El Bichito: Full of light & happiness

The following is written by Anna, an intern at El Bichito:

Things are picking up at El Bichito this week.  Anna Gleave and I, the other intern have had the incredible opportunity to spend the past week really getting to know the children.  We have personally asked each of them about the lives, their hobbies, and what they want to be when they grow up.  We are trying to get an analysis on their health and family situations as well.  We plan to make a file for each child, with their information and picture, in order to keep better track of their progress, and to help future interns.  What a treat to spend one-on-one time with each of these kids.  They are full of light and happiness.

The focus this week was on nutrition and healthy eating habits.  Anna Gleave did a great job teaching the children about vitamins, protein, and where we find these in our foods.  We bought a bunch of mangos from the local market in Cajamarca, brought them to the center, and incorporated them into the daily meal as a desert.  The kids were thrilled and we hope to do this often in the future.

Collaborating with Feliciana we finally solidified a system to complete the backpacks we have been sewing for the kids.  I think I have now mastered the sewing machines that were brought by the last expedition, and I hope to soon help other women in the village learn how to use them.  A lady dropped in with her son for lunch one day and appeared extremely interested, so I am exciting to get going on that.

My focus this week has been on math and reading.  The kids are on summer vacation, so its crucial they keep their multiplication and other mathematic skills sharp.  I drew a giant calculator out of chalk outside with numbers from 1 to 9.  I would yell out an equation such as 3 times 2, and they would have to jump as fast as they could on the correct number.  I was so impressed how quick these children are.  Never would I have thought they would beg me the next day to play "multiplications."

We told the kids that if they read an entire book, drew a picture of the story line, and wrote a couple sentences about what they learned, they would receive one of our backpacks.  Edgar, above, was our first successful candidate.  He could barely contain his excitement as he vividly related to me what happened in his story.  The most fulfilling aspect of this experience was his desire to then start another book.

I am excited to continue to work with these kids and get them ready to return to school.  I can't wait for the future projects to come.