The orphanage

There is a total of 42 kids in this orphanage. Most of them are over two-years-old. The group that I am working with is 0 to 6 months. There are nine babies in a little room. And that is baisicly their life. They rearly leave the room and I am pretty sure that the only fresh air that they get is from the open windows. It stinks that we can´t take them out for walks but I understand that bringing them outside could be a safety issue.

Most of the kids there were left by their parents because they just don´t have the means to take care of them. A few of them, this is really sad, where just left at the hospital after their mothers had them. They just left their babies there. It breaks my heart. One of the little boys in my group was abandond by his mother and the hospital has kept him there for over a month now. I am not sure they have the proper papers and funding in place for him but the nurses are just so in love with him.

Today I saw a young dad there waiting to take his son home. He looked so afraid, but relived as well. What an ordeal for a family to endure.

The older kids are all downstairs. There is a huge play area with an opened roof where they spend most of their day. I don´t work with them because my spanish is still really bad. Maybe I will come back here. It is a nice thought now, but I know I probably wont.

Well I am off to dinner with some other students, and I may not get to write again until Monday. I am spending the weekend at the beach with Alison. We are just going to stay at a hostel and veggitate on the beach all weekend. I cant wait! I'll miss the kids though.