Leaving Colonia - Sarah Hodgson
I will be very sad to leave Colonia Ecologica next month but intend to stay in contact with everyone and return and visit one day. I would highly recommend working with Colonia to anyone considering volunteering in Bolivia for 6 - 12 months. It has been an extremely fun and fulfilling experience for me.
My first impressions arriving at Colonia have proved, as is not always the case, to be absolutely right. I found it to be a very happy community of people where children who have previously been denied their childhood are allowed to revel in it. Under the direction of Kiko and Carmen the children at Colonia are guided through their education and encouraged to explore all their potential. Within hours I felt a part of Colonia and everyday since have looked forward to arriving there and being greeted by 90 beaming children. Seeing all these familiar faces each day and learning from Kiko and Carmen so much about childcare has made my time in Bolivia unforgettable and priceless.
Twice weekly I teach Beginners English and have also been working with a group of fifteen children helping them to complete their homework. The latter often involves a lot of energy, persuasion and a rollercoaster of emotions, but always results in the homework being completed! I have seen some real development in each child even in such a short space of time. A great example of all that Colonia is achieving, with the support of Charity Bolivia, can be seen in a girl in my group, eight-year-old Lisbeth, who when I arrived was unable to read or write. She was being given homework that involved copying pages of words and yet she was unable to read the letters of the alphabet. Now, Lisbeth can read and write all 26 letters and is moving onto copying words and using punctuation. Her reading still remains behind but what strikes me as most important is how her attitude to study has changed. Where previously she would frequently cry during study time, ashamed of the work she was producing, and would ask “¿Está mal? – Is this bad?”, she now happily attends study, never cries and even asks ¿Está bien? – Is this good?”. She is now more confident, happy and enjoying her education whilst before she felt isolated and had very little self esteem.
Without Colonia´s support it is doubtful that Lisbeth could have made this kind of progress. With many of the children at Colonia coming from large families where either parent, or the single parent in many cases, have to work very long hours there simply is no time for them to provide educational support to their children.
Another example of the real difference Colonia is making can be seen in a brother and a sister, Limbert & Danitza, who arrived 2 months ago. On arrival they were withdrawn, shy and reluctant to do any work. They would refuse to enter the cabaña with the other children and would pretend they had no homework. Now, in a short space of time, they are more outgoing and are willing, at times demanding to do their work. The agreement with the children is that they must attend school and do any homework in order to continue attending Colonia. This incentive, to become part of the wonderful environment that is Colonia, has been enough to change Limbert and Danitza´s attitudes towards the education they receive. They are now appreciative of all that Carmen and Kiko offer, as well as the family atmosphere that pervades Colonia and are happy to work in order to enjoy the privilege of attending the centre.
During the 9 months Colonia has also been growing at an incredible rate. I have witnessed the opening of 2 new classroom areas, the building of the reading area, perimeter wall, the installation of the new toilets and showers and now the building of the kitchen and dining area. It is really exciting to see it grow and to see the children working for this growth. During one month, after lunch each day we all set about rolling the enormous tree trunks that had had to be cleared for the building of the wall around the centre. In some cases the trees were so big it required 15 people to roll them along. Each of these tree trunks had to have their bark stripped to allow the local school to use the wood for the building of their playground. With all this furious activity not once did a person have to ask for assistance as the willingness to help and the responsibility felt towards Colonia is inherent in the children. Even the children as young as four were happily involved stripping the bark, picking up sticks. This is one example that demonstrates the reciprocal relationship existing between the children and the centre and this is what I believe lies at the heart of Colonia´s success.
Sarah Hodgson
My first impressions arriving at Colonia have proved, as is not always the case, to be absolutely right. I found it to be a very happy community of people where children who have previously been denied their childhood are allowed to revel in it. Under the direction of Kiko and Carmen the children at Colonia are guided through their education and encouraged to explore all their potential. Within hours I felt a part of Colonia and everyday since have looked forward to arriving there and being greeted by 90 beaming children. Seeing all these familiar faces each day and learning from Kiko and Carmen so much about childcare has made my time in Bolivia unforgettable and priceless.
Twice weekly I teach Beginners English and have also been working with a group of fifteen children helping them to complete their homework. The latter often involves a lot of energy, persuasion and a rollercoaster of emotions, but always results in the homework being completed! I have seen some real development in each child even in such a short space of time. A great example of all that Colonia is achieving, with the support of Charity Bolivia, can be seen in a girl in my group, eight-year-old Lisbeth, who when I arrived was unable to read or write. She was being given homework that involved copying pages of words and yet she was unable to read the letters of the alphabet. Now, Lisbeth can read and write all 26 letters and is moving onto copying words and using punctuation. Her reading still remains behind but what strikes me as most important is how her attitude to study has changed. Where previously she would frequently cry during study time, ashamed of the work she was producing, and would ask “¿Está mal? – Is this bad?”, she now happily attends study, never cries and even asks ¿Está bien? – Is this good?”. She is now more confident, happy and enjoying her education whilst before she felt isolated and had very little self esteem.
Without Colonia´s support it is doubtful that Lisbeth could have made this kind of progress. With many of the children at Colonia coming from large families where either parent, or the single parent in many cases, have to work very long hours there simply is no time for them to provide educational support to their children.
Another example of the real difference Colonia is making can be seen in a brother and a sister, Limbert & Danitza, who arrived 2 months ago. On arrival they were withdrawn, shy and reluctant to do any work. They would refuse to enter the cabaña with the other children and would pretend they had no homework. Now, in a short space of time, they are more outgoing and are willing, at times demanding to do their work. The agreement with the children is that they must attend school and do any homework in order to continue attending Colonia. This incentive, to become part of the wonderful environment that is Colonia, has been enough to change Limbert and Danitza´s attitudes towards the education they receive. They are now appreciative of all that Carmen and Kiko offer, as well as the family atmosphere that pervades Colonia and are happy to work in order to enjoy the privilege of attending the centre.
During the 9 months Colonia has also been growing at an incredible rate. I have witnessed the opening of 2 new classroom areas, the building of the reading area, perimeter wall, the installation of the new toilets and showers and now the building of the kitchen and dining area. It is really exciting to see it grow and to see the children working for this growth. During one month, after lunch each day we all set about rolling the enormous tree trunks that had had to be cleared for the building of the wall around the centre. In some cases the trees were so big it required 15 people to roll them along. Each of these tree trunks had to have their bark stripped to allow the local school to use the wood for the building of their playground. With all this furious activity not once did a person have to ask for assistance as the willingness to help and the responsibility felt towards Colonia is inherent in the children. Even the children as young as four were happily involved stripping the bark, picking up sticks. This is one example that demonstrates the reciprocal relationship existing between the children and the centre and this is what I believe lies at the heart of Colonia´s success.
Sarah Hodgson
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