Volunteer Blog

Dr. Ofir and Dr. Estelle (almost)

Hey, we are Ofir and Estelle, two volunteers from Israel.  We spent two wonderful weeks volunteering for the "Angels of Hope Foundation" in the Chapare region in Bolivia, and we want to share our experience with you...

We have been married for almost 2 years and we are now travelling in South America after graduating from medical school in Israel (almost doctors).

At first when we got to Villa Tunari, we didn't plan on staying there too long.  We had thoughts of volunteering in a hospital elsewhere in Bolivia where we figured we could help more professionally.  Still, for pure curiosity, we visited the project and the minute we saw the people and the amazing things they do there we knew that we were staying.

During our volunteering period we worked in the Clinic at the school, with the local doctor, Dr. Ramiro.  The clinic gives free medical attention to the kids in the school, their families, and basically to whom ever needs it.  Professionally speaking the work in the clinic was very interesting.  We were exposed to tropical and third world medicine, things that we don't usually see in western world medicine.  We helped tend to patients with malnutrition, typhoid fever, dengue fever, various skin infections, other infectious diseases and a lot more.  We also helped in the general work of the foundation like feeding the kids, riding the bus, helping in the construction work etc.

We had an amazing experience, getting to know the kids, seeing the way they live, getting to know their families and trying to help them in any way we can.  If you have any questions about our volunteering  period, we would be more than happy to answer you.  Our e-mail addresses are: alalufo@gmail.com and estelle_seyman@yahoo.com.

Roye and Inbar

As I look back now on my decision to come to this program a smile comes to my face.  Remembering the many thoughts that went through my head about whether or not I should stay makes me laugh.  Finally deciding to commit and volunteer was definately one of the best decisions of my trip...

While I worked in the project I had a chance to meet incredible teachers, work around the kids, help with major building projects, and meet amazing people-locals as well as foreign.  The experience of guarding 140 children on the bus while it takes them to their homes in the jungle was absolutely the most authentic and eye-opening experience in my trip.  Add to it the beauty of the place, the "priviledge" of staying two weeks in the same place (which is very important when you are far away from home for a long time), the trips in the area, and the amusing Spanish lessons with Jose Antonio-I couldn't have asked for more.  So thank you Michael, Brent, Amanda, and all the staff for letting me be a part of your dream.

Inbar Kupersmidt May 2006
Israel 

Emma and Nida, Mario's daughter

9th March 2006

We flew into Cochabamba airport from La Paz at 7.30 a.m. and got a taxi from there to the bus station.  Unfortunately it was the wrong bus station so we rang Michael and got directions to give to our next taxi driver.  This guy was a little old man and an extremely imaginative driver who offered to drive us all the way to VillaTunari and, although we considered it for a minute, we decided we'd better stick to the original plan (which we were glad about when we saw the mountain roads, as he nearly crashed three times on the way to the bus station!).

We'd been told to travel to Villa Tunari with a bus company called 7 de junio but when we went to their kiosk we were informed that they didn't have any buses at all for some reason we couldn't fathom, so we went with another company, 14 de septiembre (the bus companies for some reason are all named after dates - they also have 'interesting' pictures of women inside).  When we arrived at the Castillo Michael told us that we would have been the first gringas on that bus for years, if ever!

The bus journey was unnerving and tiring, although the people were perfectly nice if a little perplexed by our presence.  The scenery was amazing but the roads were at times extremely precarious.  The bus driver was thankfully very cautious and used his brakes almost constantly for the five hours it took us to arrive.  The bus stopped about four times for food and toilets, although mostly people went to the toilet by the side of the road.  Everytime the bus stopped campesinos would come running up to the windows carrying little plastic bags with refrescos (squash) or rice with chicken or fish to sell to the passengers for a few bolivianos.

The bus journey from Cochabamba on the big coaches takes five hours, on the micros (mini-buses) it takes three.  The drivers of the big coaches tend to be more cautious than those of the micros, who are very fond of overtaking, even (or especially) on precarious roads round corners.  I haven't seen an accident yet but other people I've met have seen buses just going over the sides of the roads.  These accident blackspots often have crosses erected to mark the place - unfortunately when drivers go past these they cross themselves, which means that they drive through the most dangerous places with only one hand on the wheel!  At times when you look out of your window on the wider buses all you can see is the view down which does make you wish you hadn't looked (although I always poked Sam and showed her for the comedy reaction...)!

We stopped at the main police checkpoint halfway through the journey and the police/soldiers got on board to check everybody's i.d.cards and yellow fever certificates.  Anyone without a certificate was given an injection then and there on the side of the road.  Sam says that if she'd known she wouldn't have bothered paying for it in England...personally I would rather not get forcibly vaccinated with a probably used needle by a scary soldier at the side of the road.  I'm pretty sure they wouldn't give you a lollipop afterwards, let alone a pat on the head.

They asked to see our passports so we gave them photocopies but they insisted on seeing the real thing, which they promptly relieved us of, leaving us extremely nervous because of all the horror stories we'd heard.  Fortunately they gave them back without incident and the bus ambled on.  Half of the road from Cochabamba to Villa Tunari (which is the main road of the country) is paved flat, some is cobbled and a fair bit is speckled with rocks from recent landslides.  If all of the road was paved the journey would probably take less than two hours.

At the start of the journey I'd asked a woman in my pidgin Spanish to tell us when we got to the Castillo - all we knew was that it was after Villa Tunari.  She assured me that she would tell us, however when we got to Villa Tunari I asked her again and she said she had no idea!  Fortunately at the next stop we had to get off - it was another police checkpoint so everybody had to.  A ferocious looking female soldier asked us where we were going, we told her and she asked us who we were seeing there so, worried, we told her 'Michael' - at which point she laughed, said 'I'll get him for you' and rand across the road to what turned out to be The Castillo...

Emma Feely
England

(Emma and Sam came to the Castillo together.  During their stay they looked after four orphans who were staying with us.  We are not an orphanage, but these girls needed a place to stay for a while and we couldn't turn them away.  Emma tells about their journey to Villa Tunari and Sam follows with the rest of their story.  *Emma and Sam enjoyed a once in a lifetime occurance.  Their story is unique to the stories of the rest of our volunteers.  We do not accept orphans on a regular basis and there is no chance of volunteers working with orphans in the future.)

Sam and Nelly at the Girl´s First Birthday Party

I spent six weeks with the foundation in March and April 2006 and had a unique experience. Amongst other things whilst I was there I helped to paint a kiosk from where the local women could sell their handicrafts, worked serving meals at the foundation and helped to improve the Castillo where many of the volunteers lived.  However most of my time was spent with four orphan girls who arrived at the Castillo just a few days before my friend and I.  

A few hours after our arrival Michael invited us out on a shopping trip for Eliana, 14, Delina, 12, Olga, 9, and Nelly, 6, who owned only the clothes they were wearing. They had been passed through three orphanages before arriving in Villa Tunari. We helped them each choose two tops and two pairs of trousers from a second hand clothes stall in a market a few miles away from Villa Tunari and this was the beginning of our friendship. 

For the first two weeks I worked in the Castillo while Nelly went to lessons at the foundation and the other girls simply spent their days in the Castillo. In spite of our limited Spanish, and non-existent Quechua, I and my friend got to know the girls better. They loved playing with my digital camera and playing games, especially when they were being chased. Nelly was a very sweet little girl who quickly gained confidence and was loved by everyone who met her, Olga was the tomboy and was very independent, Delina was quiet at first but slowly began to show affection and Eliana liked to play rough but was very caring and looked after her sisters.

It was then decided I and my friend, Emma, would be responsible for looking after them, with Michael, which the girls were happy about. Shortly after that we decided they needed some structure and began to school them in geography, handwriting, reading and math which they really enjoyed. We were also responsible for ensuring the girls got fed by taking them to the foundation three times a day.  Eventually though they were successfully enrolled into a nearby school in Chipiriri and we had a fantastic day taking them shopping for their books and stationery and the first new clothes and shoes they had ever owned. 

The following weekend we gave the girls the first birthday party they had ever had. None of them knew when their birthdays were so we held a celebration for all of them. A few days later we discovered the girls had been accepted into a home in Cochabamba for children who have been sexually abused. We went with them and coincidentally we had decided to leave the Castillo the same weekend to continue our travels. Thankfully it was a really nice place. They were sad to leave the Castillo and there were a lot of tears but it was the best place for them and it helped that their friends from the Castillo will be able to visit them and vice versa.

It was a very special experience and one which I shall not forget.

Samantha

England