This week’s blog post comes to us from Team Leader Emily Silva.
We went to our first orphanage yesterday and today. Our new driver Seth has mastered the art of backing up a van full of people up the steep embankment of the dirt hill there…I’m quite proud of him. We lugged our supplies into the front of the office as the kids ran out to greet us. There are 11 children total here and there is really no need to tell you about their “adorableness”…of course they are cute. We have partnered with an organization comprised of UVU students called the Child’s Hope group in this project for the next two weeks and they are awesome. Such hard working and sweet girls. The kids loove them. We are really enjoying our time.
I taught my first women’s health class today to the two oldest girls in the group. I have been designing this class for months now and was so eager to finally try it out! I was a bit nervous how it would go over but I was so happy with the results. Each girl responded differently but the language barrier proved to be really nothing much and they had so many questions. Both girls had never heard of menstruation and what happens to your body when you begin to grow up, before. They were amazed at the information I fed them and I was so grateful to have made a small difference in their lives by explaining the basics of womanhood. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have those things happen to a young girl and not have a mother to go to! I have never taken my sweet momma for granted, but I most definitely do not do so now as I look into these young girl’s faces. I gave each of them one of our Days for Girls kits, taught them how to use the re-usable pads and how to take care of their kits so that they can last up to 3 years.
It took us two days, but we were successfully able to get through all of the social worker interviews with each child and also the separate interviews with the directors and house mother of the orphanage. It was long and it was hot but I’ve never had so much fun playing duck duck goose in my whole life. The simplest joys light up their faces and it warms my heart to have made my small contribution to those stinkin cute smiles.
– Emily