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Volunteer
Gap
Year
in Peru
Spanish
Courses
Message
from a former volunteer
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In
South America:
Helping Homeless
Children
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They
begin by learning to play games on the computer, and little
by little our volunteers convert them to Microsoft Word
then reading/writing programs; then the internet and their
own E-mail account, then chat with other street kids in
Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Argentina.
Finally our volunteers teach some of them to design, publish
and promote web pages on the internet. Our goal is that
some of them will eventually be able to work with our volunteer
Webmasters, designing and building webpages for themselves
and others; and the best of them may even become Web Publishers,
making and publishing web sites which sell services and
products through their own internet business: receiving
their income from outside the poor local economy.They could
thereby escape the discrimination they usually receive.
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Most people
in Latin Aerica, even more the poorest of the poor (orphans
and street children) dream of one day being able to go to
a rich country where they can live their ideal of a normal
life. For this reason street children, who resist going to
regular school because it either does not fit into their parent's
idea of earning money in order to survive the present day,
or their own work vs. study priorities, are nonetheless eager
to devote an hour a day to learn English. Along the way, of
course, they have also to learn to read and write; and we
are ready for them with basic reading and writing courses,
interwoven into the rhythem of the English curriculum as if
part of it. The children and their parents - ithose who have
parents - seem satisfied with this program so far. And our
volunteers are satisfied with their progress. Each year our
charities, and those founded by Agenda SOS International throughour
Latin America recruit, prepare and register in regular school
a growing number of street children and child laborers. Our
goal is to open one of our Street Children's Centres in every
city in Latin America - and thereby offer every child an opportunity
to obtain an education. |
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Children
who actually sleep on the pavements are afraid of institutions.
Some come to eat breakefast and lunch for free, but most
of the day, and every night they are stoned on glue or cocane
base - it is impossible to reason with them. So we organize
city wide Sporting Competitions just for them, and they
came in impressive numbers. “We combine the competition
with medical, dental, psychological and social help. We
lso gave them a meal and a change of clothing (when we can).
During the meal one or two ex street children who have conquered
their adiction and gone on to get an education and take
their place in the local society give their testimonies
and encourage the street kids who have come to participate
in the tournament to enter one of the sheltered facilities
we cooperate with whose mission is to house and treat such
children. The program is proving successful in helping street
kids find a way out
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Our unstated
mission, and the main point of the project, was to encourage
some of the children to enter one of three shelters in the
city dedicated to receiving such children. Directors and social
workers from two of these institutions participated with us
in serving the children, and when the competition ended and
we all sat down to a meal together we were able to present
them with their options: " continue
to live as you are, suffer the cold nights and dirty unhealthy
conditions, pass in and out of juvenile detention centers
and perhaps one day (soon) die from the wretched affects of
inhaling glue or smoking cocanel. Or you can check into one
of these shelters and receive three good meals a day, a comfortable
bed in a warm room, care from caring people, and best of all
bwecome educated. Mundo De Niños was represented by
their Volunteer Coordinator, Monina, plus a social worker
and volunteer child minder. Hogar San Jose was represented
by one of their directors, two staff members and a volunteer.
Both of these shelters are for boys only. The main girls shelter
in this part of Peru, Hogar de la Niña, will participate
in a similar event here soon. Please Give,
help us help them. |
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“When the event ended
many of the children did not want to leave - understandable
as few of them have any place to go to other than back to
the street. But they left with smiles on their faces, with
the knowledge that there are shelters where they will be welcome
when they decide to give up their young criminal drug addicted
lives (juvenile thieves, child protitutes). They also left
with some winter clothes, a few with prizes. In fact all they
left behing were a few broken windows and some extracted teeth.We
entertained 35 the first Saturday, and we expect this number
to grow week be week. God willing many of them will find a
way out of the dangerous streets and into a life with shelter,
health, safety, sanity and
education. Right now many of them, boys and girls, are beggers,
petty thieves, drug addicts, prostitutes. They are abused,
miserable and unhealthy - we are desparate to help them.
................................................................Please help us do this: GIVE
NOW! |
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