It´s an exciting time at VE to see so many of the children we work with enthusiastic about ¡Vamos a Leer! and reading. Many of the children run up to us asking for new books and cannot wait to post their achievement stickers once they have completed a book. All of the kids ask us about Carnaval and if they  have read enough books to attend.

Truth be told though, even with the thrills the ¡Vamos a Leer! Carnaval holds, it can be difficult to get the children to settle down and focus on reading. Many have trouble with pronunciation, or tell us they don't enjoy reading as a cover up for not being able to read well. To try and combat these issues, we use diverse methods to capture kids ´attention, make books accessible and fun.

Through drama and games, the children have fun acting out the story or pretending to be certain characters, expanding on what they read through play. Reading can also be combined with art, letting the tales they hear inspire the children to draw, paint or model from clay their favorite scenes or characters.

Cooking can also be incorporated, whether it´s preparing a meal described in the story or simply making a themed snack to enjoy whilst reading together. ¡Vamos a Leer! reading workshops can also take children to different parts of the city: the library, the park or a trip that fits with a particular story. Reading can transport the kids to new places they wouldn’t normally visit, not only in their mind, but also in real life.

And finally, the tried and true method of simply taking the time and reading with the kids out loud. Helping them sound out the words. Asking them questions. Sharing in their excitement and wonderment about what might happen next. Giving them a chance to read, without red marks, but just love and encouragement.

That's how most of us learned to read in the end anyway.  

Nine more photos after the jump

As I sit in my apartment and glance at the slowly deflating balloon animals (that I have been trying to teach myself how to tie) piled up in the corner, I wonder how I could ever go back to what’s considered a normal life? How can I wake up and not look forward to a day of colouring in, making funny faces, swinging the kids around as they yell “levante me”, hugs, kisses, and a daily smack from 5 year old Camila that I still am not quite sure what I did to deserve?

Volunteering has definitely been a rollercoaster of events. From the first steep incline of fear and anticipation when arriving here and not having a clue what to expect. To flying down the other side with a big smile on my face, hands in the air, just letting go and waiting to see where the ride takes me. I can now say I have been through the loops, twists and sometimes sharp turns of day to day life as a volunteer and it’s without a doubt one of the best rides I have been on.

The Sharp Turn - Getting an annoyed look from a child or Tío as they try to explain something important to me and I respond with what looks like an elaborate game of charades while attempting to use a horribly butchered version of Spanglish. Eventually they give up and say to me " Tío, tu no entiende nada," which is ironic because I understand that sentence perfectly, "you don't understand anything". Maybe that’s what the daily smack is for?

The Loop - When one of the kids, who for some reason or another has been opposed to your very presence/existence since day one, finally has a change of heart. Some amazing moment when the universe aligns, the sun shines through the clouds and you are there for them when they need you and from that point forward you both have been changed from arch rivals to the best of friends, wondering how it was ever the other way around?

The Twist - It was a little while ago now but we were helping plant vegetables in the garden out the front. There were limited gardening tools, and one of the boys was hogging the use of the shovel. Barbara whose turn it was next grew impatient at Diego’s reluctance to give her the shovel. A small fight started and as Barbara tried to take the shovel by force, she unfortunately ended up with a hit to the back with it. Previous to this day every time a child was upset they would go to the long term Tío’s, often running straight past me in the process. As the tears started to well in Barbara’s eyes she ran straight to me and I picked her up and comforted her. This was definitely a highlight considering the long term Tío was only a metre or so further away. I never thought I would be so happy that a child would be hit with a shovel (luckily she wasn’t badly hurt!)

After pulling up in a taxi yesterday morning for an 18 hour day (Christmas Party), the kids screaming our names out from behind the fence, I realized the months have flown by and everyday has been filled with countless moments like the ones above, bringing me closer to the children and staff here, but also bringing me closer to finishing here too. Even though I still “no entiendo nada” I know that as soon as I get off this ride, I will be lining back up for the next one.

At the beginning of December I was finding it hard to get into the Christmas spirit in Chile. One reason is the fact that it is so hot and sunny, nothing like the English winters I always associate with the festive season. It also felt strange being away from my family and our normal traditions, as well as the craziness surrounding Christmas you get at home, with all the adverts, TV shows and shops obsessing over how to achieve the perfect Christmas day.

Here in Chile it is a lot more relaxed but I am loving doing Christmas in a simpler way. Last week we made decorations and Christmas cookies with the boys. The cooking taller especially was pretty stressful, we had no cookie cutters so jess and I were desperately trying to draw shapes on the dough for all the boys as they argued over who got to cut out what and whose Christmas tree was better. It was worth the effort though because they enjoyed doing it and were proud of their creations.

On Saturday we went shopping and bought small gifts for the boys, which I cannot wait to give them on Christmas Eve. In contrast to children at home, the boys do not seem overly excited about Christmas and they certainly have not written long letters to Santa about all the presents they want. On Christmas Eve some of the volunteers are cooking a meal together so Jess and I have a choice between that or going to the Christmas party at our hogar. It was an easy decision for both of us. I feel lucky that I get to spend Christmas with the boys I have grown so close to over the last four months and hopefully, by showing them how much I love and care about them, make it a special time for them.

Every day at the Hogar is completely different – some days are seemingly long, while some fly by.  Some days the kids understand every word of my broken Spanish, and others they look at me like I’m crazy and roll their eyes at each simple phrase I try to utter.  With all these ups and downs, I had no idea what to expect when I brought my family for a visit.  I was lucky enough to have my family – Mom, Dad, and big brother, make the trip to Santiago to celebrate Thanksgiving.  They wanted to see the Hogar, about which I had spoken so much, and I wanted to show it to them.

As we walked up to the gated home, I said a silent prayer, “please let them behave somewhat well today.”  As we entered the house, all the kids were uncharacteristically shy, and my parents were uncharacteristically quiet.  “Uh-oh” I thought.  Within 5 minutes, I knew I had nothing to be worried about – my brother was playing soccer with one of the older boys, my Mom was entertaining giggling younger kids with her “pull off her finger” trick (something that made me cry and scream “Mom, stop!” when I was little).  My dad had just about everyone laughing with his typical antics.  It was a strange moment for me – having the group of kids and Tias that had become my ‘Santiago family’ mingling so flawlessly with my real family, despite speaking different languages and coming from very different places. 

 For the rest of the trip, my family talked about the kids – “Oh, so and so was so sweet.”  My brother went on a mission to buy new sports equipment for the boy with whom he was playing soccer.  It was clear these kids had managed to burrow their way into my family’s heart in one short afternoon.  As I wrap up my time volunteering, and look back on all the fun, the good, the bad, and the ugly days I’ve had with the kids, this is one day I will always remember.  

Nine photos following the jump 

Recently, we asked our service partners what VE Global’s support means to them, since you help make that work a possibility, we thought you’d like to read a few of their comments too. 

Help us continue to support our Service Partners today! 

Nine more photos after the jump. 

Llegué a Chile proveniente de Perú con la única intensión de buscar un mejor horizonte, sin embargo mi experiencia ha sido mucho más que eso después de haber conocido a VE Global. Me uní oficialmente a VE Global hace un poco más de cuatro años, sin embargo mi primer contacto con ellos fue hace seis años cuando conocí a dos voluntarios de Domingo Savio, pero por razones que ahora no recuerdo bien, no fue posible pertenecer a VE Global. Después de un par de años, sintiendo la necesidad de hacer algo en retribución a la sociedad, recordé a esta organización y decidí retomar el contacto con ellos y finalmente, esta vez sí, pude convertirme en un voluntario de VE Global.

Ser un voluntario de VE Global ha sido una de las experiencias más importantes de mi vida. Creo que puedo dividir mi experiencia en dos campos: Recuperación de la creencia en los cambios y Crecimiento personal.

He conocido a muchos voluntarios, provenientes de todas partes del mundo, y en todos ellos existe un denominador común: todos ellos creen que los cambios sociales son posibles y que nuestras acciones, por pequeñas que parezcan, estarán ayudando a lograr eso. Había perdido esa creencia y estar inmerso en toda esta nueva gran energía me hizo recuperarla. Al mismo tiempo me dio la energía necesaria para decidirme a realizar mis anhelos personales.

Lo mejor de toda mi experiencia en VE Global fue sin duda el trabajo directo con los niños, haciendo diferentes cosas, desde asistir a los Días de Reparación, para mejorar un poco su calidad de vida, hasta jugar un partido de fútbol en la Liga de Deportes. Aunque a veces lo que hice como voluntario fue un poco cansador, al final, la recompensa en mucho más grande. No hay nada más gratificante que recibir un “gracias tío” de los niños, ver una sonrisa o incluso sólo quedarte con la sensación de saber que has hecho algo por ellos.

De todos los niños con los que he compartido en estos cuatro años, siempre recuerdo a Julia*. Desde que conocí a Julia, ella mostró interés en aprender inglés. Ahora, después de haber terminado su escuela secundaria y del apoyo de voluntarios, se encuentra estudiando Inglés en la Universidad. Estoy muy feliz de haber sido testigo de ese logro.

I am volunteering at a place that we refer to just as the Jardin but which has a longer name that I only recently learned is a type of tree. The Jardin is a day care in a Toma (an informal settlement) that cares for on average 20 children from ages one to seven during the day while their parents are at work (the number of kids changes on a hourly basis). It is a tiny place with a room that can be divided in two by using a removable wooden fence structure, a smaller room that is used for storage, napping and changing the babies diapers, and a kitchen.

The bathroom has four toilets and four sinks in a row (with no divider) which has led to some pretty hilarious experiences (like the first time I walked in there to just find two boys sitting, chatting, hanging out... and pooping, while about six or seven kids were just washing their hands not paying much attention to the five year old behind them wiping his butt). Bathroom activities are definitely not something kept private with these kids. For anyone wondering, the Tias (staff) have a separate bathroom that is more private. The outside area, referred to as the patio, has a bunch of play structures and beat up toys that the kids love playing with. There isn't a ton of space to run around, as it is all fenced in, but they make it work. The Jardin has some basic structure in terms of a general schedule (when the kids are inside, when they are outside, when they eat lunch, when they drink milk, etc.) but for the most part, every day brings a new surprise for me in just how unstructured it actually is.

We had a VE-wide meeting this morning where we were talking about our institutions and I made a comment about the Jardin that someone responded to with "you just love the Jardin!" And it is true, I do. I think that when I consider the resources they have available to them (which isn't much), the unknown future of the toma and therefore the jardin (everyone can be kicked out of the toma by the government in a minutes’ notice), and the poverty that these children live in I am just so impressed. Most of all though, I am amazed by the Tias and what they do every day. These Tias have been working there for an extremely long time- it is not an easy job, it is not a great job, and it requires incredible amounts of patience, motivation and most of all love. And every single day, I see just how much love these Tias have for the children at the Jardin. They really are incredible with them and it is easy to see just how much the children love the Tias back and respect them. 

And now that I have been at the Jardin for two months I understand how it is impossible to not love these children. I would confidently argue that they are the cutest, sweetest, most amazing kids in the entire world and they are my daily reminder as to how important the Jardin is and how much my help, and VE's help can matter.