First Week

This has been my first week volunteering at the project and it has been very interesting.  The first day I spent the entire day in one of the classrooms.  The first half of the day the teacher had high school students; the second half of the day she had third graders.  At the end of the day, I was a bit disappointed, because of what seemed to me a lack of teaching or instruction with the students.  The next day at a volunteer meeting we were reminded that the program is not a school, but a "reinforcement center."  The explanation served to slightly abate my sense of disappointment.  However, I still believe that the students would receive more teaching because of the disadvantages they face in school compared to children whose circumstances are different.

The second day, I spent the morning in the Women's Literacy Program and I loved it there.  The center helps the mothers of children in the program to learn to read and write, as well as teaching them basic math skills.  Many of the women have also learned how to make jewelry from materials they collect at the dump.  They create beautiful pieces made of recycled materials and have been able to sell those pieces, making more more with a few sales than they can make after days of working in the dump.  Subsequently, the women are in the process of creating their own cooperative for selling their jewelry.  It is very exciting being with them, and today watching how they carry out their "business."  My assignment from this time forward with be with the women, first working with them only in the mornings, and within the next week of so, working with them for the entire day.

Tomorrow, there are no classes because of staff and volunteer training.  One of the speakers we are expecting is Patch Adams, (no, not Robin Williams!).  On Saturday, I begin my weekly Spanish classes for 3 hours each Saturday.

The week at the project has been very interesting.  While there is hope that the children are receiving an opportunity for changing their life circumstances, there is still an underlying sadness for me.  As I watch them voraciously eat their meals, knowing that the meal they receive at the project may be the best or only meal they receive that day.  As I watch the children eating their lunch, often if a child does not want the rest of her meal, she will give it to another who will eagerly eat it along with what she already has (the servings are large servings, even for an adult.)  Today I watched one little girl receiving meat from other students and placing it in plastic bag she had in her "mochila," backpack.  Meat is something that most kids do not receive on any kind of regular basis at home, even those who are not poor.

The other and probably greatest sadness for me is that there is no Christian education.  It is a secular program, and there really is no teaching for the children on their value as creations of God, or on the fact that God loves them.  Instead, Hanley Denning, the founder has an almost venerated status.  Her picture hangs in every classroom, and in the corridors there are either large paintings or photographs of her.  

Today, it also occurred to me what a challenge it is for me to be in a completely non-Christian environment with little contact with other Christians.  There really are no apparent values that bind the volunteers together in terms of why they are here and what motivates them to offer help to the children.  The conversations are also a bit limited and usually center around parties and drinking, and going out drinking.  I realize a part of it has to do with my "advanced" age compared to the majority of them, but part of it, I believe, has to do with the fact the the motivating factor for their being here is that it gives them something to do while they try to figure out what to do with the life.  Or maybe,  I'm just out of touch with the life of 20-somethings.

This week contained a lot of images and impressions, so I share in the next post a reflection with you as a summary of my week.

Hasta Luego