let's get Smarter Every Day.

If you're new to this project

just know that for several years some friends of mine

have been working to build an orphanage

in Iquitos Peru because it has one of the highest

rates of abandonment in the world.

With your support, last year we completed the first phase.

Check this out.

There's one major difference this year from last year.

Look closely, you'll see it.

There's kids..

all over the place. [laugh]

We have an operational orphanage in Peru.

It's a big deal.

Cause these guys are not on the streets.

The system in Iquitos is so saturated

with abandoned children,

specifically boys,

that as soon as the paperwork and licensing

to setup the homes was complete,

over a dozen boys were immediately accepted.

These kids are hilarious.

And for some reason they really love making zombie faces.

Traditional orphanages work like this.

You get somone to build a really big building

that can house a bunch of kids

and then you hire a couple of workers

to run the place and provide for the physical needs of the children.

Not Forgotten is different.

The focus of the entire structure

is a father and a mother.

As boys enter the home they become brothers

and the entire house becomes a family.

The boys are given stability by consistent love from parents.

Let's meet the families.

Meet Merry and Moises.

[spanish]

(Destin) Many families interviewed for the position of house parents

and these were among the first selected.

They're super patient,

they laugh a lot

and in just the short amount of time

I spent with them I could tell they're doing this

for all the right reasons.

One of the coolest things to me

is that they have dinners with family,

like a family unit.

So we're disturbing dinner.

This is dinner time at Moises' house.

[spanish]

OK one of the host parents, Isaac is a music teacher

and he's about to play for us.

[music]

[applause]

Alright, check this out.

Somebody saw the video last year

and sent in an anonymous donation

to give the kids transportation

to and from school.

So they use the van to bring the kids here

to school. It's a public school

but it's privately funded,

which means it has really cool stuff

like a library,

a computer classroom,

there's a wood shop,

there's also a place to learn about cooking.

We factored in the cost of a psychologist

to periodically visit the boys to make sure

all their emotional needs are being met.

Also if the boys are having trouble with any subject at school

they get special tutoring from a private professor

that comes to the home to make sure they don't fall behind.

Education is key,

and for me this is one of the most important parts.

Just listen to how excited these boys are to be learning

English from Isaac's wife, Ruth, their mother.

[excited interactions]

So one of the cool things about this place

is that these guys have their own rooms.

And they're very proud of them.

So we're gonna get a little tour of the room.

Can you show me?

This is Jack,

he's gonna tell us about his space.

[spanish]

It's your bed.

[spanish]

Yeah, your closet.

[spanish]

Your drawers. Yeah.

Closet

Closet?

[spanish]

Escritorio, Si. Bueno.

[laughs]

He tried it in English and said it was his closet.

Perfecto.

So Rodbin is trying to catch the river monster.

So he's got a hook here.

This is for the fish?

If you visit the meat market at Iquitos

you'll see pig heads,

alligator tails,

and even turtles which I didn't see coming.

One of the most common foods is called the arapaima.

It's one of the largest fresh water fish in the world.

Three years ago the local director of Not Forgotten, Jean,

released six of these things into the pond

in hopes of some day using them to feed children at the property.

I've heard the locals call these things paiche

but I've never actually seen one.

So it looks like Rodbin has caught a paiche.

Let's go check it out.

You serious?

Look at that thing.

That thing is huge!

OK we've found the river monster.

This is a paiche.

They're gigantic.

Look at that.

Holy cow.

I'm going in with the river monster.

I'm gonna pick it up.

Holy cow.

Oh my gosh.

You're gonna get this picture right?

It's like a dinosaur. Here we go.

OK, I don't wanna hurt him.

Look at the slime.

Pick it up one more time?

You're gonna get a good pic?

Alright, so people think that we've been working on an orphanage down here.

We're actually raising huge river monsters.

You want to touch it?

Look at the kids.

Yeah you touch it?

Alright let's get him back in.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Smarter Every Day.

If you enjoyed it, please consider going to the Project for Awesome website

and voting for Not Forgotten,

but more importantly if you'd like to partner with us

please consider going to Patreon.com/notforgotten.

You can go there, you can help us offset the operating costs.

We're trying to save abandoned children

and give them a stable environment to grow up in.

I think it's a really good thing.

I support it heavily.

patreon.com/notforgotten

I'll leave a link right over here.

You can click it.

Go consider helping us offset our operating costs

for getting kids off the streets.

It's a good thing.

I'm Destin, you're getting Smarter Every Day.

Have a good one.

[spanish]

Alright. No paiche were harmed in the..

Oh wait, we're eating it!

[laughs]