...means "Home for Children" and is the name of orphanage where I have been volunteering. The children are exactly what I expected, as they are just like children everywhere. The only difference is that these children just don't receive the attention they need. There are 25 of them and the few staff they have are spread thin. That's where we come in (bandaid solution).
Right now there are only 2 volunteers (myself and Joel) and there has been up to six volunteers at times- and we need 6 plus many more. Our jobs are to help out by playing with the kids. Joel and I plan and bring activities and different toys. For the 2 teenagers we bring activities to help them with their English- and they love it.
Once the activities are done I would say it is pure chaos. We play with who we can but we are in high demand. The kids are constantly calling "Chia, chia chia chia chia" (I estimate I hear this at least 20 times/minute) trying to get my attention. I love it, the time goes by fast, we are having fun and they seem happy to have us, even for a short time.
Above is a picture of Ester who is also known as "Susan's Favourite" (don't worry the other kids don't know). For some reason she doesn't walk very well and often resorts to crawling. She is quiet and very sweet and therefore it is easy to put her somewhere and leave her be for a while and of course she doesn't get much attention or interaction. I try to walk with her as much as I can. In the beginning she would only walk if I held both of her hands, now she is starting to only hold one of my fingers. I really look forward to seeing her and our walks, it makes my day.
All the cultural activities we do are fun and interesting, but my work placement is by far the best part of this experience.
Tia (Chia) Susan
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