Hola familia y amigos! This is Lindsey Bilick and Avika Garg! We have officially passed the halfway point of this trip!

Today, July 25^th, was Deconstructing Poverty Day, one of the most emotional days for us. We visited the Constanza Dump, split into groups, and got to speak with the many workers and residents there. They told their stories, hopes, and dreams, showcasing their struggles and hardships of living in poverty. Seeing the children rummaging through the trash really opened our eyes to the meaning of a developing country.

After taking our much-needed showers, we made our way to CECAINI, a school for low income children. There, we met Pastor Gamalier, one of the teachers who teaches physical education. He told us the challenges children face with the lack of parental participation. With many of the attending students living near or in the dump, this school was created to give a small foundation of education. We were able to see that kids today are the future and that education is a MUST. Later, to lighten the mood, we painted and drew with the cute kids!

Lastly, to end the day, we had our third English tutoring lesson! Today was definitely one of the most successful, in that we connected even more with the kids. With the last two classes coming up, we are excited to leave a lasting impact on our kids.

As the day of us being LDD comes to an end, we reflect on everything we have learned and what we will take to the future.

To all our family and friends!  We miss you and love you!

-Lindsey and Avika 🙂