Diane sent us her impressions after spending a few days at Casa Chapi: Hi Ursula! First off, I am committing to the clinic campaign in November – I just told 36 kiddos I would return in November and I cannot break that promise! Second, oh my goodness the kids are the greatest! I really enjoyed my time there – it was too short. The tias are very sweet and seem to be really great with the kids. And Karen, the social worker, never let her go. She is absolutely wonderful! Alejandro was really helpful and kind. He and Karen took me to some ruins one afternoon. I also helped one of the tias do laundry one of the mornings – definitely a first for me. But, mostly, I spent a lot of time with the kids and being a fly on the wall. No one seemed to have the flu, but there were several kiddos who had coughs and runny noses. For their age, the cold, and altitude, the colds didn’t seem too out of the ordinary. The casitas and clinic, however, are really clean and well organized. The kiddos rooms are neat and simple – I like the set up! There were a couple disciplinary issues, but honestly nothing different than what every other kiddo goes through/does. The tias were really good about taking them elsewhere to talk with them, and I never saw a child crying or upset. Each casita and the multipurpose room have several posters with the rules, “magic words” (please, thank you, etc.), daily schedules, as well as educational materials. I was actually pleasantly surprised by all of the things they had up! They do have three alpacas, ten or so chickens (a couple of which are roosters), and many guinea pigs. A couple of the kiddos helped with gathering the chickens in the afternoon and feeding the guinea pigs.Honestly, it’s amazing how much everyone gets done during the day with all of the energy each kiddo has. The whole staff, but especially the tias, has their hands full. But it is obvious how much they enjoy it and how much the kiddos are thriving. By the stories I was told, some of the kids have clearly come a long way. Other events: several parents came to visit; the kiddos had chorus practice Wed night; they know a couple sentences in English (“We love you very much” and “You are welcome”) and said them to me constantly – cutest ever; each gave me a hug when I left (did I mention I’m committing to Nov??). An idea: shopping trip in Arequipa for stuff (clothes, shoes, soap, stuffed animals, games – the usual) for the kiddos before the clinic campaign in Nov. The money will go a lot farther if purchased in country and transport to Chivay would be much easier. And can you imagine shopping for all of the kiddos and Casa Chapi (example: they need more chairs in the multipurpose room – there were exactly enough for all of us with me visiting). Not sure if there are funds for this or if it’s even something we could do, but I thought it might help bypass some walls with buying stuff in the states and shipping from afar. Whew! Let me know what you think about everything and November. Diane
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 20:56:48 +0000
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