I've been home for some time, and again, it was my intention to update the whole blog again, but, as you all likely know, LIFE HAPPENS. The kids missed me, Mr. Delusional did too, and the schoolwork wasn't going away. However, now that things have calmed down (a little) and I've gotten back into the swing of things in "real life" I decided (after a bit of nudging by my instructor no less) to finish the blogging about this trip.
So, I'm just going to review my thoughts/feelings about each of the centers that we visited - not all of them are positive. I'll include links, where possible, to each place. Also, I'll write another blog post about my general thoughts of the Practicum Tour in general.
So, here are the places we visited:
- Feed the Hungry - wow, this organization is unbelievable...from simply providing (healthy) food to the children in and around San Miguel de Allende, they also provide scholarships for those children to continue on with their education, are implementing a library program and building community resource centers. Anyhow - not only are they providing the food for the students, but teaching the parents about nutrition, and implementing programs like community gardens and the like. Also, the kitchens themselves are manned (or womaned, ha!) by local women - so Feed the Hungry is then also providing work opportunities for women, too. I love this organization! If you love it too, you can click here to go to their donation page
- Casa Hogar Santa Julia - This place was gorgeous, the girls were just as beautiful, and the madres were pretty cool too. They are certainly providing for those girls, and they definitely have need (clothes, money, donations, etc) but -- I just didn't "get" it. Only girls are allowed in, so not only are they torn away from their parents, but also any male siblings too. When we took the girls to the swim park, my charges grabbed my camera...at first, I thought it was a desire to take pictures, but they wanted to see the pictures...she told me she wanted to look for her brother. Broke. My. Heart. Also, we brought our donations (there were a LOT, thank you to everyone who brought something for me to take!); they brought in some girls, pulled out a few items for them to "ooh" and "ah" over, and then had us pose with a child and a donation...it felt too contrived for me. I understand that some donors like/want/crave that - but for me, it was off-putting. However, these girls ARE being helped, so don't think it's all negative. If you'd like to help them too, click here for their donation page.
- Casa Ayuda - This is the place that eventually took my heart. They were so fantastic here, much like Santa Julia, Casa Ayuda took in children, but they refused to break up the brother/sister combos. As his household expanded, Victor saw the need for early education in his community. He built a preschool/kindergarten. Then, there was a need for elementary, so they added on to that....when we were visiting, the framework was up for middle/high school area (but they'd run out of money, so it's been put on hold for a bit). I'm currently working on finding the complete mailing address for Casa Ayuda....but in the mean time, you can find them on Facebook, perhaps if your Spanish is better than mine, you'll get the information before I do! EDIT: I've got an address!!
Casa Ayuda
San Gabriel 13
Colonia Providencia
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Tel 154 7688
- CASA - (the website is down right now, sorry!) - this place is fantastic too. They have such a variety of programs: community center, maternity hospital, family health clinic, Midwifery program (includes Mexico's only government-accredited school of midwifery - too cool!!), Daycare (for children up to 6 yrs), a library and a counseling/anti-violence program. The whole place is really fantastic, and once the website is up, I'll post it. In the mean time, if this is a place that you'd like to donate to, you can send your checks/cheques payable to: San Miguel-CASA, Inc.
Address is: PMB, 220 N. Zapata Highway, Ste. 11
Laredo, TX 78043-4464
- Casa de Los Angeles - This is essentially a free daycare for women in need. When I was there, there were children as young as 3 weeks (the one that I fell in love with was there since he was just 2 days old!!) all the way up to 6 years. Okay, there were a few older ones because it was still Easter Break and moms had to work and had no place for their older children. I'm amazed at the good work being done at this place as well, I wish that I'd had more time to spend there, but 2 hours was all I got. :( Some of the other lucky girls got to go back for a second day... Anyhow - they are also desperate for donations, if you'd like to do so, click here. (ps, you can also volunteer to work there! Sweet!)
- Colegio Rudolf Steiner - this is a Waldorf based program and it is amazing. Sure, the kids that go here pay a tuition for it, but it is, never the less, an absolutely amazing place. When I first walked in and got the tour, I thought "my, this is a little crunchy" but after sitting in on a morning class with the kindergarteners, I was hooked. I saw design elements, teaching strategies, and programming that I want to bring over into my own dayhome. It's really fantastic and quite an interesting philosophy.
- A center that I didn't get to go to (I was visiting the Waldorf school) was Centro de Crecimiento. From what I've heard, this place was also very moving for the students who went there...they certainly didn't stop talking about it! In my limited time in Mexico, I didn't see anyone with a disability - at all. I'm not sure what, if anything, culture has to do with that. Anyhow, Crecimiento is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with disabilities. If you'd like to donate, you can click here.
