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Volunteer Challenge - Work with Children - Cochabamba - BoliviaThe project consists of about 70 children and teens from 2 to 18 years old. About 40 children live in the children's village located in a small valley in the outskirts of Cochabamba...
Project Name: Orphanage in Cochabamba Location: Cochabamba - Bolivia Project Area: Community Development Minimum length of stay at project: 2 weeks Maximum length of stay at project: No Maximum Maximum number of volunteers: 2 Volunteers at the same time. Summary of project : The urge for help some of the orphans and abandoned children were the basis for the idea of starting this children's village in Cochabamba. Children's Village was built up as a humanitarian work with funding from a Norwegian TV Campaign in 1983. The planning began in 1979 began and it took a long time because of several changes of government in the country. In 1984 the project building started and in October 1985 the first child moved into the village. The official opening took place in spring 1986. The project celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011. Currently the project consists of about 70 children and adolescents from 2 to 18 years old. About 40 children live in the children's village that has a location in a small valley in the outskirts of Cochabamba. The children are divided into 4 houses with about 10 children each where they live with a woman who is called the mother of the house. Two youth homes, one for girls and one for boys, was built around 1990 and designed to accommodate children who move out of the village children, and to learn to stand on its own. The Orphanage has about 37 children from 2 to 13. Once boys are 14 they move to the boy’s residence. At the boys homes they stay until they are 18-20 years. Currently there are a few teenage girls, so most of them stay at the children residence, primarily because it is safer for the girls to live in the houses built in the Children's Village. There, they assist Mums in the houses to help the younger children with practical things. After a long period of nationalization in the country, all employees are now Bolivians. The staff currently consists of:
Usually there are 10 salaried employees in the Village. Volunteers All year long the project is open to travelers from several countries to be shorter or longer time in the Village as volunteers. This is a great way for children to become familiar with another culture, learn Spanish, but first of all be to support and help for children and young people in the Village. Financing Economically children are completely dependent on the village which founds come from sponsors and voluntary donors. Resource Group Because almost 90% of the operating budget is funded by Norwegian and Swedish sponsor money, the Orphanage is entirely dependent on the coordination of work between Bolivia and Norway. Therefore, in 2003 was created a resource of 5 permanent members with primary responsibility for follow-up, correspondence, management of a variety of practical matters and at all provided support and assistance for the Village. Since the Orphanage is a fully nationalized project the staff are only Bolivians, then it is a great need for close monitoring. Therefore, a group of travel agents for resources travel to Bolivia twice a year to have conversations with the staff, participate in board meetings and annual general meeting. Orphanage’s main purpose is to: 1.-Promote an internal human development based on Christian principles. 2.-Receive and take care of boys, girls, teens and children who are orphaned and abandoned, give them a permanent substitute family so they can live in an environment that meets their spiritual and material needs. 3.-Provide security for the residents of the village and develop educational programs leading to a technical or university education according to their abilities and interests. 4.-Ensure that their entry into the social and community life as citizens, contributing to the development of their environment. To put all together: The project wants to give the children a home characterized by security and love, where they have covered the basic needs, the schooling and education so that they can establish themselves as adults and independent, good citizens who make a positive contribution to their country. Sponsors The Orphanage needs more sponsors to help them to help children and young people in the Orphanage. All donations have to be done directly to the orphanage upon arrival. Working hours and days: Normally volunteers work 4 to 5 hours a day from Monday to Friday. Most of the children attend to school in the morning’s only 3 to 5 children stay at the village in the mornings so Volunteers can work in the afternoons from 14:00pm to 18:00pm helping children with homework, teaching English, art crafts, playing games, coaching sports, etc. There are workshops from 18:00 to 21:00pm and volunteers can get involved too. There is equipment for the following workshops:
Note: Some of the workshops would requiere a volunteer to stay for at least 12 weeks. Suggested resources to be brought from home: Everything that volunteers could bring from home is very welcome, like clothes, stationery, musical instruments, sports stuff, etc. Because we guess that you may like to bring as less baggage as possible then we recommend if you are thinking about buying some stuff before to come to instead bring that money with you and buy them in Bolivia since we know that anything that you would buy in your country is going to be cheaper in Bolivia plus the weight that you would carry on with you to travel would reduce giving you more comfort in your trip. However if you are planning to bring second hand stuff we are sure that the kids will appreciate it much. Other important point’s: Volunteers do not need to be Catholic or Christian, but they need to be very respectful with the project’s religion. Volunteers must love children and be open mind, creative, enthusiastic, patient and flexible and be warn that there is a difficult and different reality at the orphanage and in Bolivia in general so you need to understand and accept this differences with optimism and kindness. Requirements:
Previous experience necessary: None, all you need is to love children. Level of Spanish required: Beginners are ok, but it is recommended to learn as much Spanish as possible before coming in order to make your stay more enjoyable and also to be of more help.
Minimum or Maximum age: 16 years old, but also families with younger children are accepted as volunteers. Male or Female: Both Transport Arrangements: Transport from Accommodation to project: Volunteers need to take a bus to the project normally it takes from 15 to 20 minutes. NOTE: The coordinator of the program would take the volunteer to the project the first day and pay for the transport and introduce the volunteer to the staff any transport other transport is not included in the project fee. Accommodation: Volunteers would stay with a Bolivian family and there may be other volunteers at the house. The family is committed to serve you with 3 meals a day they are breakfast, lunch and dinner, the food is mainly Bolivian (they would not cook special menus for the volunteers, the dishes contain vegetables, rice or noodles and/or potatoes, sometimes red meat, chicken or fish) so vegetarians shouldn’t have any problem with the dishes you can just ask the family to not serve any meet in your dish. The main Bolivian meal is lunch so breakfast would be in most cases a cup of tea or coffee, a piece of bread with butter or jam and milk, lunch would contain some meet, cereals/grains, carbohydrates and a glass of juice or water. Dinner would be a soup or salad or a sandwich with a drink.
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