Helping improve lives, One child at a time.

Yesterday was an incredibly tough day for me as I found out that yet another young street boy that I knew had died in the early hours of the day. I was glad though to be at Pedacito as you cant be too sad when you are working with these beautiful children. Today I just want to put up a bunch of adorable pictures which shouldn't fail to make you smile.

Here in Cochabamba we are already starting to do some Christmas activities. I have spent the past few afternoons with the girls at Corazon del Pastor doing art projects to send to the states. A church in Danvers, Massachusetts is going to be doing a Christmas fundraiser featuring our organization. And we couldn't be more excited about it because we need all the support we can get. We have also have alternative holiday gift options this year that you can give. Helping Ninos con Valor and helping someone learn about Bolivia is a great way to spread the joy this Holiday season.

On other art project notes, Barbara and I took eight of the girls to an art contest on Saturday. It was put on by Vivo Positivo, a Bolivian organization for people living with HIV/AIDS. It is a Bolivian wide contest for children ages 6-11 to draw and write a message of solidarity for HIV positive people in Bolivia. It was a great learning experience for our girls and the ones that participated did really well. Taking the bus, going to one of main plazas, and getting snacks all made the outing more fun. Video cameras were there and the winner will be featured on postcards and presented on World AIDS Day, which is December 1st. We are looking forward to seeing if our girls make it because they came up with some awesome ideas that were really well executed. I am so impressed by these girls artistic ability. Every day I do projects with them is so fun because their ideas and perspectives are so fresh, and some of them are very talented! Needless to say, it will be a day that I remember fondly and was a learning adventure for all of us.

It was a great day today as we finally got to schedule a visit with Tia Maritza! Maritza left us a few weeks ago to get her long-awaited hip replacement surgery, and her absence from the home has been greatly felt by all. There have been some major changes and events in the home and not having her around has been tough for all of us. Many of the girls had expressed their doubts that Maritza was truly going to return to the house, as we've had other people say that they were leaving for health reasons but never came back. The girls having the opportunity to visit her and see that she is doing well, that she still loves them lots, was very uplifting and confirming for the doubtful.

We departed at 5:15 am on Friday morning, returning at 8:45 pm Saturday night. In these almost 40 hours, we managed to clock some 20 hours in our trufi as we traveled from the Bolivia we engage with daily here in the city of Cochabamba, to the Bolivia that most Bolivians know. Our goal was to visit the two communities where will be holding Christmas events.

Labels: One Child at a Time

On Saturday, Ninos con Valor celebrated our third anniversary. It was a beautiful celebration, with all the joy and chaos that can come with a big event. It was really exciting for me to be a part of, because I remember when I was first here in Cochabamba two and a half years ago. Corazon del Pastor had not been around for too long, and I was in my second year of university. I was learning a lot about the world and getting antsy in the insulated "world" of academia. I heard about this Bolivian organization from my mom, who had randomly listened to Tyson speak at a church in my hometown. I emailed Tyson and Carolina expressing my interest in volunteering, and threw myself into an experience where I had no idea what to expect. And my heart never let go. Now, with Pedacito de Cielo in full swing and more dreams for the future, there are so many things to celebrate. There are tiny daily celebrations, as well has bigger triumphs and milestones.

I have lived here in Bolivia for more than 4 years now and it is interesting thinking of the things that I have gotten used to while living here. today after a meeting at Pedacito del Cielo I decided to walk home as it was a nice overcast kind of day. In the distance I saw a line of green and black across the road that I needed to cross. It turned out to be around 20 riot police standing in a row with their full riot gear on, bullet proof vests, helmets, shields... the whole works. Behind the row there were 3 pick-up trucks with about 10 police in each who all stared me down and shouted a few lewd comments at the white girl as I passed by. I continued walking towards the church plaza where there were at least another 60 policemen milling around, and on the bridge I could see yet another riot police barricade blocking people from passing by. It really is understandable that there's a such a heavy presence of security as there is a meeting being held in the area, with Presidents and Prime Ministers attending from 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries. It wasn't until I got home when I thought about the fact that I wasnt fazed at all by any of the guns, nor tear gas launchers etc. I am trying to figure out when it became normal for me to see these things. Here in Cochabamba there are even riot police at the football games for when the fans get rowdy and there is armed security all over the place. I guess you just get used to seeing it!

One event sticks out clearly in my mind. A few of us were out to dinner at the Irish Pub when a mini riot broke out in the plaza nearby. The people who were newer to Bolivia ran to the door to see what was going on and why people were running and shouting. The police had shot tear gas canisters at the protestors who were all running to get away from the fumes. While all this was going on Kimber and I just sat where we were and continued eating our soup while wiping away the occasional tear from the fumes! We are so used to all the riots and protests that go on in Cochabamba that we forget how different is it from back in the "western world".

There are so many things that are no longer surprising after being here for so long. Seeing people on hunger strikes, protesting by tying themselves in the crucifix position, writing on protest boards with their own blood; it's strange what has become normality!

Barbara

We have entered a contest on Facebook to win $50,000. If you are on Facebook we please ask you to join our cause. To do so, click here to be connected to the page where you can join. After you a member of of the cause, or if you already are, we are asking you to donate as little as $10. You sign on and make a donation through facebook and they will send you a tax deductible receipt.

If we get the most members to make donations, we will win $50,000 in this challenge. It is based on number of people who make donations, not the amount of the donation. We are asking all of our friends and family to join the cause and make a small contribution. From Bolivia we are hoping that you will invite all of your friends and family to join and donate as well.

With the giving of $10 you are helping us to reach the goal for the challenge. Winning the top donor amount of money would be very exciting for our organization. We are looking to grow and have a lot of vision for the future. Our dream is buy our own land for a sustainable Bolivian run community and this money would get us so much closer!

You can help and make a huge difference with just ten dollars. All of our small donations can turn into the awesome prize of $50,0o0. We hope that you will join and donate! Keep reading the blog and watch our for the cause to see if we win!
Thank you! Please please please donate!

After losing touch with our contact for a while, which is not uncommon in these parts, we finally made it back out to the campo (rural area) in Pukara and Esmerelda Norte to do follow-up visits with families with whom we had previously worked. We were able to deliver the mattresses to two families and solar ovens to three, which was made possible by the giving of our short-term teams who did these visits with us.

Today, in Canada, is Thanksgiving. It is a holiday Monday, a celebration, a time to be thankful for the fall harvest and eat turkey and stuffing and potatoes and squash with family and friends. There are always so many things to be grateful for, but it is easy to get caught up in frustrating, impatient moments, to forget to breathe and appreciate each day.

Today I made two trips to the Cancha, the giant market downtown which has everything you can imagine, to pick out new clothes with some of the girls. They all have lists of things they need, specifically new jeans for this Saturday's anniversary celebration. I love shopping, especially with others, but this afternoon was hot and we were thirsty and we weren't having much luck finding clothing that fit/that was affordable/that the girls wanted. The girls were getting tired and frustrated and so was I, but amidst the stress we encountered some very gracious, caring vendors and some great deals! One woman promised to bring more girls' clothing to her stand, because I told her more of our girls would be shopping there the rest of the week. She also let the girls pick out a video for free, and they chose "High School Musical 2." Both the morning and the afternoon group, even after being a bit impatient (and trying my patience), said "Gracias, Tia" after arriving home and seeing the new additions to their wardrobe. We experience gratitude in the daily happenings, and gratitude in a big celebration like thanksgiving.

Celebration and sorrow, life and death. Over the past few weeks, I've been reminded of the reality of living in this world, which is that death happens. This cycle, the beautiful messiness of the world and the mix of emotions, always surrounds us and penetrates our lives. And because our lives are so intertwined, one death influences many people.

Hearing about Manolo's mom on Saturday night came as a shock. No matter how sick someone is, or how "certain" their passing away may be, it never makes it any easier. I never met this woman, but I am getting to know her son and my heart is hurting with him, and with the others here in our community. I was spending time with some other volunteer friends on the weekend, and we were talking about how overwhelming death and dying seems to be right now, both here in Cochabamba and in the overseas communities we come from. I have been mourning over some deaths in Hamilton, my city back in Canada. I was reading an essay by Wendell Berry a few weeks ago, and this passage helped me a lot and is something I want to share:

"love must confront death, and accept it, and learn from it. Only in confronting death can earthly love learn its true extent, its immortality. The world of love includes death, suffers it, and triumphs over it. The world of efficiency is defeated by death; at death, all its instruments and procedures stop. The world of love continues, and of this grief is the proof."

Grief is a process, and when we grieve with those who are hurting, when we "suffer with" them, love is showing its light. And amidst the grief and the death, there is also a lot of life.There are the first steps and first words at PDC, the new accomplishments at CDP, the happy energy of the girls practising their dances for the upcoming anniversary party, the joy of little Manolo going down the slide at the PDC playground. And there are the special gifts from strangers, people who reach out and show they care, like the woman at the market who helped us find affordable clothes and gave the girls a DVD. These things are remembered with gratitude.

Enjoy the 'life-filled' photos and video. Gracias, until next Monday,

Jeanette

Since we have started to blog more frequently here, I think the updates have been pretty joy-focused. This is, for the most part, the reality of our day-to-day here at Niños con Valor. This is also what we most want to share with those who, whether in their thoughts, prayers, or financially, are supporting our work and giving these kids a new chance at life. We feel that focusing on the positive, and not on the negative, is the best way forward, and the perspective we hope to instill in our children.

However, there are times when, simply put, reality is not joyful. Today, we received an unanticipated call from the hospital that the mother of Manolo, our newest arrival at Pedacito de Cielo, passed away. We did know she was ill, and this week had been busy trying to ensure she received the best care possible so she could recover and continue as an important presence in Manolo's life.

We recognize that by opening up a home like Pedacito de Cielo, and by gradually working toward a model of integration in all of our homes, present and future, for children with immunodeficiencies, we are opening our doors to mourning. Many of our children may not have long lives ahead of them; it is our mission to make them as long as possible, and more importantly, make them rich and full of joy.

Also, as most of the children have acquired their conditions from their parents, either through genetics or transmission, we are opening our doors to suffering families. Here is where, for us, the true meaning of compassion is most present. Manolo is suffering. Compassion, or "to suffer alongside", is at the very core of our mission as foundation in general, and our mission to each child specifically.

Please join us through your prayers in reaching out with compassion to Manolo, his grandmother, and other family members who already live against great poverty, and now have this loss to deal with.

Being at Pedacito del Cielo I have the privilege of being able to watch and note the difference in children from the time that they first arrive and after a few days/weeks/months. The changes are amazing!

Here you can see Lily being absolutely swamped in her blankets. She was a tiny little thing when she arrived at PdC and now she is beautiful, strong and very happy independent little girl. She now gets up on her hands and knees and can stand up on her own, but holding on to something. I am sure than within a couple of days she will be crawling all over the place and there will be absolutely no stopping her!
And then there is Mateo, who was a premature baby. Talk about tiny! Every single time I see him I notice a difference.

He is getting rounder and longer, becoming more alert, staying awake longer and being able to focus so much more. I love knowing that I will be around for the milestones in his life, I am so looking forward to them!

Barbara

One thing I love about working with kids this age is hearing their adorable first attempts at speaking. Victoria loves to talk, and it's a treat to listen to her. Her favorite words seem to be "manos", "toalla", and "dapados" (zapatos).


Mateo continues to grow more and more alert with each passing day. It seems he is also noticeably bigger than he was just last week!



Zaquiel has progressed from scooting backwards to an army crawl! He gets frustrated from time to time (army crawling is hard work!) but is now able to pull himself to his friends and toys. :)

Until next week,
Amber

It feels good to be home after a long, full, beautiful, tiring day. Whenever I am at CDP for a full day, I am ready to rest well in the evening, and reflect. It feels good to give a lot of yourself to people you care about, and to receive a lot of love right back. That's how I feel when I'm with the kids at both CDP and PDC.

Every Monday, my friend and fellow volunteer Kelley and I give English classes to the girls. This week was our second week of classes. It is always an adventure, and it is challenging with so many girls at different levels and who learn in different ways. Most of the girls know Hello, What's your name, Nice to meet you, How are you, Thank you... the basic greetings. When I helped teach English with the girls, when I was here two years ago, they absolutely loved singing Head and Shoulders and Hokey Pokey, so we'll have to get that going again. English is not an easy language to learn... the way we pronounce our words is pretty random, especially compared to a language like Spanish, whose pronunciation makes so much sense! The girls are doing great though, there are silly moments, frustrating moments, adorable moments, and high- five moments. I know that teaching and learning go hand-in-hand. As 'teachers', Kelley and I aren't just depositing information into the girls' brains. It is about dialogue, about being flexible and sensitive to how people learn, and being humble enough to admit when we feel overwhelmed or when we don't know how to do something. The teaching/learning process has begun, and who knows what rest will look like.

Today was also Tia Jaqui's birthday, our 'jefe' here at NCV. Jaqui's compassion and wisdom, for the kids, the tias and volunteers, and her passion for justice, never ceases to amaze me. The girls love her a lot – they all wrote a little message and drew a picture on a heart-shaped birthday booklet that we made, and a few of the girls helped bake a delicious chocolate cake with whipped cream, chocolate chips and strawberries on top. I am extremely passionate about dessert, especially chocolate and whipped cream, so this cake made my day, especially in such a joyful atmosphere. Lunch was also delicious: chicken in the solar oven with salad and yuka, a potato-like food that I absolutely love. It was great to see everyone eating, laughing and singing together in celebration of Jaqui's life, even amidst the chaos of getting the afternoon girls to school.

I find that every day I spend here is filled with small, seemingly insignificant moments that hold a lot of meaning for me, moments in time where the clock doesn’t matter, where 'accomplishing' something or being 'useful' isn't so important. Things as simple as sharing my ipod with the girls and seeing them dance and sing to the songs when they think no one is watching. It's pretty cute. The sun is setting... I love this time of day when the sky is saying, "it's ok to rest now". Felicidades, Tia Jaqui! Until next week.

- Jeanette

After doing it for a whole year back when I first arrived in Bolivia I must admit that I didn't think that I would be working with babies again, but after spending 2 weeks as one of the Pedacito del Cielo volunteers I realise how much I love it! It is so incredible being there helping children take their first steps, watching them roll over on there own for the first time, hear them say their first words. Such an awesome season of firsts. What an amazing gift to arrive in the morning and have a crowd of kiddies run up to you with smiles, hugs and kisses. I am looking forward to spending more time with these fabulous children, and also getting to know the "tias" more :)

I hope all who read this have a wonderful weekend, be back with you this time next week!
Barbara