Aldea Infantil: Working with Fabricio

By Brett Fotheringham
June 30
This week I looking for what picture to post for the week and I came across this picture of Fabricio which had been taken by one of the boys with my camera. Fabricio is three-years-old and suffers from a variety of conditions. He is partially deaf, blind, and cannot sit up very well unless assisted. His muscles are very weak and as a result he is very difficult to care for here at the Aldea. Working with Fabricio however is the best thing in the world! Whenever possible, the other volunteers and I do exercises with him in order to strengthen his legs, back, abdomen, and neck. I know that if only he had more people working with him, more often, then he may be able to walk, but I fear as time goes on it will become more and more difficult for him to walk as his body grows in size while his muscles do not. At any rate, I figure every time we do exercises together, he gets closer to being able to sit up by himself, which is a gateway for crawling, which in turn, is a gateway for walking. Fabricio is the best little guy in the universe and I absolutely love him. Sadly this picture doesn´t capture one of his happier moments, which I shall be sure to try and capture this coming week, but despite all the adversity in his life, Fabricio is a happy child who is in dire need of simple physical therapy from doctors and volunteers alike. I look forward to working with him this week as always, and seeing the progress he can make. Until next week, Chao!

Note: Many of our interns have had concern for Fabricio and have helped in any way they could while at the Aldea. More posts about Fabricio are here. Take a moment to think about what you could do to help Fabricio. Visit our website to learn more.

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!

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Maribel

Lauren, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, gives a perfect example of the purpose of our interns and how they can make a difference: 

This week, I ended up working with a girl named Maribel. Maribel is a

17 year old girl who doesn't get the opportunity to go to school. She

is special and because of this, the schools here aren't equipped to

help her learn in a productive way. Because of this, I decided to have

her practice writing. I sat down and wrote down her name, the

alphabet, numbers, and some words. I wrote them in dashes then left

space for her to actually copy them down to practice. It took some

time to do this, but it was worth it. Maribel did so well; she really

hates to write and can’t read so I had to tell her what she was

writing. I know that Maribel doesn’t like to write because she knows

she can’t but I think that if I make her practice, she will improve

over time. After she finished, I told her what a good job she did and

that seemed to just make her day. I hope that by doing this, she will

now be more willing to work and practice her writing.

Many thanks to the Stowell Family!

Chris, our expedition leader reports on a very giving family:

The Stowell family came on a special Christmas expedition and fell in love with Mariluz. Her mother had abandoned her and her grandma is her gaurdian now. The grandma only speaks Quechua and doesn't have any resources or even the language skills to help the granddaughter. The Stowell family asked what would be the most important thing to help Mariluz, and we spoke with the grandmother and she said a new walker for the mountain terrain. Also the Stowell family said they would help get her to check with the doctor to see if she needed any addition physical therpy or some kind of treatment. 

We miraculously found a custom orthopedic walker maker and I went with the Stowell family to see what could be made for that kind of terrain. He was able to manufacture something specially designed for the mountains and out of a more durable material. Also it can extend for when she grows taller.

Thanks to the Stowell family for making this possible! These simple acts of kindness can change lives!

Learn more about helping others like Mariluz. 

Learn more about our exciting expeditions.

La Aldea Infantil: Meet Perla

Jayde introduces us to Perla:

Fairly new to the Aldea is Perla, an 8 year old who came with her
little brother. Perla is mentally handicapped and has the mentality of
a 4 year old. This can be a challenge at times, but she is looked
after and loved by everyone. In the few weeks she has been here, Perla
has greatly improved. She has learned how important it is to respect
others, and does so every day. She is very inquisitive, and likes to
ask me lots of questions. This past week, Perla has had to go in for
some check-ups at the doctors. She behaved so well! We were all proud
of how polite she was to everyone she met. She was very patient while
waiting in the long lines, maybe even more patient than I was! This
experience reminded me of how far Perla has come since arriving at the
Aldea. Everyone is rooting for her and willing to be patient as she
learns more and more every day.

Learn more about La Aldea Infantil here and here. Learn more about becoming an intern and ways you can help children like Perla.

El Bichito: Meet Marco

Update from Abigail, an intern at El Bichito:

This week has been great at El Bichito!  The kids continue to love reading every day and learning new games and activities.  We’ve introduced them to quite a few new crafts this week.  The boys will usually start a craft and not finish it while the girls stick with theirs until the end.  There is one boy, Marco, who loves art and will try any type of new craft we introduce.

Marco isn’t a typical child here at El Bichito.  He’s actually 26 years old and suffers from Polio.  To get here he has to walk down the hill 20 minutes and his walk back home is all uphill.  This is not easy for him as his legs don’t function properly and he has to use a crutch.  While many of the boys enjoy running around and doing active games, Marco stays sitting at the table for the majority of his time here.  He LOVES painting and drawing and last week we gave him his own art set.  In return, he wrote us a very sweet note and made each of us a bead bracelet.  He’s not very talkative unless you start talking to him first.  He also enjoys reading books every day although his reading level is still at an elementary school level.  Marco aspires to be a pastor at a church someday.  He is actively involved in his church here in Puylucana.  He also looks forward to learning how to use a computer.


Learn more about how you can help Marco and others like him by visiting our website. Learn more about El Bichito by viewing past posts and the El Bichito page.

La Aldea Infantil: A Positive Attitude is Contagious

Elliot, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, gives us some positive thoughts about his experiences from last week:

One thing that has stood out to me was how positive the kids are. Despite all of the trials and difficulties that they have they always seem to laugh and have a good time. One of those children who has an extreme ability to be positive is Gabriel (above). He is always laughing and most importantly he makes those kids around him feel better. Everyone loves to be around him and he has a large heart. One night while making pizza at his house, he told me that we should go and check on Fabricio (below) because he was probably lonely.

Fabricio is a baby that is 1 ½ years old and suffers from many illnesses. Some of the few illnesses that he has are epilepsy, blind, brain damage, and lame. Amongst all these issues Fabricio still manages to have a smile on his face. He is especially ticklish under his neck and around his waist. He is always laughing and having a good time. We take him to Trujillo for physical therapy twice a week for his legs and eyes. Although he is not very talkative his good heart makes him always someone you want to be around. It is a blessing to know that even amongst all the trials we have in life (and in the USA we have very few compared to 3^rd world countries) that these children can still find joy and happiness. Just another witness to me that happiness, joy, and fulfillment in life comes from within ourselves, it is something we decide.

How to help a child like Fabricio.

More info on La Aldea Infantil.

More posts on La Aldea Infantil.

Semillas de Amor: Jhon Felipe

Written by Aaron, an intern at Semillas de Amor in Columbia:

Jhon Felipe (4) lives in San Pedro with his grandparents; his two brothers, Jose David (5) and Juan (3) live with his parents, Jhon and Leidys, just around the corner. Jhon Felipe is a curious kindergartner with a big smile. The tendons in his feet and his ankles haven’t developed properly, and he’s never been able to walk. He can stand up if he has something to hold on to, but spends most of his time sitting and crawling. His grandma is the principle caretaker, and says it’s incredibly hard to get around with him, because they don’t have enough for a wheelchair and he’s getting too big to carry all the time.

There is a possibility of corrective surgery, but it’s not guaranteed and won’t be assessable til he’s a little older, according to his doctor. A wheelchair would make it possible for him to go places with his family instead of being left behind, and will be a necessity in order for him to keep studying.

How to help a child like Jhon.

Maribel (from Janel)

Janel introduces us to Maribel:

Maribel is a sweet girl who loves to be around others. She loves to play basketball, soccer, and volleyball as well as paint, color, and make bracelets. She is an active girl who unfortunately rarely leaves the Aldea. She has special needs which requires a special school. When the Aldea's funds were cut, she had to stop going to school. Instead, she stays home all day helping the Tia and watching the younger kids. Maribel is always smiling and shows a good example of sportsmanship. She has fun playing games no matter what the score. One day I was walking to a small store nearby the Aldea and asked her to come with me. She was so excited to be able to do something different! It was a simple trip - we marched over to get diapers for a Tia and came right back, but she was smiling ear to ear the whole time.

Miguel's Abilities (Amanda)

Amanda gives us an update on Miguel's abilities (versus his disabilities):

This is Miguel. Miguel is considered mentally handicapped by most people and by all technical standards. I would like to tell you a story about Miguel.
A group of us were playing volleyball--a past time that is rapidly increasing as a favorite of the older kids at the Aldea. Miguel was sitting to the side and I let him play with my camera (also a recent favorite past time of ALL ages of the kids at the Aldea). While we were playing I remember glancing over a time or two and noticed that he was pointing the camera at us as well as all around. He walked over to a Tia and her son nearby and talked to them for a bit. All the while we were playing volleyball. I didn't think too much about it until later that night after dinner when all the kids were in their houses and I sat down to look through my photos of the day. I was amazed! Miguel had not only figured out how to take photos on his own, but also how to record videos! He had received no instruction of any kind from anyone! I know some adults who cannot even figure out how to record videos on my camera and that is afterinstruction! :) Photos and videos taken by Miguel included us playing volleyball, the Tia and her son in obviously planned/choreographed poses, and simple beauties like the moon above. I will have to upload some of his photos to the blog. I sat there amazed. I had fully expected blurred photos of nothing but color like I see when I get my camera back from most of the kids playing with it. Instead Miguel had not only figured out the mechanics of handling a camera, but he was well on his way to mastering the art of becoming a professional photographer.
To some, Miguel may be labeled as something. The world categorizes him as a child with disabilities. To me, Miguel showed great ability! He has taught me that labels are only what the eyes see. What really matters is what is deeper. Gracias Miguel.

Other posts about Miguel are here and here.

Fabricio (Amanda)

Amanda, an intern at La Aldea Infantil, gives us some insight into Fabricio's life and needs:

Fabricio is a little angel. Each week on Monday and Wednesday one of the volunteers escorts little Fabri to the hospital in Trujillo so that he can work with the physical therapist. We do not know what all happened to him before he came to the Aldea, but as a result he is far behind on his mental and physical development. He does not react to very much and very rarely cries. He does smile often, however, and he has the sweetest giggle that erupts when you tickle him in just the right spot under his little chin.

I was talking to the the physical therapist on Wednesday when I went with Fabricio to the hospital and she was explaining to me the type of attention that Fabri needs at home in order to ensure that his little legs and neck muscles develop correctly. Fabri works with the nurse at the Aldea, Marta, a few times a week, but his condition requires extensive attention--the type of attention that is difficult to get in a home where there are nine other children who all have needs of their own. If I could I would take Fabricio home with me.

If you are interested in helping a child like Fabricio, click here for more information.

Fabricio: Getting Better Little by Little (Julia)

Fabricio: Getting Better Little by Little

This week I’ve been getting to know the baby Fabricio better. I love to hold this baby and give him as much love as possible. His muscles aren’t strong enough to sit up straight, or even hold his head up yet and he can’t see very well, but he does react when someone’s in front of him so we think that he can at least see light or shapes. At the beginning, I never knew who Fabricio was even though I’d heard his name a lot until one day Katie brought him over to our house to take care of. We now like to babysit him in the mornings, along with the other babies, and I think that ever since we’ve been taking him out of his house and helping him to exercises, he’s been getting significantly better.

Renzo's Improvment (Kathryn)

Kathryn: February 7

Renzo is an Aldea baby a little over a year old. He lives in a house with 7 other boys and has a great tolerance for their rough play. Though he is at the age for beginning to walk and talk, because of earlier difficulties he is behind. This last week I spent a few hours with him everyday just as the other interns have, and he is improving at an amazing rate. He is now walking with only the assistance of one adult hand. Laughter, I think, is his biggest improvement yet; and when he does smile it makes my day. He really is a very smart and happy baby and has all the potential in the world. I enjoy every minute I spend with him whether it is going for a walk or just passing a soccer ball back and forth. I am excited to see is continued improvement over the next few months.

A previous post about Renzo.

You Go Girl (Carrie)

Maria Luisa holding two of our calendar squares

February 7, from Carrie:

Independent and curious Maria Luisa provides us with a good laugh

Maria Luisa is a name well known by the volunteers and children at the Aldea not only because she is adorable but because she provides everyone with a good laugh and occasionally some attitude. Wednesday of last week we were painting some of the girls nails in front of house 3 when I noticed Maria Luisa outside one of the houses across the grass. I couldn’t seem to find anyone with her but Edita one of the girls in her house ran over to get her and return her to her house. While Edita was on her way over there one of the other kids began to yell “corre Maria Luisa” and that she did. She is very independent and seems to like her freedom. On another occasion this last week we had the opportunity to watch Maria Luisa in our house while her Tia was in a meeting. She spent the whole time investigating our house looking for fun toys, tearing off all the squares on our calendar( which we had previously attached to the backing with Velcro, so she didn’t break them just mixed them up), and occasionally dancing for us.

Child Highlights:

This week I had the opportunity to spend some time with Fabritzio one of the babies at the Aldea. He's 8 or 9 months old and he can't yet hold up his head by himself but the Aldea is working to change that and help him. I think I might try spending more time with him, mostly stimulating his hearing with music and walking around with him and just being with him. We gave him a haircut last week, with the Tia after dinner, and I got to feed him while listening to music which occasionally made him laugh.

I also had the opporunity to spend a lot of time with Jhonathan this week in house 5. He questioned me about where the different countries where, which we found on the map in his house. We also talked about what he likes to do and sang a little bit. It was fun!

flashback friday (natalie)

Remember Daniel? He's the REALLY cute kid at the Aldea who needs some medical testing to find out the cause of his challenges. Well, in our last newsletter, we decided to dedicate the money raised from the "Goodsearch" site to Daniel's medical fund.

So I just checked our Goodsearch site, and we already have $33.04 raised in October. It may not seem like much, but Daniel really only needs abouut $100 US to get his testing started, so Goodsearch should do it for us in just a few months at this rate. What's Goodsearch you ask? Well....

Goodsearch is a search engine powered by Yahoo and is dedicated to helping non-profit organizations such as us. You simply go to www.goodsearch.com and enter "Southern Cross Humanitarian" under the "Who do you Goodsearch For" line. If you want to use it as a search engine, we receive a penny per search. But the BEST way to use this site, is to use the Goodshop feature. Everytime I rent a car, book a flight, buy something on Amazon, eBay or a BUNCH of other companies, Southern Cross receives a percentage or a small donation. At first it was a pain to use, but then I downloaded the Goodsearch TOOLBAR and now my searches and my purchases AUTOMATICALLY go to Southern Cross.

It appears from our increase in money earned this month that many of you have answered the call and downloaded the toolbar. Daniel only needs less than 300 soles (about $100 US) worth of medical testing (that we know of so far) and at this rate, we'll definitely have it soon!

To re-read our intern Brian's account of Daniel's need...see below.

Thanks again....keep Goodsearching and Goodshopping!

Natalie

From Brian:

This week, I have noticed a few things. There is a boy named Daniel in the Aldea. He lives in Casa 1 with Tia Alejandrina and a number of younger children. He has some mental difficulties that affect how he behaves. It's not to say he misbehaves and fights with others. Just the opposite. He's socially awkward. He has a hard time listening well and chooses to ignore instructions at times when they are given, especially when he is being corrected for the better by the Tia who runs the house. He needs help. He's a good boy and the Aldea is waiting to accumulate funds to continue running tests on him to see what is wrong.
I talked with the Aldea nurse, Martha, this last week and she says the Aldea needs about 280 soles (about US $97) to continue running tests on him. There are also at least two other children with speaking difficulties who need some specialized attention from a Speech or Occupational Therapist. They are both under ten years of age and are the cutest kids you've ever seen. I know the nurse has seen these kids and that things are not progressing as rapidly as they could. The Aldea needs funding to run these kids through tests to get them to the therapy they need fast and the sooner the better. These two kids are growing up fast and the longer we wait to get help to them, the harder it will be to correct their impediments.

Alegria de VeVir (Laura)

One of the things we found most remarkable at the Alegria de Vivir, in Trubaco, Colombia, was the level of volunteerism and dedication to provide care for handicapped children in the community. Every women at the home was a single mother, or grandmother, of a handicapped child who could not pay for medical treatments or evaluations. The four young women running the home, all under 30, had seen the need in their own community so they decided to bring the physicians to these children. They went through the paperwork of registering the home, spend their free time contacting doctors who will donate their expertise and do local fundraisers to pay transportation costs for the doctors.

Alegria de Vivir (Cameron, expedition leader)

Note: This home is a funded home in Turbaco, Colombia specifically catered to helping handicapped children providing care so these children can stay with the families and off the street.

“Alegria de Vivir” started with a few women in Colombia who wanted to help handicapped children receive medical care that they desperately needed but could not receive. The name means “Happiness of Living” and the volunteers that work to keep this small center running, truly make this their goal when working with these kids.

In the areas surrounding Cartagenas there are many deformities and chorinic diseases that would shock most of us here in our comfortable homes. In this area these kids very rarely will see a doctor will most likely never receive the type of care they need. In a sense the kids are forgotten and looked over. The brave women of “Alegria de Vivir” have proven that this will not happen in their community and have made it a personal fight to help these children. They have made connections with local physicians and medical personnel who are committing to offer their time and services to help. Still the center has a long way to go.

When we met the children at the center and saw how much help they really needed, Southern Cross decided to be a part of this beautiful home and cause for the needy children in Colombia.

Since January, Southern Cross has helped in the funding the home, allowing the volunteers provide food and activities for these kids. The funds are designated to help in whatever aspect these volunteers deem necessary, including helping to pay for treatment of certain problems or visits to the hospital when needed. We hope to raise enough interest in this area in Colombia and in these children to bring an expedition to Cartagena and help construct a playground in the back of the center where children with disabilities can leave the small building, and enjoy the outdoors.

We applaud the volunteers who work with these children and plan to become even more involved in this wonderful cause. Help us improve the lives of these children so that together we understand what it really means to have “alegria de vivir.”