Alegria de Vivir: Meet Mauricio

Sheena introduces us to Mauricio:

This week I had a chance to get to know Mauricio (7) and his mom Yesenia. Yesenia is a single mom and mother of three children. Her son Mauricio suffers from Cerebral Palsy and Asthma and cannot speak due to a tracheotomy that he had when he was younger. Yesenia struggles to make ends meet with the small income she receives from odd jobs and government assistance. The day that I visited her Mauricio had only had milk for lunch because Yesenia did not have anything else to give him. Despite all this, Mauricio is an incredibly cheerful young boy! He has a bright smile and is always laughing. He likes doing the exercises the physical therapist at Alegria de Vivir has assigned him and does them well. When I visited he stood up from a chair 5 times with very little assistance! Despite his physical potential, Mauricio does not have braces, a walker, or even a wheelchair to help him move more independently. In addition he often cannot make it to school or to Alegria de Vivir because his mom cannot afford the transportation there and back each day. With a little help Mauricio could realize his potential and start moving and learning.

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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.

Kindness over Winning (Julia)

In the Aldea, it is rare to see acts of kindess solely for the purpose of trying to make another kid happy, so when we do see these actions it is a very rewarding feeling. We try our best to be good examples and to teach the kids about self-worth, but you never know who is listening and who is not. One person who was obviously paying attention was Ruben. The other day I was watching the kids play soccer and Ruben was the goalie (and doing pretty good I might add) until Miguel came up and wanted to play. Miguel has something wrong with his leg so it is hard for him to move around fast, which is why it was a shock for me at first that Ruben gave up his important spot to him. After that, Miguel missed a couple but then one ball came straight for him and he blocked it! It was cute to see Ruben give up his spot in the first place, but to see the team's reaction was even better. All the kids cheered for him while Ruben gave him a big pat on the back and turned his cap around to make him look "cool". I loved this moment and wished I had a camera with me, but I didn't get a picture. This is one of the happiest times I've felt at the Aldea because I love to see that the kids are actually realizing the importance of kindness and that winning isn't always the best.

A Sad Story (Jason at Aldea Infantile)

This last week we had a sad story. A boy came in to the Aldea who had huge blisters covering all of his lips. I am close to the tías at the Aldea and so I asked one of them what may have happened. Apparently, his mother heated up a spoon over the stove and put it to his lips because he was behaving badly. She said how sad that is and asked what kind of mother would do that? I can't even imagine. But, this past couple of days has brought some positive things as well. Since he has been at the Aldea he has been receiving kind care from the nurse their for his lips (cream) and they seem to be healing up nicely. But the biggest thing has involved another child with special needs at the Aldea.

Miguel Angel lives with a bunch of "normal" boys who sometimes poke fun at him that he doesn't really mind. But I don't believe he feels an equal to them. This little boy with the blisters has spent a considerable amount of time with Miguel and Miguel has enjoyed him very much. The boy is younger than him so Miguel (the former youngest of the group) feels like he is an equal with a kid that he lives with. I know that that seems like something small, but it is a moment for Miguel to shine and just be happy with himself and his friend.

I love working at the Aldea and making the kids feel loved and teaching them things they are excited about, like English or photography. I just love to help the kids shine and be happy with themselves and the talents god has given them. I don't try to force them to learn though, so they have learned quickly that I won't so they make sure they really pay attention and are proactive in educating themselves (all part of being self-sustaining /sufficient).

This reminds me of this great conversation I had with a man on the plane ride to Peru about how important education is. He called it an investment that always returns. I am hoping that the things we teach these kids make a difference. While I was in Lima, the person who picked me up from the airport asked me to talk about how important it is to pursue your dreams and follow the talents that God has given you, even in the work field. He said it is a problem here in Peru that some people think that there are only certain jobs that they can do to sustain their families. Essentially, it is an attitude of go where the money is. I think that in some senses he is right. I believe strongly that we should follow our dreams and god-given talents and use them to bless the world and sustain our families. I know it takes a pioneer to break out of a mold of thinking, but, it is worth it, not only for that person and his family, but his community and those that follow him.

I was saddened when I asked (biased I know, but come on, I am a film student), a kid here if he wanted to ever make movies. He said, "psshhh. Me make movies?" and then laughed it off as if it would never be a possibility. I hope to inspire these kids to strive for their dreams and pay the price to obtain them, even if the norm says it has never been done. It can be done. I have mutually beneficial connections to film people. And now these kids have connections to me. I apologize that this email is sort of a montage-like deal and perhaps not super clear, but I wanted to let you know that it's going great here!