Thursday 19 February 2015

What do you do at the orphanage?

It took the first week and a half to observe the children who range in age from 18months to 14. There are a couple of older boys I have not met as yet. I played memory games and did origami with them. I spent one session in the activity room with a group of young boys and it had worked really well. I definitely did not want to be doing memory games or origami for the next couple of months so I discussed with Carlos and Agnes who run Volunteering Peru the possibility of speaking with the Director of the Orphanage about setting up a program of activities for me and the children. As it turned out Jane an ex-teacher also a volunteer who had just come to stay in my house could join me at the orphanage.
                                                 "If you build it they will come."
Day 1: We literally cleaned every book and shelved them along with 6 of the little girls who worked like dynamos and the staff member, Mary. The girls even cleaned the desks and chairs as we attempted to organise the books. We were filthy and I had all of my clothes washed afterwards. 
Photos of the children on the walls
Day 2
                                 You can just see the boxes of rubbish outside the door.
Children are to be encouraged to read as much as possible.
There is an activity room next door with puzzles and drawing equipment. Jane and I organised and cleaned it too on Day 2.
The girls had earned a play in the attached playroom.
This is the biggest doll I have ever seen almost as tall as she is.
These girls were amazing in how they helped.

A program has been now set in place where children from 4 different houses, 1 house each day, spend an hour in the library, an hour in the activity room and then an hour in the playroom each morning.
Some children were brought in to try the puzzles.
It's Issac with his tongue out and Mary Luz looking taken aback.
The kids loved it and Martha, one of the "Mami's" was fabulous at encouraging them.
Day 3 - The little boys
I felt some trepidation about this group of kids as a couple of them were full on physical kids.
Jane and I felt the most difficult thing would be to keep them reading for an hour.
We laid out different kinds of books for them as they range in age from 3 - 8.
 This is Jimmi who is the full on physical kid reading with Jane - no problem.
What sustains library hour books on dinosaurs of course.
Then we had to go into the activity room where they did puzzles for an hour before they went into the play room.
This is Zero who has this killer smile. He is 3. Jimmi is beside him.
                                                           This is Juan who is 8.
They loved these 
Cute as. The end of a fabulous morning.

1 comment:

  1. Inspirational. Build and they will come looks like it is a huge success! Helping to build looks like it is fostering ownership and pride. Keep up the amazing work!

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