A MAGICAL DAY FOR THE CHILDREN

As a volunteer at one of the schools supported by Proyecto Horizonte, I was fortunate to witness and participate in the Bolivian National Child Day (El día del niño) festivities that took place on April 12. Family occupies a very important place in the Bolivian culture; as a result, the parents, the professor and I did our best to prepare an unforgettable celebration for the kids of Inicial B. No classes were held on that day as it was entirely dedicated to the celebration. Some of the little girls arrived full of smiles in cute princess dresses. We sang, danced and played games with the kids as the moms were cutting the delicious cakes they baked for their little ones. Being a teacher assistant I was asked by the moms to eat a piece of fruit off the cake. Luckily I was able to do it fast enough, and the moms were not able to dip my face in the cake! The kids were then visited by two clowns that made sure that the games and laughter didn't stop. It was without a doubt a magical day for the children and their parents. I felt very lucky being able to witness such a beautiful celebration of the parent-child relationship.

Volunteer happiness

It was a wonderful and sunny day, when I walked up the main street in Ushpa-Ushpa at the beginning of the holidays. Half way up the street I saw one of the kids of Proyecto Horizonte, who stuck his head out a garage door and I asked him how he was doing. His answer surprised me a lot, but also made me sad “I’m so bored” he said “I  would rather go to school, there is nothing to do here”. So I spontaneously decided to set up another little holiday program and promised to come back with games and learning activities. During the next few days I came back to the garage door several times and there were always more excited kids opening the door after I had knocked it. Their energy and curiosity was endless and made them constantly ask for new activities, so that I could hardly come up with new learning games in time. But although it was rather improvised and sometimes also pretty chaotic, the love and enthusiasm of the kids, who started to set out chairs and a desk in the middle of the sidewalk for further learning sessions also showed me that it was absolutely worth it. And it made me go home with a smile which was as bright as the ones I could see in the cute little faces of the kids. This happiness they gave me was the best recognition and better than any payment I could ever get!
From: Sarah Miehle-Honecker