El Bichito: Soccer & manicures

October 7
By Sunny Hicken

It’s been fun to have Anna Gleave, intern earlier this year, back with us this week! The kids were thrilled to see her, and she has been heading up some classes and activities here at El Bichito. She and local college grad Mateo put on a boys’ afternoon and then a girls’ afternoon, where they led an activity particularly enjoyed by the children (soccer for the boys, manicures for the girls), talked to them about their good qualities and choices to make in life, made them fruit salad as a treat, and had a movie. The kids have loved the extra attention! It has also been great to have some extra hands around here, being able to focus on homework with one or two children while others participate in another activity outside and such.

El Bichito: The start of classes

By Anna Solomon
The start of classes for the kids here in Pullyucana has brought on new challenges.  Along with these challenges have come new faces, new activities, and so much fun.  Classes started last week and on the first day only 10 kids came to eat.  I was so worried we were going to lose all of our kids and progress.  I told Feliciana it had to be because I smelled bad.  But really, they were all just out buying their school supplies.  By the end of the week we had about 20 kids coming for lunch, and now we get 40 plus everyday.  At approximately 1:00 in the afternoon, all the kids come streaming in and I can barely keep track of them all!  Many of them eat within 10 minutes and rush back out the door.  We are trying everything we can to get them to stay so we can help them with their homework and teach them.  So far, I think we have been pretty successful!

 Within the past two weeks we have played:

 Concentration with math equations: We came up with a list of 15 equations and 15 answers to the equations.  The kids had to figure out which answers matched the equation and then had to match them, until all the pairs were found!

 Math Bingo:  We called out an operation, they had to figure out the answer, and if they had that number on their card, they could mark it off.

 Math Tic Tac Toe:  We split the kids into two teams, team X and team O.  We took turn asking the teams math questions and if they got the answer right, they placed an X or O on the board in one of the slots for the tic tac toe chart.  Whoever got three in a row won!  Just like normal tic tac toe, but using a little more arithmetic!

 Roll The Dice and Hit the Target:  I wanted to get the kids outside this day so I drew a huge target out of chalk with quantities of 200, 100, and 50 inside the 3 rings of the target.  I brought these giant dice from home and gave the kids the chance to try and roll the dice onto the target.  If they landed on 100, they multiplied the number they rolled by 100.  So if they rolled a 6, they got 600 points.  The only rule was that they had to tell me the right multiplication, or they couldn’t get the points.  The kids loved trying to hit the bull’s eye!

 A Version of Farkle:  We all sat in a big circle and took turns rolling the dice.  The game is played as follows; you roll the dice and add the two amounts together to get your points. BUT if you roll a 1, you don’t get any and you lose all your points from that turn.  If you roll two 1’s you lose all of your accumulated points.  This was a great way to get the younger kids learning how to add!  The same rule applied that they could only get their points if they could tell me the correct addition.  They loved the suspense of the game and couldn’t stop laughing anytime someone rolled a 1 and lost their points.

 Antonyms vs. Synonyms:  After talking to some local Peruvians about what the kids will need to know for standardized tests, I discovered that understanding synonyms and antonyms is very important.  We created a list of 20 words and posted them on the board.  We then gave one team the pile of associated antonyms and the other team the synonyms.  Whichever team could successfully match their piles of words with the words on the board, won!  The kids definitely struggled with this, but they learned a lot.  Now we know we need to keep working on this with them!

Since so many of the kids have an interest in being civil engineers, next week we are holding “Science Week” at El Bichito.  We have a whole schedule set up of simple science experiments to show the kids.  Hopefully they become even more enthusiastic about the wonders of science.  We also have lined up a “Parents Night.” On Thursday we went to most of the kid’s houses with them after lunch and personally invited their parents to come to our parent’s night.  We are going to talk about all the resources we have to help them learn, our large library of books, and we want to ask their permission to let the kids stay after lunch.  Wish us luck!

One of our visits was to the house of this beautiful little girl Flor.  Her father abandoned her family, and her mom works cleaning houses to try and take care of her 5 kids.  We went to visit her mom to see if there was anything we could do to help and she was so grateful.  She is renting a house from a little closer to Pullyucana from her uncle, so the kids can be closer to school.  She really loves her kids and wants them to get the best education they can.  Flor, Miriam, and Edwin are so smart.  They love to read with me and they are usually the first kids to answer all of my math questions.  I really hope we can continue to help this beautiful family out."   

El Bichito: Reading Harry Potter

By Anna Gleave

My first week at El Bichito, I noticed how bright and eager to learn Katherin was, so we decided to start a book together. I suggested we read Harry Potter, since I loved the series growing up, and she quickly agreed. I told her that as a reward, we would be able to watch the movie together after we finished the book. So we began reading together nearly every afternoon. I would read a few pages out loud to her, and then she would read a few; she also read on her own with her older sister on the days we couldn't read together. Once we were about half-way through the book, I caught her looking down at the page number, and the biggest grin creeped across her face. I asked her how many pages we'd read, and she said enthusiastically, "137!" I then asked her if she had ever read that many pages in a book before, and she shook her head no, still smiling. Well, you can imagine her excitement when we finished the entire book! She kept saying it was the most "bonito" book she had ever read! We watched the movie together that afternoon, and she got so excited every time she recognized a character or scene from the book. I promised her that if she kept reading the rest of the series, I would make sure future volunteers would watch the movies with her, and she agreed! She was so thrilled and excited about the series, and she was very proud of herself for accomplishing such a feat. The rest of the kids were also proud of her and made note of what a unique accomplishment this was! 

I see so much potential in Kathy and know she can do great things with her life if she has proper guidance and opportunities. She wants to be a doctor and is absolutely intelligent enough to become one; I hope that she can. 

P.S. Check out the article BYU Public Health did on our very own Anna Gleave. We are so proud of our interns!

El Bichito: Trip to the University

March 8
By Anna Solomon
Watching the kids say goodbye to Anna this past week was truly heart wrenching.  Though it has only been a short two months, we have all grown so close as we have learned together about nutrition, washing hands, and the importance of taking care of ourselves.  I am really grateful to have worked with Anna Gleave and have learned so much from her.  Together I feel we really showed those kids as much love as we possibly could and sacrificed whatever we could for them.  I hope they recognize how important they are, and that their dreams are attainable.  When all is said and done, I think that’s what Anna and I wanted to get across the most.  After all, there is nothing more healthy than fulfilling your dreams.

The girls heartbroken to see Anna leave.

One dream we personally have for all of the kids, is to see them go to college.  I believe that Anna, Matthew, and I are all passionate about our university education.  We are each studying different careers, but can all agree that we are grateful for the chance to progress academically in life.  This past week we took the kids to visit the National University in Cajamarca.  Our lovely tour guide showed us through the main buildings, talked about the different career opportunities, and of course we had to see their numerous collection of alpacas, pigs, ducks, and slew of other farm animals.  My favorite part of the day was watching our little friend Elmer with his arm around the tour guide, pestering him with all manner of questions in the world.  Elmer is one of the most troubled, poor, and struggling children at El Bichito.  To watch him so excited about the University, answering all the guide’s questions, and so filled with excitement, really touched my heart.  I hope more than anything we can get Elmer out of the hole he is stuck in, and into the University.  Especially considering that as of now, his parents hardly care if he goes to school or not.

Elmer with his new best friend, the University tour-guide.

Antoni, our más chicito field-trip goer with the president of the University!

The kids listening intently as our tour guide talked about the University's greenhouse.

Vicki getting a little pig kiss!

he fieldtrip to the University was apart of our “Career Week” for El Bichito.  On Monday we had our friend Mateo come up and talk about Civil Engineering.  Engineering is the biggest and most profitable career here in Cajamarca, due to the mine.  At the national university, engineering is the most funded and researched discipline.  Mateo is one of the top students in his class, and did a great job engaging the kids.  He brought different rocks with minerals to try and get the kids excited about learning.  The kids couldn’t get over the tiny specks of gold in one of the rocks. His calculator and other math tools also amazed the kids.  He motivated them to work hard in school, and especially in math.  Thanks Mateo for all your help!

On Friday we brought up another friend of ours, Rosangela, who recently graduated from nursing school.  She now works in a small clinic and really makes a difference in her community.  We brought Rosangela in to talk about the importance of medicine, nursing, and the role of doctors in our lives.  The kids shared stories of times they had been sick or hurt and we all talked about how we would suffer so much without medicine.  Rosangela talked especially to the girls about nursing and how great of a career it is.  The girls were so excited to see Rosangela’s pictures in her nursing outfit at her promotion and her work in the clinic with sick babies.  Finally, she let the kids take turns using her stethoscope to listen to their pulse and sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure.  By the end of the day the kids were all pretending to be doctors and didn’t want to stop listening to our heartbeats.  The most impactful part of Rosangela’s visit was when Feliciana and Melchora asked her to come check on their sick father.  All the kids who had been listening to her lesson, followed her upstairs into the room where their father was recovering from a recent appendix operation.  He had been complaining of a fever, and all the kids watched in silence and awe as Rosangela took his temperature, and then taught Feliciana and Melchora how to use the thermometer.  She then suggested some aliments for recovery and tips for helping take care of him.  In that moment, Rosangela did more than she knew.  She was so powerful with her ability to help this family, while at the same time being such an example to all those kids.  By the end of the day, we couldn’t get them to stop telling us they wanted to be doctors when they grew up.  I am so grateful for my time here in Bichito.  To watch these kids find inspiration and hope in pursuing dreams and goals, makes me want to keep pursuing my own dreams.  I love how service does that do people.  You serve and serve and serve, and yet you will always get so much more back.  That’s how I feel everyday I spend here in Peru.

The beautiful, talented, and smart Rosangela! Thanks for the awesome lesson on nursing!

El Bichito: Self-worth

By Anna Solomon
One of the things we really want to emphasize with the girls at El Bichito is their self-worth.  We hear too many stories about domestic violence and abuse.  These young girls are at a crucial time in their lives and we want to have a positive influence on their future.  We want them to know they CAN get an education, they CAN play sports, and they CAN do anything they set their minds to.  We even created an acronym to help them remember who they really are.

Confianza
Hermosa
Inteligente
Cariño
Atlética

We celebrated these concepts this week by holding a "noche de las chicas" (a girl's night).  We bought a volleyball since most of them don't like to play soccer, and walked up to a near-by school with a volleyball court.  We couldn't really stop some of the boys from coming, so we ended up playing a game of boys vs. girls.  The girls dominated!  It made me so happy to see how excited the girls were when they won.  They felt validated and in power, and I don't think this happens enough in their lives.

We became acquainted the past week with a lady named Marivel, whose family owns a restaurant up the road from El Bichito.  We found out that she does manicures, pedicures, and hair. went to cosmetology school for two years in Cajamarca.  I told her about our girl’s night and she was so excited!  I asked her if she would like to come help talk to the girls about the importance of taking care of themselves and valuing their appearance.  She brought all of her supplies and gave all the girls manicures for free! She talked about how no woman in the world is ugly, and how important it is to value who you are.  I talked to the girls about how Marivel has this skill because she went to school and got an education, and now she is able to have this job!  They were so thrilled about their little makeovers and left feeling proud to be girls.  Marivel is such a good example to them of an innovative woman, and I think she had as much fun as the girls did!

On Friday we had originally planned to take the kids to visit the University in hopes to inspire them to work hard enough in school to go there one day.  Some logistics fell through and they told us it would be better to come back on Tuesday.  When we arrived at El Bichito only to inform the kids they couldn't go anymore, they were heartbroken.  We couldn't really bear the fact not doing some sort of field trip with them, so we acted fast and took them all down to Baños de Inca, the nearest large town.  We spit them up into three teams and had a photo scavenger hunt!  They had to search for statues, purple flowers, an animal different then a dog, and so on.  They then had to take a picture with our cameras and whoever completed all the tasks first one!  The kids had a blast running all around the Plaza Del Armas.  And what's better to cool down then ice cream for everybody?  I think we did well in making up for the University!  After, we walked up to a large lagoon where we let them fish a little for tadpoles and enjoy the serene beauty of the afternoon.  I love watching kids and their fascination with animals.  These kids are so bright and curious about the world, and I sincerely hope they never lose that curiosity.

El Bichito: February 4

By Anna Gleave

After weeks one, two, and three of teaching hand washing, nutrition, and teeth brushing, we decided it was time to move on to teaching physical wellness and about the importance of exercise. We decided to engage the kids in physical activities every day, so we spent the week taking walks through Puylucana and exploring the beautiful Andean surroundings and playing various games. The kids brought us up to a local elementary school where we started a ritual of (almost) daily soccer games. The school has an incredible volleyball/basketball/soccer court, and the view is stunning! We always feel as if we're on top of the world while we're playing! We split the kids into two teams; Anna's team is Peru, and my team is Real Madrid. We choose new captains every day and make up new cheers to get the kids excited about playing. We're still having a hard time getting a lot of the girls to play (because of cultural norms and a lack of confidence), but we are continually encouraging them to participate! 

To go along with our physical activity, we had small group chats with the kids about the importance of exercise and taking good care of your body. The kids seemed to realize the importance of exercise, and we hope our lessons and daily games will help instill within them a love for sports and exercise that will last them a lifetime! 

El Bichito: Meet Maria Alida

By Anna, an intern at El Bichito.

What an incredible feeling to watch a young girl take such a positive step in her life.  Maria Alida began her prep classes for University admission this week in Cajamarca.  Anna, Sandro, Alida's mother and I, all took her in to meet the professor and embark on a life-changing path.  Many of the young women her age and from her small rural town, Pullyucana, have already had children by this time.  In a lot of ways they have lost their chance at a University education.  Maria Alida is a dedicated, hardworking, and fun-loving young 17 year old girl who was working at her Uncle's restaurant in Pullyucana to try and raise money for school.  This will be her last year in secondary, or high school, and then she plans to seek a degree in civil engineering.  With the help of Eagle Condor, and their mentorship program, she receives money to take these classes and to commute to Cajamarca every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for this bright young girl.

I have always had a passion for international development and serving those less fortunate in different parts of the world.  I have done construction projects, school lessons, and donated numerous amounts of school and medical supplies.  Though these are extremely beneficial, I am convinced that what I saw with Alida this week is the most successful and best way to truly fight poverty.  Giving someone an education is giving them a life.  The professor talked to Alida about his expectations.  He told her it would be difficult, and she would be the youngest girl in the class.  He too, was passionate about seeing her succeed.  He expressed his love for educating young Cajamarquinos and told Alida that hopefully with her education, she can go back to her hometown and help others find the same success.  She may be just one girl, but if this proves lucrative, Eagle Condor wants to provide more scholarships for the children that come to El Bichito.  If one or two kids a year has a chance at an education, think of the impact they will have on the youth in Pullyucana.  Kids will be inspired to learn and strive for good grades, because they will have a foreseeable tool to get to college.  Alida is an example to all of the persistence it takes to fulfill your dreams.  Thanks to Eagle Condor, she is now one step closer.

Watching Alida's mother as she beamed with pride, might have been the most touching part of my week.  Her mother is a stalwart farmer who has made so many sacrifices for her kids to live close enough to go to school.  Even her mother isn't entirely literate, and has spent her life farming and raising her kids.  She is a beautiful and warm woman, and I was so touched by how grateful she was for Alida's opportunity.  Their family is poor and rural, but now Alida has a chance to improve her circumstances.  If there is one thing I do this whole 4 months, I hope it can be to support and encourage Alida and her family through this process.  Then, I will feel that I have truly made a difference.

El Bichito: Brushing teeth

From Anna, an intern at El Bichito: 

January 28- February 1
During the week of January 28 to February 1, we focused on teeth brushing as our chosen healthy habit. Last week, we noticed that some of the kids' teeth are visibly decaying and have holes in them, and many of the children complain about their teeth hurting from eating too much candy, so we decided it was important to take this week to focus on dental hygiene. We started off the week by telling the kids we had "regalitos" for them if they stayed for a class after lunch, and they were all very excited to receive their very own toothbrushes! We constructed toothbrush holders out of old egg cartons and wrote each child's name on a toothbrush, and then we gave them the opportunity to brush their teeth after lunch each day. We taught the kids about the importance of brushing teeth, why we need our teeth, and how to best take care of them, but really, we probably didn't need to teach them much; they were so excited to have their own toothbrushes and the opportunity to brush! Almost every one of the kids brushed their teeth after lunch without us prompting them, and a few of the kids begged us to let them brush their teeth twice! 

We kept up with the toothbrushing activities as the week continued. We did an art activity with the kids that involved them coloring pictures of themselves brushing their teeth (and used pipe cleaners as the toothbrushes), and we played a relay-race type game, where the kids had to throw frisbees (candy) into the mouths (circle of rope) and then sweep them away with giant "toothbrushes" (brooms).  We hope that we can keep encouraging the kids to brush their teeth so that it becomes a habit after we leave El Bichito, but the way things are going as of now, it seems as if they love the privilege of owning a toothbrush, and as long as they have access to one, they'll keep on brushing! 

El Bichito: Nutrition

From Anna, an intern at El Bichito:

January 21-26
This week, our health education classes focused on nutrition. During the first few weeks, we spent some time asking the children about their eating habits: how often they ate fruit/vegetables/meat/protein, what their favorite foods are, if they had enough access to food at home, etc. After assessing their access to healthy food and their knowledge, we developed a curriculum that focused on a different aspect of nutrition each day. We discussed the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, what a balanced meal consists of, and sources of various vitamins/minerals. One of our main goals we hoped to achieve was to get the kids to choose fruit over candy when given the option. So to promote fruit as a good option for a dessert, we posted a sign that said "postre hoy," and bought the kids fresh mangos, grapes, bananas, and apples. They went crazy over this little treat! It's mango season down here right now, so we were able to buy enough mangos for all of the kids for 2 soles (less than $1) for a day. We hope to be able to buy the kids fresh fruit a few times a week because they usually only get one serving (if that) of fruit a day at home. 

To go along with our health classes, we devised a different game/activity that reinforced what we were teaching for each day in the week. On Monday, we had the kids do an art activity where they drew pictures of their favorite fruits and candies and then what they would look like if they ate only fruit or only candy. On Tuesday, the kids did another art activity, where they made their favorite "balanced plate" of food out of construction paper. We played fruit bingo on Wednesday, and on Thursday, the kids did a vitamins/minerals word search. On Friday, we played mata moscas using our newfound knowledge about vitamins and minerals! 

Anna and I think that all of our lessons and activities were worth it; on Friday, we ran into one of our kids, Elmer, on his way home from the nearby market. He was so excited to tell us that instead of buying candy with the money his mom gave him, he bought two apples! We really hope that these kids continue to respond well to our health classes and activities so that they can make healthy choices whenever they have the opportunity to! 

El Bichito: Reading is contagious!

From Anna, an intern at El Bichito:

The kids have fallen in love with the little library we started.  I truly feel that reading is contagious and it is so nice to be reminded how much good a book can do in a child's life.  A book can help them to dream, think outside themselves, and learn about the world.  I spent a good hour reading with two of the girls named Ana Maria and Luz Elena.  We read a book written half in English and half in Spanish.  They read the Spanish and I read the English.  After I finished reading my part in English, they would both giggle loudly and I loved watching their eyes light up as I spoke English.  To them its like a secret code they want to unscramble.

The English classes this week were so successful.  We recruited a teenage girl from the village to come, as well as the young adult boys Jose Miguel, Segundo, and their friend Rafeal.  We hold the younger children class right before the adult class.  The young kids love learning about the colors, their birthdays, and numbers.  On friday this week we focused conjugating verbs with 'ies' endings in the third person.  I put them into two teams, and the older more advanced students had to conjugate the verb, come up with a sentence, read it out loud, and explain to the other students the concept they followed.  Whoever completed it the fastest won!  They older more advanced students loved being little English professors to the other students, and it really helped them to have to teach something they have recently learned.  I am hopeful we will continue to get more and more people interested in learning this week.  Can't wait to keep this going!