The center is situated in a beautiful location at approximately 15 km. from the city of La Paz, surrounded by the Andean mountains, in a semi-rural valley. One of the founders of this project is Emma. We asked hare some questions about her project, that she affectionately calls ‘’the Nursery’’. The project has had a truly meaningful impact on the majority of the indigenous population. The impacts include pulling the people out of the social, economic and political exclusion, and very vulnerable situations. Below you will read Emma’s answers to our questions about the volunteer project and the importance of the volunteers for this project in Bolivia.

What is your role in the organization?

In the first two years I was very much involved with managing and raising the project. At the time when the project started, there were 30 children, and we started in my house. A real child care center was build and now we give home to just under 90 children, between 6 months and 4 years old. My role changed to a more fundraising role now. This is important because it ensures the sustainability of the project. The volunteers are very important as they provide vital support for the care of the children and also in the classrooms. My role also contains coordinating the work of the volunteers. The centre itself is now run by local women, many of them indigenous Aymara. They make sure the children are well received in the center to be nurtured, learn and play.

Can you tell is some more about the inspiration behind this project?

The main inspiration to start this project was the fact that in the village, more than 70% of the children were undernourished. Their parents didn’t simply have enough time, knowledge and money to give them the right and regular meals. Because there were no child care facilities in the village, when the parents needed to go to work the children were often left in the houses, or in the care of other young siblings. This is why the kids were easily exposed to malnutrition, abuse, hunger and accidents. An example of this is a little child that got badly burnt when his brother (7 years old) tried to heat water during lunchtime. This shouldn’t be like this and there was a real need for a center to take in the children to protect them from these kind of situations.

At present, how is the project running?

The centre has a wider function than just being a place where parents can drop their children off and pick them up and the end of the day. It is a place where they can learn more about early education, rights, nutrition and receive vocational training. The centre is operated by 10 ‘’tias’’, locally trained women who take care of the professional development of the centre, as well as improving the attention to the kids. They were part of the local Mothers Club, that designed and built the centre. We really hope to continue supporting these women in their work, and the developments they create for the centre. The building is located in a green parkland in the centre of the community. Thanks to their work and the work of our volunteers, the centre can be seen as a reference point for community-led child empowerment, focusing on promoting their culture and rights and encouraging the poorest families to make use of our services. The centre is a community on itself now, and can provide services to children with special needs that no one else is willing to accept.

When talking about the tasks assigned to volunteers, can you give us a few examples?

The volunteers prepare activities for the older children that involve reinforcement of the learning goals in language, social skills development and math. Furthermore, our volunteers help with the medical care and nutrition programs. They help when there are festivities and cultural activities. This happens quite often, and the end up helping the kids to sing and perform in traditional dance shows in front of their family and community. In addition to this, we recently have received a donation of baby-gym equipment which the kids really love. However this is only possible in small groups, and unfortunately this is regularly outside the scope of teachers. Other volunteers in the past have done music classes with homemade instruments, playing games and giving dance lessons. Overall they truly inspire the local educators and the children’s families with their creativity and new ideas.

(to be continued here …)

The post Volunteer at a Day Care for Kids in Bolivia (part I) appeared first on Blog - Volunteer Work Latinamerica.

We work together with a center for social rehabilitation in Peru. This specific institute for adults is set up for, and run by, blind people with the aim of bringing the community of the visually impaired in the Cusco region closer together. The location has a room for massage- and physiotherapy, a small bakery, a greenhouse as well as a computer room.

Besides putting these facilities to use, the organization is also organizing workshops in a variety of trades, such as accounting and marketing, and the English language in order to stimulate independence and more job opportunities. Due to lack of funds as well as staff, these amenities are hardly ever used if it wasn’t for the help of volunteers.

One of our volunteers, Victoria Benz from Austria, wanted to teach English in Cusco and shares her experience with us in this testimonial:

“My volunteer experience was to teach English in Peru to a small group of blind persons aged 19 – 60. Some of them are completely blind, while others still can see a bit, but very little. For this reason, the classes were very unlike any ordinary ones and required a whole different approach!

I have never met a group of persons with more motivation and dedication than them. The daily 2 hour class always passed by so quickly and my three weeks stay was over before I realized. I left with a big feeling of appreciation from the participants. They treated me with great kindness and were genuinely interested in my life. On my last day we went out to drink a ‘chicha’ together!“.

At the moment they do not have an English teacher but are very keen on continuing their learning and being proactive. The project is especially suitable for people that speak good English as well as have experience in massage therapy, pastry-making and IT-skills.

They happened to have received a software donation which will enable them to talk to and work with the computers but need someone to help them learn how to use it. In addition to this, the institution needs eye specialists and dentists to give medical treatment.

If you feel you can contribute please do not hesitate to contact us for more info referring to the program SE43 in Cusco.

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San Telmo is one of the most colorful neighborhoods in Buenos Aires. Historically, it was Buenos Aires’s first industrial area that eventually became inhabited by the well to do. However, in 1871 a yellow fever epidemic swept through Buenos Aires and the rich abandoned San Telmo and moved north to Recoleta, Palermo, and Belgrano.

Today artists, poets, young travelers and working class families inhabit San Telmo. Its historic cobblestone streets lead to antique shops, boutique bookstores and tasty family bakeries. It is perhaps best known for its local antiques fair that attracts tourists and locals alike every Sunday.

For me however, the best thing about San Telmo was becoming integrated in the local community by doing my internship at the local newspaper. My time working at the newspaper was one of the highlights of my time in Buenos Aires. I mainly worked with Catherine who is the paper’s editor and director. Working with Catherine really taught me a lot about hard work, organization and focus. Also, Cat speaks perfect English so I was able to clearly communicate with her which helped me do more for the paper. She was always helpful and encouraging; and full of advice on good things to see and do in Buenos Aires!

My workdays were always varied. During the first week, I interviewed people in cafes and bars to collect quotes for that month’s issue of the newspaper. I also took photos of the people that I interviewed and of local graffiti for another article. While doing this work, I was able to practice Spanish and also get to know the locals of San Telmo. Later on, I was asked by Cat to help conduct an internal survey of the newspaper. My job was to individually meet with members of the staff and interview them about their involvement in the San Telmo newspaper. I enjoyed this interview process as I got to know the individual members of the staff and really could make an impact on the direction of the paper.

Cat was also very helpful with contacting my University and filling out the correct forms to ensure that I got credit for my internship in Argentina. I recently heard that the San Telmo newspaper received a grant from the city to assist them in their operations. There is a bright future ahead for them and if you get the opportunity to have an internship here I highly recommend that you do it!

contact Volunteer Work Latin America to enquire about the vacancies!

The post Volunteer Report of the San Telmo Newspaper project in Buenos Aires appeared first on Blog - Volunteer Work Latinamerica.

This small theater prides itself on expressing independent art forms, with none of the commercial blockbuster attitudes that dominate the Hollywood scene. More than just a theater, it is really a cultural center featuring an eclectic program full of live music, theatre plays and art performances. In the afternoons there are also acting classes for children of the neighborhood.

What makes this project so unique is that the performers are encouraged to step out of the box, let their creative juices flow liberally while getting up and close to the audience. The space has room for maximum 80 equally free minded art devotees that all enjoy the personal interaction and cozy living room atmosphere, while having a glass of wine and some superbly prepared canapés by the in-house chef.

Ine van der Stock from Belgium volunteered at the theatre and in continuation will share her view of what it is like to be involved with this project and its crew:

I was assigned to be the personal assistant of the lighting guy. While he moved around with a huge ladder from left to right to adjust the spotlights over the stage, am I positioned at the switchboard waiting for his signals to switch the different sets of lamps on and off. Tough job, but entertaining nonetheless!

After that we prepare the theater hall, a lovely little area where the audience is seated on sofas, cushions or chairs at tables with flowers in candlelight. During the performances it is also allowed to drink and eat something which creates a very pleasant and unpretentious ambiance. Luckily we get to enjoy a warm meal in between preparation and stage time as well.

Before every show I get to welcome the guests, cut their tickets and ask them to switch off their cell phones. At the end of the evening I must repeat about 20 times where the toilet is and say goodbye to everyone again, with the Argentinean kisses of course. I also helped tidying up the theatre, cleaning the plates and glasses and with preparing the programs.

My colleagues are very friendly and social, and mostly men (including a few customary Don Juan’s). They were all very keen to teach me the ropes but also eager to hear about my experiences and travels. Interestingly they all had other occupations in their ‘real lives’ during the day; one has a record studio and others are studying or working as an actor, and no one seemed to need much sleep at all.

Now they know that I am qualified in marketing they also asked for some promotional tips. The idea of introducing a loyalty card was greatly received. I also gave suggestions on how to apply for a grant or sponsorships in Europe.

I was surprised by the amount and quality of the shows. It was very interesting to see how a theatre transforms in preparation for a show, including its artists. During the shows I didn’t need to work and could enjoy the performance just like the rest with an empanada and vino. I’ve seen quite a lot, from an experimental jazz musical to an eccentric clown’s act for adults!

Overall, I really enjoyed the 4 weeks I spent at this lovely theatre and even though I have had my cultural doses for the rest of the year, I wished we had more venues like this at home as well!

If you are interested in participating at this unconventional theatre, a background in theater productions is desirable, but an interest in the progressive arts is a must!

Please realize that you need to be flexible with your working hours because the performances are scheduled towards the end of the week and on the weekends.

For more info please contact Volunteer Work Latin America referring to the volunteer project in Buenos Aires: CT08.

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