Eagle Condor Humanitarian

Friday, August 26, 2011

El Bichito: Health Concerns Part I

This is part I of a two part series on how the interns at El Bichito help a family in the community of Puylucanca

A lot of times in developing countries the women cook over an open fire either in their home or right next to their home. So, it would be like cooking over a camp fire for all your meals every day. Peruvian rural areas are no exception and this can cause serious respiratory problems as well as vision problems for the entire family, especially for those people having to cook with smoke in their face every day. Kids in need in the community come to eat lunch at El Bichito, but the other meals are eaten at their homes. I noticed this issue with smoke at Alida´s house and other kids' houses in the Puylucana community. So, not only is this a health concern for Alida and her siblings, but for everyone that suffers from the effects of the cooking fire smoke; in particular this kids who live by their own. This photo shows what a typical home cooking fire looks like in this area of Peru.

Post by Eliana, an intern at El Bichito.

..................

Check back on Monday for the final part of this series to find out how this family's kitchen smoke problem was solved!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Aldea Infantil: Katy's Final Post

Tio Pepe got the kids together to take group pictures. He tested their skills to coordinate and work together. They had to stand on top of chairs in a circle and put their heads together. With arms around each other, a blanket was then thrown over all of them and Tio Pepe took a picture from underneath. The pictures turned out really well, but they went so much smoother with those who were willing to do and to listen. That is an example that we all learned from. The pictures were hung from the ceiling of the multi-purpose room for a fiesta to celebrate the anniversary of the Aldea. Cute kids!

Thanks to Katy for this great post and all of her hard work as an intern at the Aldea! She will be missed!

........................

More info about La Aldea Infantil.

Monday, August 22, 2011

El Bichito: Continued Help for Alida

Alida is a girl of fifiteen yrs who had an eye surgery a year ago in order to remove some tissue that was growing in her left eye. She was suppossed to follow a treatment and check with the doctor regularly every other month but she didn´t . Alida said that she couldn´t make it because she doesn´t have the money for it and also is not familiar with the city of Cajamarca to go by herself. Once when she came to El Bichito, her eye looked red and bad. I was very worried about it and asked her to see a doctor. I talked to my supervisor, Chris Jensen and told him about this concern. Thanks to all the donors, Alida saved her vision and can recover from her eye condition. The doctor said that she came just in time because she was losing her vision in her left eye. Now Alida is not only enjoying her new glases but her improved vision too. Thank you so much to all those people who donate and make things like this possible...a better life for others.

Getting checked at the eye doctor

New glasses for Alida!

This is a post by Eliana, an intern at El Bichito.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

El Bichito: Giant Birthday Party

After I got to know each child in El Bichito, I decided to organize a giant birthday party for them. These children had never had a chance to celebrate their birthday with a fun party, as is custom here in Peru. With help of the folk group ¨Ritmos del Peru-Utah¨, close friends and family of mine living in the US, I raised money to celebrate their birthdays. We held the birthday party for all of them, they played games, they enjoyed a lot of candy, cookies, cake and a piñata. Kids had an unforgettable time, as well as me!

Thank you so much to Eagle Condor Organization to give me this opportunity and let me bring happiness to these kids and to myself.

This is a post from Eliana, an intern at El Bichito.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

El Bichito: Field Trip to the Army Base

Eliana, an intern at El Bichito, tells us about a field trip to the Army Base. This is a continuation of the field trips the ElBichito interns are taking the kids on to help them see career and higher education options:

We visited the BIM-Zepita army base in El Banos del Inca, Cajamarca. We all gathered in the dining room at 2:30 PM and then departed. The commander had already made arrangements for us to be received and by a sub-official, Galvez. Galvez kindly took care of us during the tour and explained everything about the work being done at the army base.

The children were very excited! As well as the interns! In total, we were 32 people: 26 children and 6 volunteers.

The children learned that the military service honors and protects the country. Classes are taught on the military base and the service is for 2 years. We also learned that the classes include CPR, communication, fitness, and self-defense. They also taught that guns are not a toy and you have to careful when using them. This military base also provides an opportunity for one who serves for 2 years and is a good soldier to continue the study of higher education in the SENATI.

The officer also explained how to make the military your profession. On the day of our visit, there was a ceremony for those who had completed 2 years of military service at the base. The ceremony was very respectful.

Afterwards, the children enjoyed soda and cookies, which were given to them by the military base. It was a great experience for the kids to learn about the purposes and work surrounding a career in the military.

Interns Needed!

We are in great need of interns for the coming months!

If you are interested in 2+ months of service in South America, great with kids, highly motivated, take initiative and have high standards of conduct, we would love to have you volunteer with us!

Moderate-high ability in Spanish is a plus, but not required!

We are still taking applications for the fall 2011 semester!

If you are interested, please send an email with how comfortable you are in Spanish and which site you would like to volunteer at to sxhuinterns@gmail.com.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Aldea Infantil: Running Trail Celebration

Katy, an intern at La Aldea Infantil reports:

We saw a lot of success and achievement this week at the Aldea. The running trail project was completed and that called for a celebration. In connection with the 22nd anniversary of the Aldea Infantil on August 12, Friday was set-up as a day of races. There were several races, each according to the ages of the children. Tio Pepe was the announcer and pulled out a loudspeaker. I was chosen to lead all the races to show the way to go. The kids all wore their athletic school uniforms, and were matching in blue shorts and white shirts. The rush of excitement for racing affected so many of the youth, not only the winners but many participants. Smiles abounded and everyone cheered so loud and fervently for their friends and schoolmates. It was neat to see everyone so bonded and excited about physical activity.