First impressions from our new volunteer
First impressions from our new volunteer
Here is an entry from our volunteer Sarah Hodgson, who arrived recently at Colonia.
I’ve spent 5 weeks working at Colonia Ecologica and have really enjoyed every moment. The welcome I received on my first day was overwhelming with happy children clambering all over me, each keen to guide me around their home. Everyone was so welcoming and kind, I was particularly struck by the instinctive wish to share that runs throughout Colonia. I had arrived at meal time and was offered food from every plate!
Kiko and Carmen who envisaged, realised and now run Colonia are regarded by each of the fifty odd children as their mother and father. All volunteers are aunts and uncles, all children are brothers and sisters. This is where Colonia is unique. It is a family, and this is the crucial component that sets it apart from other organizations and makes it so successful. Children who in the past felt isolated and without any family now have an abundance of people caring and looking after them.
The place itself is designed entirely with the children in mind, with trees left growing inside the classrooms, a slide that takes you from the top of one building to the ground with maximum efficiency and all doorways and windows set at the perfect height for the children. The entire site works very well with the surrounding environment, only when you are within Colonia do you know it’s there. In this way Kiko and Carmen have achieved what they set out to do - to create a site that allows its residents to live as harmoniously as possible with its surrounding environment, which is largely rural. As much as possible of the surrounding vegetation has been preserved to the point that ladders have been created from close set trees to allow for alternative access to first floors!
With regards to the primary function of the organisation – the development and education of its children, Colonia excels. After school the children arrive at Colonia for lunch. Lunch is followed by an hour of work on Colonia itself. Each child has a responsibility towards the organisation, be it cleaning a classroom, sweeping an outside area or keeping the bus in its constant pristine condition! Following this work that not only keeps Colonia looking so well-kept but also instills in the children a respect for their surrounding environment its time for study. Each child is assigned a group and the adults offer all the support necessary to enable them to complete their homework.
I have been assigned 6 children to work with in a beautiful classroom whose walls are painted with African scenes and whose shelves are filled with cuddly versions of African animals. The children work hard at their school work and considering the length of their day, which begins at 8 in the morning, they are always good humoured and energetic. Once the homework is done it’s time for drawings to supplement the African murals and then tea.
I am happy to be involved with Colonia´s work and find the children, volunteers and Kiko and Carmen an inspiration. The construction of Colonia continues with the remaining temporary buildings, that are constructed from corrugated iron and plastic sheeting, in need of being replaced. Any donations would be greatly received with Charity Bolivia ensuring that every penny gets to Colonia Ecologica.
Here is an entry from our volunteer Sarah Hodgson, who arrived recently at Colonia.
I’ve spent 5 weeks working at Colonia Ecologica and have really enjoyed every moment. The welcome I received on my first day was overwhelming with happy children clambering all over me, each keen to guide me around their home. Everyone was so welcoming and kind, I was particularly struck by the instinctive wish to share that runs throughout Colonia. I had arrived at meal time and was offered food from every plate!
Kiko and Carmen who envisaged, realised and now run Colonia are regarded by each of the fifty odd children as their mother and father. All volunteers are aunts and uncles, all children are brothers and sisters. This is where Colonia is unique. It is a family, and this is the crucial component that sets it apart from other organizations and makes it so successful. Children who in the past felt isolated and without any family now have an abundance of people caring and looking after them.
The place itself is designed entirely with the children in mind, with trees left growing inside the classrooms, a slide that takes you from the top of one building to the ground with maximum efficiency and all doorways and windows set at the perfect height for the children. The entire site works very well with the surrounding environment, only when you are within Colonia do you know it’s there. In this way Kiko and Carmen have achieved what they set out to do - to create a site that allows its residents to live as harmoniously as possible with its surrounding environment, which is largely rural. As much as possible of the surrounding vegetation has been preserved to the point that ladders have been created from close set trees to allow for alternative access to first floors!
With regards to the primary function of the organisation – the development and education of its children, Colonia excels. After school the children arrive at Colonia for lunch. Lunch is followed by an hour of work on Colonia itself. Each child has a responsibility towards the organisation, be it cleaning a classroom, sweeping an outside area or keeping the bus in its constant pristine condition! Following this work that not only keeps Colonia looking so well-kept but also instills in the children a respect for their surrounding environment its time for study. Each child is assigned a group and the adults offer all the support necessary to enable them to complete their homework.
I have been assigned 6 children to work with in a beautiful classroom whose walls are painted with African scenes and whose shelves are filled with cuddly versions of African animals. The children work hard at their school work and considering the length of their day, which begins at 8 in the morning, they are always good humoured and energetic. Once the homework is done it’s time for drawings to supplement the African murals and then tea.
I am happy to be involved with Colonia´s work and find the children, volunteers and Kiko and Carmen an inspiration. The construction of Colonia continues with the remaining temporary buildings, that are constructed from corrugated iron and plastic sheeting, in need of being replaced. Any donations would be greatly received with Charity Bolivia ensuring that every penny gets to Colonia Ecologica.
