Independence Day

September 15th is Guatemala’s Independence Day and the whole week leading up to the big day, the streets of Xela are filled with parades, music, food and an overwhelming number of people. One of the main attractions of Xela during this week is the Independence Fair, or “La Feria.” It is just like your average State Fair in the United States, complete with delicious smells wafting from the various stands selling fatty foods, screaming children, and the classic carnival games where you can win overly large stuffed animals.

Because the fair in Xela is such a big event, and because the kids of the Family Support Center (formerly the Guarderia) live so far away, we decided to recreate la Feria in Llanos de Pinal. We spent the week planning and preparing. A scavenger hunt through the city proved fruitful when we discovered a beanbag toss game buried under the odds and ends of a thrift-like tienda. Carmen splurged and bought a mini-foosball table that, although frustrating to put together, was a huge hit. We wanted to make the Feria feel like the real thing so our two Guatemalan secretarial interns crafted some tickets for food and games.

Thursday afternoon the whole Family Support Center staff helped set up la Feria. Balloons, a colorful umbrella displaying cotton candy, bright signs and all of the different game stations transformed the playground into a carnival. Some of the mothers cooked up some delicious treats to add to the festivities.

While we were setting up, the kids were inside learning more about the story behind Guatemala’s Independence from Carmen. The national anthem was played, and the older kids proudly displayed the flag of their country. Finally, the kids were allowed to rush outside to see all the games and treats we had prepared! Carmen led a hilarious game of Bingo, Amy manned a very popular game where each person was given two tennis balls to try and knock down a tower of old milk cartons. Foosball, of course was immediately taken over, and Ashley was bombarded with kids wanting to play coin toss. It was chaos! Screaming, laughing, smiling and joking sums up the atmosphere of the Center’s version of the Fair.

If you played a game you were pretty much guaranteed to win, and winning meant prizes! We had an assortment of yoyos (yoyitos), bouncy balls and candy. The moms even got into the activities and Doña Delfina wowed the crowd after knocking down the tower of milk cartons on her first try.

The fair was a complete success and it was so warming to see everyone getting along and having fun. Any worries or stresses evaporated and it was all fun and games (literally!). Days like these make it obvious why the Family Support Center is such a necessary and effective project. Any time we can find ways to bring a community and families together in a fun and active environment is an accomplishment.

Painting, Garden, Reforestation

            The most recent work at the guadería has been reviving the outdoor area: repainting the jungle gym and play area, turning the broken down greenhouse into a productive garden, and planting trees in different areas of Llanos.  During the kid’s week-long break they were able to help out and be a part of the project – including climbing up part of the volcano Santa María to plant trees.  

            We continue to provide special help to the kids who are repeating a grade, so that when they move on they can continue receiving a scholarship.  This involves the work of Ashley, the academic support teacher, and social work students from the school.   In the next couple weeks we look forward to watching the garden produce vegetables and are looking to set up a compost system.

Mother’s Day, Tree Day, and Malnutrition

May 10th was our Mother's Day celebration 
at the Family Support Center (formerly la Guardería). As always, the children put together a program of performances, including dances, songs, poetry, and games for the mothers to participate in and win prizes. We had a group of almost 20 Spanish students in attendance to take part in the festivities. Gifts of health and household items were handed out to the mothers in addition to crafts the children had made for them. Everyone shared an early dinner before heading back. 

May 17th we celebrated Arbor Day with the kids by planting four trees. First we discussed why planting trees is important, how to keep trees healthy, and some of the biological functions of trees. Then we went out to plant the trees behind the Family Support Center – two eucalyptuses and two cypresses. The kids had a lot of fun getting their hands dirty digging the hole for the tree and covering up the roots. Afterward they played outside until it was time to go back.

This past week Carmen met with the women who work at the Family Support Center to discuss a problem that faces several of the children who attend: malnutrition. We discussed how the Center provides a hardy, balanced meal and small snack for the children each day, but for some children this is the only meal they are getting. Additionally, there is a perplexing disconnect between the abundance of vegetables grown in the community and the food that actually appears on the family’s dinner plates. Often times it wasn’t an economic issue but rather a behavioral one. Next week, along with handing out scholarships, we will be meeting with mothers of the community and the Family Support Center to discuss the issue of malnutrition and the importance of preparing balanced, nutritious meals.

Valentine's Day and Marti Gras!

Today was a special day for the children of the Guardería. We celebrated two special days- Valentine’s Day and Marti Gras! To celebrate Marti Gras (or Carnival), it is a necessity to make the traditional cascarones or eggshells. The children, with the help of the workers at the Guardería, hollowed out the eggs and decorated them with colorful tissue paper. Before sealing the egg with the tissue paper, the children filled the eggs with pika pika-very small, colorful bits of confetti. The volunteers arrived at the Guardería and, after a very warm greeting from the children, hid all of the cascarones in the yard next to the Guardería. 

After all of the eggs had been gathered, the volunteers were very surprised to see all of the children cracking the eggs over as many of their peers’ heads as possible (as is tradition in Guatemala). Of course, the children pulled the volunteers into the game as well.

After everyone was completely covered in colorful paper, the children and the volunteers settled into the classroom so that the children could present the Valentine’s Day cards that they had made for every student at the school. The volunteers happily left the Guardería covered in confetti and holding a handmade card.

Welcome back to the Guardería!

Today at the Guardería we celebrated the return of all of the students and the start of their new school year. As you may have read in previous posts, the Guardería is more than a place for the children to stay during the day in order to keep them off the streets. Additionally, the purpose of the Guardería is not only to provide assistance with school work. Volunteers also work to enhance the emotional well-being of the children of the Guardería. This week proved to be no different!

Upon arriving at the Guardería the volunteers happily welcomed all of the chicos. The youth of the Guardería are always excited to see our volunteers and gave us a warm welcome. After greeting all of the children, the volunteers separated los grandes (age 11-18) for a reflection activity. The goal of the volunteers was to enable the students to covertly express their fears and feelings about school. As we have discovered, students in this age range have trouble speaking openly about how they feel. One of our volunteers, who has a degree in psychology, developed an activity in which the students wrote a letter of advice to a student entering the grade they had just completed. In this letter, our students wrote about the fears they had at the beginning of the year, studying tips for the new student, and the new goals they have set for themselves based on their experiences in the grade they had just completed. We read some of the answers out loud to all of los grandes (anonymously, of course) to demonstrate that many of the students have similar fears and that expressing these fears in a healthy manner can be helpful for everyone to hear.

For los medianos (age 7,8-11), our volunteer created a similar experience suited to their age range. Five questions addressing students fears and excitement about school were written on a ball which was passed from student to student. Upon receiving the ball, the student had to answer the question closest to their hands. By making the activity a game, the students shared more openly than if they were asked questions directly.

Our activity for los chiquitos (under 7) was very simple- our volunteers just wanted the youngest students to become excited for the new school year. Los chiquitos just had to fill out an information sheet about the upcoming school year with pictures and beginner writing skills. 

Christmas at the Guardería

Christmas at the Guardería began long before our celebration took place. One of the presents that the children receive for Christmas is a new pair of shoes. Shoes are a necessity for the children if they are to attend school. In order buy shoes, the women of the Guardería spent an afternoon measuring the feet of the children. In the following weeks, the women of the Guardería purchased shoes and presents for all of the children. One week before our celebration, Carmen and several volunteers of Pop Wuj packed up all of the shoes and brought them to the Guardería in order to ensure that they fit properly. 

The Christmas celebration itself was a fun and exciting time for the children and the volunteers. On the 15^th of December, Carmen and the volunteers of Pop Wuj packed up all of the presents for the children and drove out to the Guardería. After assembling all of the presents under the Christmas tree, the children and the volunteers participated in a game. Our Guardería coordinator had created a Christmas version of “pin the tail on the donkey”. The children spent about hours playing pin the carrot on the snowman, laughing whenever the carrot was placed incorrectly. Even the volunteers had trouble getting the carrot on the snowman!

After the game, several volunteers led the children in singing Christmas songs with the accompaniment of a flute and a guitar. Shortly after singing, Carmen and the women of the Guardería began handing out Christmas presents to all of the children. It was a special moment to see all of the excited faces of our Guardería children!

At the end of the evening, everyone settled down for dinner and the volunteers and Carmen handed out the food for the families to use for a Christmas dinner. After a delicious meal and a full afternoon of activities, the children left for home, their arms full of Christmas presents. Of course, every child wanted to take home the snowman to continue playing at home.

Additionally, Pop Wuj was able to buy basic, essential holiday food for the families of the Guardería. At the close of our lovely celebration, Carmen and the student volunteers passed out bags with these food items to all of the mothers of the children of the Guardería.

Birthday Party at the Guardería

This week proved to be busy for the children of the Guardería. On the 21^st of November, the children made invitations for their families for the Christmas party held at Pop Wuj. While making Christmas cards is not an educational tool, it gives the children an opportunity to invite the rest of their family to spend time together in a relaxing environment, hopefully strengthening family ties.

On the 24^th of November, we had our final birthday party of the year! To help with the celebration, several volunteers made decorations and baked cakes.

Although, the decorations would not have been complete without the help of the children pasting balloons to the ceilings and walls.

Two of our student volunteers donated two piñatas and small gifts for the birthday children! Although it took a great amount of effort of all the children, the two piñatas were finally broken and the children were able to stuff their bags full of candy and peanuts.

Breaking open the Piñata

After everyone was worn out of the excitement of the piñatas, the children retired into the Guardería for cake and gift opening. The birthday party was a success!

November 14-18

For the past two weeks at La Guardería, we have had many exciting activities. One of our student volunteers, working with our Guardería Coordinator, planned a series of lessons in which the children were able to learn how our feelings can affect our reactions. The children learned that events that occur throughout the day might affect how they feel which can cause us to overreact or use methods of expression that they otherwise would not consider. Our student volunteer and our coordinator planned a few group exercises to make tangible these lessons. The children loved the activities. Even though the activities were meant to cause frustration, the children realized the stressor, took a moment to calm down, and completed the activity without shouting or becoming angry.

Another great addition to our student body was a group of Norwegian students that brought with them not only a significant donation, but also a love for the children at the Guardería. In a show of appreciation, the children prepared and presented four of their indigenous dances.

Indigenous Dance

After the children completed their dances, the Norwegian students presented a piñata as a rare gift for all of the children at La Guardería. Even though all of the children were elated beyond words, the students were just as excited to bring a few moments of carefree fun and treats to the children of La Guardería.

The Piñata!

Increasing Needs

An update on la Guardería,

There has been a recent push at Pop Wuj to improve sanitation at la Guardería. This entails building a trash pit so that trash that is currently being burnt can be picked up monthly. Furthermore, Pop Wuj hopes to employ an extra person specifically for the task of clean-up. In the future we also hope to install a drainage system so that soapy and dirty water that currently drains into crops (and passes through the burning trash on the way), can drain safely.

These aspirations along with the rising cost of food and gas have created a desperate need for more funds at la Guardería. If you feel inclined to donate or know someone who might, this would greatly help the health of the children which la Guardería serves every day. Thanks for taking the time to read this and check back for updates!