Volunteer placements - Peru

My first impression of Peru was how I would have expected Mexico to look like. The desolate landscape, block style homes, catus plants and people - the way they dress and look.

My experience has been very different to volunteering in Kenya but equally amazing. The day I arrived, Lidia (our fantastic host mum) outlined that there were 4 different orphanage/school projects and that I would visit each one before deciding what my program would be. The joy of working here is the flexibility in times and placements. If we choose, we could mix and match the days and projects, which I did to experience each with my limited time. I will only spend 3 weeks in Peru before leaving for Brazil, but I will be back in January.



Three of the four placements are government funded making them a place that is very well equiped and cared for. The fourth is in a slum area an hour and a half out of Lima called Pachacutec (above). It covers a massive area and is divided into 4 sections. The one area we work in is home to 12 different Wawa Wasi's (baby homes). In each home there are 8 children and one carer looking after all of them. Most of these children have mothers but they are unable to feed or care for them properly.



The local charity organisation 'Tarpuy Sonqo' we work with are amazing. They have single handedly established these baby homes and arranged for their meals and necessary fundamental programs like basic hygene (washing their hands and brushing their teeth) and currently construction of a bathroom (photo with some children, mamma and Lidia).



I enjoy helping out in each of the placements, but there are 2 I am definitely drawn to. The baby houses at Pachacutec (toddlers) and the baby babies at Divino Jesus - oh my gosh, they are so perfectly teeny, rounds and sooooo squeezable I never want to put them down. Some literally days old - thier umbilical cord is still healing.



Pachautec is also the only place they allow photos to be taken. The videos below are a rare occasion where we could film due to the official opening of their new dental clinic. The kids are beautiful and very well cared for. Their ailments vary significantly - blindness, pralasiation, water on the brain, down syndrome, cerebal palsy and many more disabilites they dont' have names for. There are numerous therapy rooms catering for speech, the senses, physiotherapy and limb massage.



If our spanish language is poor (and mine is!!), we are sometimes limited to the rooms we can help in, but we are welcomed to help out in all - especially at feeding time. The director, of INABIF was there for the opening which made it a big deal. The photo of the volunteers with the director and report of the opening can be found here; http://www.inabif.gob.pe/portalweb/noticia.php?n=edf4371b4715f3185e543cfa6c1c956e&i=1 and a radio announcement (in spanish) of the day can also be found here; http://willax.tv/seguridad/nuevo-consultorio-odontologico-para-ninos-discapacitados

The young lady in the below video is Carla, she has autism and was the very first patient to the Dental Clinic. Both the doctor and nurse were gentle and nurturing - they kept reassuring her through the process and blowing her kisses.