Semillas de Amor: Stephanie Oct 17

The following is a post from Stephanie, an intern at Semillas de Amor:

October 17

Just like everything else in life we had a few hiccups last week that prevented us from meeting with the mothers of the foundation and the gardens that were supposed to be started didn’t happen.  This week has already been very productive on the other hand, we have a friend who decided to come and help for the week. It’s really nice to have someone with a pair of new eyes and fresh ideas. We were able to get a really nice looking fence up around the garden giving us way more room to plant and more room to move around. I was able to get a few donations that amounted to 60 dollars. We were able to buy a bag and a half of cement, 50 cinder blocks, and some sand.  We will be able to do construction for a few days with all the material we got. Because of the holiday on Monday we were not able to go to Banco Alimentos (the food bank), So the food had to be picked up yesterday (Tuesday) since that was happening while preparation of the food was supposed to happen lunch couldn’t be served so while we were working up at the foundation and ran and just grabbed some bread for whatever kids showed up.  Quite a few came in and out but there was a handful who really wanted to help. One of our students Neicer who is very punctual came earlier than any of the other kids and worked a long side us the entire time. He was so happy and excited to help us and was quite good at mixing cement, weeding the garden, digging up roots of unwanted tree. I think when people of community get involved with the work that’s being done and put their two cents in they take more ownership over the project. Neicer has obviously been involved in the development of the foundation, he has even been included in the paintings on the walls from previous volunteers.  It seems to me that because Neicer has always been involved with the development, he now is the only that comes every single day and he’s the one who  putting up the chairs and sweeping at the end of the activity.

Thursday we are meeting with the mothers of the family to teach them about planting a garden. Oh ya! And we got our first pepper in the garden!! Wahoo! 

Aldea Infantil: Hannah-Oct 6

The following post is from Hannah, an intern at La Aldea Infantil: 

October 6, 2012

Our past two weeks have been so busy. But such a great rewarding busy :) Our first couple of days were spent settling in, getting to know the kids, and getting to know the Tia's. After that we were right in the mix of things. 

Every monday, tuesday, and wednesday, I take Fabrizio to physical therapy, while Madeline helps get the rest of the children to school and then does art class with the younger ones.

The physical therapist taught me the exercises to do  with Fabrizio, he has muscular dystrophy so we work on building his muscles up so that he can hold himself up.

After getting back from the hospital, we have other art and homework class with any kids needing help or wanting to do activities. Once they are done, they love to go outside and play soccer or do sidewalk chalk and make bracelets. We keep a lot of the kids busy before dinner, and I think the Tias appreciate them being out of the way of their cooking.

We have told the older girls who know a little bit of english that we have a computer English program for them, and they are very excited. The past week they havent been able to make it because the Tia's had them helping do some chores, but we scheduled a specific time with them for this coming week that we are really looking forward to. 

There are a bunch of great kids here and we are loving get to know each of them. It is crazy to see how 

much English will help their lives and how many of them just want to learn.

Semillas de Amor: A growing garden!

The following post is from our two interns in Colombia:

Michael: It was an interesting week, a bit harder than the first. On Tuesday the road up to the school was flooded so we were not able to go work with the children. When we got there on Wednesday we were amazed to see that the garden we had planted the previous week had started growing vigorously.

The cucumbers are doing the best so far with the cantaloupe close behind but almost everything has started growing. We had a hard time keeping the children from stepping in the garden at first but after putting in a distinct barrier and working in it with them they earned respect for it. The children loved to help plant the garden and they get excited when they see it grow. I hope they take this experience with them and continue to produce food for themselves and their families.

Stephanie: It’s been a good and challenging week; we had a couple setbacks but did what we could to keep things going. On Wednesday we were at the foundation early cleaning the floors and we got news that the food Uris had been preparing all morning was bad. The meat that was donated was no good and unfortunately she didn’t realize this until after she had put all the vegetables in it. This meant no food for the student, which is heartbreaking because for some of these kids it’s their only meal that day. Alfonzo is Uris brother and he comes with us to the foundation most days , He was ready to go home when he got that news and skip after lunch activities cause he knew the kids wouldn’t come if there was no lunch. I ran to the store and bought some bread and told Elevis (the lady who lives next to the foundation) to tell the kids if they come to the foundation I will have a snack for them. All the regular kids showed up I was able to do an activity and give each of them a small snack (not much, but something). I have been teaching English and I feel it’s very important to keep a routine with them as much as possible and so I was really happy when I was still able to hold a class with them despite the loss of the food.
The kids who attend my English classes’ everyday are progressing and it’s really exciting. I have a hard time getting all the kids to come so Friday I made a chart with everyone’s name and put stickers next to the names of those who came, after a student has 20 stickers I told them I would buy them a popsicle from the house next door (they cost 5 cents each, so I’m not worried about breaking the bank on this one) I really hope that it will be encouraging to the kids. I also want to encourage them to bring their homework somehow because I have been asking the kids if they have homework some of them say yes, so I ask them to bring it and not one time has any of the kids brought their homework. I have told Uris but she just kind of nods her head like “those crazy kids”.

As for the gardens we are very excited as well as the students we came back after last weekend and a bunch of plants had already sprouted, it had only been 5 days. The cucumber plants are about four inches tall and the kids are stoked about it, they want to help water and weed and take care of the plants. I think it was really important that we let them put the seeds in the ground and help with garden preparation. They seem to have taken ownership over the garden, some of the kids will get after other students for not being carful around the garden. It’s interesting because we have two gardens at the foundation and the kids are really only interested in the one they have planted, the other garden that Michael, Alfonzo, Cookie, and I made they seem to have no interest in. I know this is a simple concept but it shows to me how important it is to have the population you want to assist be a part of whatever it is that we are trying to do. We are also trying to teach some of the locals how and about gardening we healed a little class with the family across the street from us and now they have their own little garden.

It was really cool right as we were finishing the garden it started raining so we didn’t need to water the garden, it was great. My goal is by teaching students and family how to garden it will become more sustainable and so eating fresh produce will be more available and money that would be spent on this kind of things can go to other needs.

Last week I started tutoring a lady in the neighborhood in English, this week the time spent has turned into more of a class with currently only 3 students. I have taught English to kids plenty but this is the first time teaching to adults and I really like it, It's fun to get into the grammar part of things. It’s actually a really good review for me too, I have to keep getting on youtube and looking up tutorials to help me.

Semillas de Amor: Our first week

The following is a post from Stephanie, who is a new intern in Colombia:

First off the family we are living with are just about the most hospitable and humble a family could be. As soon as we walked in the door Michael and I were attacked with hugs from the kids, a very warm welcome!  

This week has been very productive, and  Michael and I are very excited about how things are going.  In the first week we have started with construction, teaching English classes, we have established two student gardens and simultaneously taught the children how to garden which has been really exciting for us. It’s really easy to network in Turbaco because everyone is so open, welcoming, and happy to help. While teaching the kids in the foundation about the garden a few of the kids got up and ran off, I tried to catch them but they are quick! After about five minutes they came back with different kinds of seeds for the garden and excited to plant them, one came back with mandarins seeds and another came back with a dried flower it was exciting to see them wanting to get involved.  This week I would like to start meeting with the mothers and hold groups with them on important issues they are currently facing. It has been expressed to me that some of the mothers of the kids in the foundation are facing issues such as different kinds of abuse in their homes and as for the single mothers, there is a struggle to just make ends meet. It is issues like this that I would really like to dive into and help out with. 

Aldea Infantil: Angela's last post

The following is a post from Angela, who volunteered at La Aldea Infantil this summer:

August 29

Oh my goodness, I left Aldea exactly one week ago.  I got home from Peru on Friday.  Since then I have had so many different thoughts run through my head.  Certainly, I have returned to America, mi pais, with a changed heart.  I was only in Peru for a short time, barely a month and a half, but the lessons I learned will stay with me forever.   In all, Peru was amazing!  The scenery is beautiful, the culture and history rich, the people personable and hard working.  I quickly became enchanted with the world around me.  Every day I became more and more intrigued, as well as impressed, with the lifestyles of the Peruanas.  Certainly, the most dominant characteristic I observed is that the people are willingly friendly with everyone.  From my observations, people matter to those in Peru, and I certainly felt my heart open to that concept.  I had so much fun striking up a conversation, working alongside, and learning from my new friends in Peru.  One of the first lessons las Peruanas taught me is: People matter.  They are the most important part of life and one must work hard to maintain a friendly, happy relationship with all of our neighbors. 

In Iquitos, the lush and beautiful Amazon, I learned how important it is to put other’s needs before my own.   I had the opportunity to work alongside personas muy buena con corazones muy grande.  Yes, I did work with 29 amazing, selfless gringos.  But the people I was most impressed with were the 15 or so Peruanas in charge of the service projects.  These people were humble enough to step out of their own busy and difficult lives and notice others, their own neighbors, were in need of their help.  They sacrificed not only their meager resources, but also their time—a very precious and expensive commodity.  I was honored to add my own simple hand to the efforts of the Peruvians in the service group “Las Aguilas” from a LDS Stake in Iquitos.  I seriously completed some of the most rewarding work with my new friends in Iquitos.  They taught me so much about putting my God and my neighbors before myself, and doing so happily and willingly.  Everyday my heart was touched and softened a little more.

And then I got to la Aldea Infantíl, a government funded orphanage in Santa Rosa, Simbal a city district near Trujillo.  It was here that I fully came to love las Peruanas.  On my first day at the orphanage I felt like I would never learn the all of the children’s names let alone become someone they could feel support from.  Luckily, I was very wrong.  I quickly fell into the daily life at Aldea—there are 64 children and twenty or so adult employees.  I came to love and respect each employee (los tios) and came to deeply care for each one of children (los niños) individually.  Over the month that I was there I participated in several activities (a running race, drawing contest, dance lessons, ect.), field trips (including a tour of the ancient ruins of the Chimu tribe, Chan Chan and a trip a la cine, etc.), and even a two day Anniversary Celebration with the orphans.  While the activities were exciting and enjoyable, my most treasured moments were when I was simply a friend to los niños.  We played together, took strolls arm in arm, raked leaves together, even talked while watching the stars (to only mention a few).  Every moment I spent with a child, particularly one on one, was special and unique to that child and myself.  I feel I was able to learn the personalities and different qualities in most, if not all, of the children.   Love and support developed on both sides. 

Aldea-los niños y los tios—taught me love.  These children are lacking so much—not only in physical and temporal conditions, but more significantly emotionally. They simply do not have a strong foundation to lean on or draw strength from.  They lack the comfort gained from a constant, caring parent.  They do not have a mother or father by their side to teach and build them up.  Los tios constantly sacrificed to try to create a foundation of love.  And I was indeed humbled to have the opportunity to give a little of my own love and as well as the Lords love to these struggling children.   I was always in awe to witness the simple acts of love and sacrifice in the management of Aldea.  The orpanage was conducted through the love of God.  The people, los tios y los niños, taught me the importance of love and how to open my heart to those in need.  I am so grateful for every moment I had in Peru.  I undoubtedly believe the good done was for me.  My Peruvian friends served me as I lived among them this summer.  I will forever keep a part of my heart in Peru—stuck with my friends in Iquitos and con mis hijos y amigos in Aldea. 

Muchas gracias al Dios, Ealge-Condor, y las personas del Peru por un verano muy significa en mi vida!

Aldea Infantil: It means the world to them

The following is a post from Shayla, who volunteered this summer at La Aldea Infantil: 

August 28
Fabricio came to Aldea when he was 4 months old. He came from a family where he was not loved. To the extent of his mother tried to kill him. She suffocated him until she thought he was gone, but Fabricio didn’t give up. When they found him, Fabricio was as close to death as an infant could get.  He was immediately rushed to the hospital, and thanks to the doctors, he is alive today! However, his lack of nutrients, oxygen, and purpose, created some functional problems that will effect him for the rest of his life. Fabricio is now two years old, and is unable to crawl, stand, or even sit up on his own. Aside from the normal giggles and grunts babies make, he is unable to speak. 
    This month I was fortunate to accompany Fabricio to three of his several doctor appointments. I was amazed when the doctor told me that when she first started to see Fabricio, he couldn't even follow a light up toy moving right and left with his eyes. He would just stare blankly forward. The doctor and I talked about how rewarding for her it is to see the improvement in her patients, especially Fabricio. The Doctor pointed out that even though she has been seeing him for almost two years, from one to three times a week, and there has been little improvement. She explained that it was worth it, because it means the world to Fabricio.  
    This is a prefect example of my time here. I am in Aldea for four weeks teaching, planning activities, playing with, and just being there for the kids here. It is hard to spread my time out to reach all 64 kids. Some might ask if it is worth it. My work here may be small, but to the kids, I know it means the world. 

Aldea Infantil: Never ending smiles

The following is a post from Angela, a volunteer at La Aldea Infantil:

August 19

This week the kids returned to school from their vacation.  Therefore, every morning I had the opportunity to help more with the little babies and the other children that did not go to school.  On Monday I was able to spend time with two precious children, Perla (a handicapped eight year old) and then Maria Luisa (a little three year old).  We drew pictures, read stories, and walked around together.  It was beautiful.  I certainly felt a stronger bond with both of the children after our adventures together.  Perla has grown quite attached to me, she is constantly sitting in my lap or calling me “Mamí”.  It almost breaks my heart. 

Another day I spent the morning with Elvien.  She is a 16 year old girl who is six months pregnant.  She does not go to school.  I wanted her to be able have some kind of educational activity so I pulled out some basic piano books and started to teach her how to play the piano.  Again, it was a beautiful moment.  When I first came to Aldea, Elvien would not really look at me, talk to me, even smile.  But now she has finally opened up.  We are friends.  I hope she can remember my love for her, for I certainly do love her.

Every week has been so different at Aldea.  This week I have more fully realized my love for each of the children personally.  The children quickly show me their love as well.  Hugs are constant, smiles never ending.  I have a different relationship with each child and I will remember them all for their own personality.  It is indeed going to be difficult to leave these kids this next week.  I have tried to be a nurturing, stable figure for the kids to believe in.  And now I am leaving.  These children are missing a solid foundation (parenthood) and nothing, no matter how hard people try, can take that place.  I have certainly gained a stronger appreciation for my own family and developed a stronger commitment to build a firm foundation for my own children one day.  Thank you Aldea and Eagle-Condor for all of the memories and lessons learned from this experience.