“Is everything forbidden us except to fold our arms? Poverty is not written in the stars; under development is not one of God’s mysterious designs.”
What are the impacts, both positive and negative, that NGO’s/non-profits have in developing countries?
The theme of the day was Aid & Development, which mainly consisted of us going to the non-profit organization, NutreHogar, whose goal is to treat young children with malnutrition. It was our opportunity to observe the workplace, serve the children and employees in any tasks and roles that they needed help with, and research the more impacting changes that could be made through our Community Action Project (CAP).
Maruquel, the administrator of the organization, gave us much insight as to what a day in the center looks like and answered all of our questions about what the needs of the community and center are. Many of the staff work 48 hours straight and are in charge of cooking meals three times a day, accompanying and caring for the children at all hours, and generally cleaning and running the whole operation. Other tasks are bathing the children and ensuring they don’t get sick (or taking care of them even more attentively if they do). A big challenge is trying to ensure that the limited staff can perform all these tasks daily and continually. It is not unheard of for some of them to work 72 or 98 hours in a week. Being in the NutreHogar center provided a much needed insight as to how these individuals try and create a difference in the community by putting others before themselves.
The quote and question of the day were demonstrated through the rawness of the experience and in learning about the dedication of the women and men in this organization. There is certainly more that can be done by the community to support the cause, but the people of NutreHogar are not waiting for help in the meantime. The impact is shown through the high success rate of each child and the program as a whole. We were proud to learn and help and excited to deliver on our project.
The Global Glimpse group demonstrated courage when some students volunteered to sweep, mop, and scrub the kitchen as the other students attended personally to the adorable children. We demonstrated compassion through our cautious dedication in holding, playing, and feeding each child and making sure that they had a wonderful time. Lastly, we demonstrated commitment today by choosing project ideas for our CAP project that would not only be beneficial but sustainable.
Big Love! We would first like to give Big Love to the kitchen staff at Hotel Piamonte for ensuring we have enjoyable meals every day! We would also like to give Big Love to Amy, Bryan, and Montana for keeping us on track throughout the day. It helped maintain our focus in leading this amazing group.
Before we go, we would like to highlight the incredible activity we held tonight before our Nightly Meeting. To our surprise, we walked into the main room set up by our leaders which consisted of a darkened room lit by candlelight. After working on biographical poems called “My People” during the day, we sat in a circle and shared our stories. It led to many tears and a closer community. It was a great example of the 3 C’s. After closing the session with hugs and laughs, we finished the night addressing our theme of the day with some discussion on the United States and its influence and support outside of its own borders. We agreed that Global Glimpse offered a better way of discovery, design, and delivery in that process.
We have now passed the torch to Julia and Kaitlyn for our first FREE DAY and are heading to sleep! We hope to talk our families and friends tomorrow and the coming days.
Sincerely,
José and Leslie
Hey Bryan!
It’s been great reading about all of the various experiences and moments of learning you’ve encountered so far during your time in Las Tablas. As you know, teaching can be quite the difficult, yet rewarding endeavor and I’m proud of you and the group for rolling with the punches and working to ensure that you have a positive impact on the community.
It also sounds like you have been fully committed to breaking out of your comfort zone and seeing the realities of entrepreneurship in challenging circumstances. Be sure to take lots of pictures during your CAP to share upon your return!
As you know, the human and cultural connections you make on this trip are among the most valuable aspects of GG, so continue to strive toward establishing them at every turn. Pero la cosa mas importante es a disfrutar el viaje!
Mucha suerte y respecto,
Stegeman
Jose and Leslie, thank you for your informative blog. Participating in Notrehogar must have been very impactful. I am interested in learning more about this organization. It will be exciting to hear more about your CAP project. So proud of all your work.
Love this post and the insight you are all gaining day by day, realizing how difficult life can be and sharing the 3 C’s inside all of you with those in need. Amy, thanks for calling on Father’s Day! It meant so much to Dad! Continue to share your big heart and show your gratitude! We’ll see you in about a week 💕
Love the posts, thank you!
Annakari, Dad got the message, he was training. It’s hour 48 of 96 for him, so he loved hearing your voice.