Hi, I am Elise from the Netherlands, and in January and February 2010 I volunteered for 4 weeks at the San Nicolas Urraca project in Cusco. This was a great experience for me! I really didn’t know what to expect, since I had heard lots of different stories about projects and the way the people there respond to foreign volunteers… Lucky for me, from the first day on I felt so much happiness and gratefulness from Luísa and the children towards me, being there and helping them! However, for me it was intelligible to volunteer, being a rich girl from Europe with enough money to go on a holiday to the other side of the world, where most of the people don’t even have the means to go on a weekend trip or something!
Luísa, the directress, is a person with a big heart, who cares about all of the children of the project as if they were her own. The children too gave me a hug or a kiss every day I went there, which really felt great for me, like being a part of the ‘family’. And although they don’t have a lot to wear, to eat or to play with, I never saw any sad face in those 4 weeks.
I loved to play with the children: to puzzle or make rompecabezas, to play volleyball outside, to make calendars with all their birthdays on it or to paint their faces (see pictures). We cooked for them almost every Wednesday and also went to a playground once and helped them shower. They really liked it and I loved it when all the children shouted ‘GRACIAS!’, all at the same time and really loud! That and their happy faces is enough for me!
At my weblog I asked my friends and family for some small donations to help buying stuff for the project, but I got a lot more than I expected! Because I was there at the time of the big floods and heavy rainfall, I spent a part of the money to let the roof get fixed and to buy new tiles (see pictures). I hope it all works again, because I think that a stable and strong building is one of the most important things for the project!
I would like to share some more pictures with all of you and hope to come back there once.
Gracias Luísa!
Luísa, the directress, is a person with a big heart, who cares about all of the children of the project as if they were her own. The children too gave me a hug or a kiss every day I went there, which really felt great for me, like being a part of the ‘family’. And although they don’t have a lot to wear, to eat or to play with, I never saw any sad face in those 4 weeks.
I loved to play with the children: to puzzle or make rompecabezas, to play volleyball outside, to make calendars with all their birthdays on it or to paint their faces (see pictures). We cooked for them almost every Wednesday and also went to a playground once and helped them shower. They really liked it and I loved it when all the children shouted ‘GRACIAS!’, all at the same time and really loud! That and their happy faces is enough for me!
At my weblog I asked my friends and family for some small donations to help buying stuff for the project, but I got a lot more than I expected! Because I was there at the time of the big floods and heavy rainfall, I spent a part of the money to let the roof get fixed and to buy new tiles (see pictures). I hope it all works again, because I think that a stable and strong building is one of the most important things for the project!
I would like to share some more pictures with all of you and hope to come back there once.
Gracias Luísa!
Resumen en Español:
Hola, soy Elise de los Países Bajos, y durante 4 semanas en enero y febrero de 2010, estuve voluntario en el proyecto San Nicolas Urraca en Cuzco. Era una experiencia grande para mi! Me gustó la alegría y la gratitud de Luísa y los niños, aunque sentí como si fuera inteligible para ayudarlos. Luísa, la directora, tiene una corazón grande para el proyecto y para los niños. No ví ninguna cara triste de los niños tampoco en todas las 4 semanas, a pesar de su mala situación de vida!
Me gustó jugar con los chicos: rompecabezas, volley, hacer calendarios con la fecha de nacimiento de todos, ir al parque de juegos, pintar sus caras… También cocinamos unas veces. Con una parte de las donaciones de mi familia y de mis amigos arreglé tejas y dos hombres para reparar el techo, porque creo que es muy importante para el edificio del proyecto estar en una condición buena y estable. Estuve en Cuzco en el periodo de las inundaciones y lluvia fuerte, entonces el techo tenía prioridad.
Luísa, gracias por todo y mucha suerte con el proyecto! Espero que vaya a visitar Cuzco y San Nicolas Urraca otra vez en el futuro! Añadí unas fotos.
Saludos, Elise
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