Daily Life for the Next Year

I’ve been asked many times what I’m going to be doing while I’m in Bolivia. Every time I respond, I feel like I’m making an educated guess at best. I’ve had enough employers to know that job descriptions only give a vague idea really. Daily life always ends up looking different that the paper summary I was handed.

Nevertheless, I’m really excited about the summary that I have been given. It fits my talents and interests and should be just enough variety to keep life interesting.

Assignment Description

Talita Cumi Children's Home is a residence facility for orphaned or abandoned children. It is located in a neighborhood that includes families of low and moderate income. Recent construction to the facilities includes new rooms for boys, volunteer housing and an enclosed kitchen and dining area. There is a small patio for outdoor games. At times, the children leave the facilities to play in a large open area nearby. Children range in age from preschool through adolescent (boys to age 12 only). School age children attend school for a  day either in the morning or afternoon. The home is governed by a board of directors and is supported, in part, by the only English-speaking church in Santa Cruz, which is attended mostly by N. American and British workers from various mission agencies who live and work in Santa Cruz. Because of these mission agency connections, various work groups come for short periods of time to help with Bible School type activities with the children or other projects at the home. This SALT assignment will include both caring for the children as well as work with the sponsorship program and occasionally working with visiting work groups. Work hours are 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, though alternate schedules are often arranged later in the year. The SALTer will live with a Bolivian host family.

Duties

·General emotional and physical nurture of children including everything from monitoring head lice to disciplining fairly, from providing bathroom assistance to giving hugs and affirmation

·Provide homework assistance and structure to school age children, work with preschoolers to learn numbers, colors, etc.

·Play with the children informally and in organized groups.

·Work with sponsorship program: coordinating mailing and distribution of brochures, profiling- pairing of sponsor and child email communication with sponsors, translating child/sponsor correspondence, updating pictures, assisting with newsletter depending on skills