Semillas de Amor: A walk without shoes

Update from Katy at Semillas de Amor:

June 13, 2012
This was a week that caused some deep reflection on the part of the interns. We were able to go on an enjoyable hike to a local tourist spot. On the way back, we took our shoes off for a little less than a mile. While the pain we felt on the rocky, unpaved, dirt road was certainly on our minds, the main thing running through our thoughts was how the children we are here to help walk roads like this everyday without even the option of shoes. With every step the thought kept running through my mind, "Because I have been given much, I too must give." The Universtiy I attend at home does a "Day Without Shoes" each year to raise awarness for child poverty. While I participated, it didn't affect me until I had to walk a mile without shoes on the roads these children walk.  We need to take a stand, like a local hotel here that donated shoes for each of the kids in Nueva Colombia. 

They now proudly all wear the donated shoes each day. In the fight against poverty, we need to stand up and walk with those that are affected. Please take a stand by following and supporting our cause.

Semillas de Amor: The arrival of Katy and Izumi

Update from Ryan at Semillas de Amor:

June 12, 2012

Two things never change at the foundation site-- the high temperature and the love enthusiastic love expressed by each child.  Lunch might be late, after-school tutoring might prove unsuccessful, or a game might not turn out as planned.  But with each visit it is not uncommon to hear, "Thank you so much," or, "When are you coming back?" 

Thanks to the heat, a walk to Nueva Colombia proves difficult while carting hot food to dish out for lunch.  Much to the chagrin of the driver of our "moto taxi" (a transportation mode that looks just like it sounds), each day the children line the street upon our arrival in an attempt to pile inside as we turn the corner and help to carry the food and dishes or hold our hands as we walk into the foundation.  At the end of each afternoon, many of the children will throw their arms around our legs or waists and exclaim, "I love you!"  It is a humbling experience to learn from children who, comparatively speaking, own nothing but who possess so much light to share with everybody they come into contact with.

As Katy and Izumi arrived this past week, all the children were excited to meet "las gringas."  Each time any female showed up on site with a hat and sunglasses she was quizzed as to whether or not she was one of the gringas.  When the real gringas finally did show up they were rewarded with fresh mangoes and various colored flowers that were strewn through their hair.  I´m not sure if the welcome resembled a Colombian welcome or just one from these children in this small town.  Whatever it was, it seems typical of children who have a lot of love to share.

Aldea Infantil: Stephanie's first week

Update from Stephanie, who is now volunteering at La Aldea Infantil:

June 8, 2012
This was my first week in Trujillo and it was WONDERFUL! The kids here are so happy and loving, they welcome you with open arms (literally). I really appreciate helping children who are in need, there is so much to learn from working with them.

This week I am working with the kids in “casa 9” and I have had a wonderful time interacting and playing with the two little boys Deivis, and Oswaldo. We have run around this little compound dozens of times together, practicing our colors and numbers. These boys have reminded me how much I appreciate life and the little joys we find it.

Semillas de Amor: Lunch line

Update from Izumi at Semillas de Amor:

June 8, 2012

Friday was a day to celebrate a new success. In the past, giving the children food was a chaotic and a highly disordered process. As the children would arrive, they would frantically hand us their bowls as if they were afraid that if they did not act quickly enough, they would not receive their fair share. We, as interns, decided that we could begin improvement on this part of our day at Nueva Colombia. To accomplish some kind of order, we established a lunch line in which each child would hand us their plate one by one and we would serve their food. It was amazing how much more efficiently we were able to distribute the food. The children also ate more quietly. Even though there are still some things to work through, this definitely has been a great triumph with the kids.  

Aldea Infantil: Update on Fabricio

An update on Fabricio from Jill, who is volunteering at La Aldea Infantil:

Learn more about Fabricio from past posts here, here and here.

June 10, 2012
Fabricio is 2 years old and can't sit up or stand or anything on his own. He came to the Aldea when he was 4 months old and has made a TON of progress since then. However, he still cannot sit up on his own or support himself yet. He attends physical therapy so he can learn how to do so, and this week I got to take Fabricio to Trujillo for his physical therapy. He has an appointment twice a week, which is good because it gets him moving and stretched out. During therapy, the therapist showed me the routine and taught me how to work with Fabricio, so we (at the Aldea) can start helping him learn to sit up on his own. He still can't hold himself up yet without help for longer than a few seconds, but he is making progress! We are going to start working with him every day so he can progress more quickly!

Semillas de Amor: Helping Hands & Frisbee

June 5, 2012
Welcome to another wonderful week in Colombia at Semillas de Amor. 

As you all know we are working on developing an after school program for children in Nueva Colombia.

I have just arrived, and I didn't know what to expect. We prepare lunch for the children, bring it and serve it to them, and then do a learning activity afterwords. 

The first day as we were arriving to the site the children came running out with open arms to help us carry the food in. I was instantly with a wave of love that surrounds that place. There is something special there that I have never felt elsewhere. I look forward to going every day, it is truly the best feeling in the world. You are instantly wrapped with a the feeling of genuine love from the children. Though we the necessity of food, I truly believe the best thing we can bring these children is love. By showing our love for them, we are giving them hope and happiness.

This past week we were able to go up to a neighboring field and reward the kids for good behavior by playing Frisbee. These kids had never seen a Frisbee so explaining it to them was an adventure in itself. Once they got the basic figured out we were able to enjoy a wonderful day playing Frisbee games with the kids. They were so excited and all wanted a chance to throw the Frisbee. It was a beautiful moment. It is such a wonderful thing to be here with the children.

Katy, Izumi, Ryan 

Semillas de Amor: Meet Victor

Ryan, an intern at Semillas de Amor writes about a young man who has been helping around the center:

Only 14 years old, Victor seems too mature to be considered a child.  The youngest of four, he lives in a house made of wooden planks and a thatch roof where he chops wood for his mother to cook with and cares for the donkey and various chickens that roam the yard providing the family with transportation and food.

 As he watched from his front door the construction of the dining hall and storage rooms occurring across the street, Victor quietly approached and began to mix the cement we had prepared for the cinder blocks that would form windows for the building.  As the days progressed, so did Victor´s revelation of his bricklaying skills.  Rather than stopping with cement mixing, Victor helped me to measure the sand, rocks, and water required to make a mixture and then helped to haul each of the materials to the construction site.  With a self constructed sieve made from plywood and scrap metal from the donkey´s feed bin, Victor insisted that the cement mixture be sifted before the water was added in order to guarantee that the mortar set right.

Although Victor continues teaching me about brick laying, I´ve learned more from him about the importance of hard work and example.  Victor is a leader at his school and in his small community.  He works hard at home and he cares about what happens outside the home.  With limited funds, hiring labor to build a dining hall and storage rooms proves to be an impossibility.  But Victor´s actions have encouraged other children in the community to collaborate on the project.  With their help, the walls go up brick by brick.  Although the process is slow, the experience has proved invaluable-- maybe not for Victor, but for his community of peers and for me. 

Semillas de Amor: Learning to dance

Such a sweet post from Ryan, who is volunteering at Semillas de Amor:

May 28, 2012

¨Uno-dos, uno-dos, uno-dos,¨ Yuniris quietly counts.  She is teaching me how to dance and I´m sure it´s obvious that dancing is not ingrained in my culture as it is in Colombian culture because she laughs every time I try to do anything except step twice to the right and then twice to the left.  She´s already explained to me that each region in Colombia has it´s own typical form of dancing.  The ¨champeta,¨ for example is indigenous to Cartagena near where I live.  In other areas it´s the ¨fandango.¨  And still in others, ¨merengue.¨ But Yurinis prefers ¨salsa.¨ I wish she didn´t because the rhythm is too accelerated for me to get much out of a lesson from her.

Each day after school, Yurinis, ten years old, and a few of her friends practice for an upcoming presentation for their mothers.  Yurinis plays the part of a mango who falls in love with a lemon in the tree next door.  The only chance they get to talk is when the branches of the trees in which they live blow close together in the wind.  Each time this happens, the mango and the lemon dance.  Yurinis definitely dances better than her partner, Señor Lemon.  ¨But it doesn´t matter to me how well he dances,¨she tells me.  ¨Only that he tries.¨ I hope she is as patient with me.

El Bichito: Glitter and feathers

May 23 update from Stephanie at El Bichito:

May 23, 2012

This week we had lots of fun making masks for the kids. They LOVED the glitter and feathers it was awesome! This is Hector and I; he particularly enjoyed loading up on the feathers! The kids are doing so great and excited to create fun stuff.  They are also working really hard with the reading and homework program we have been using with them. I love them SO much!!!!

El Bichito: May 18 update

Update from Stephanie at El Bichito:

May 18, 2012
Things at El Bichito are going great! the kids are really getting used to the routine of Homework and Reading. We are so happy to see them excited about learning. I often get the chance to work with Wilson and Hector, and I just love being with them. They are both working so hard and I am proud of them. They are very patient as they work through all their assignments.

Otherwise the kids are keeping busy and loving life. We appreciate the sweet spirit that they bring to us everyday.

El Bichito: Homework & reading program

**Note: Sorry things have been quiet on the blog lately! Our interns are still working hard and I have a lot to share! We will soon be all caught up with the activities and achievements of our awesome interns!**

From Stephanie, an intern at El Bichito:

May 10, 2012
This week we finally got to implement our new homework and reading program. We are getting a better hang of things and are better able to utilize our time and help the kids. I was really excited to help so many of them with their homework and see the excitement on their face as they accomplished their assignments and got to pick a sticker.

I particularly enjoyed the chance I got to work with a young boy named Hector who is always so shy! But as I consistently get the chance to help him with his homework he has been warming up and allowing me to read with him for a few minutes. He is learning lots of new words and enjoying the stories he reads. He is SO sweet! I love being here with the kids and interacting with them as they learn and grow.