By Ali Unger
VE Volunteer from New York, USA
I am volunteering at a place that we refer to just as the Jardín but which has a longer name that I only recently learned is a type of tree. The Jardín is a day care in a Toma (an informal settlement) that cares for on average 20 children from ages one to seven during the day while their parents are at work (the number of kids changes on a hourly basis). It is a tiny place with a room that can be divided in two by using a removable wooden fence structure, a smaller room that is used for storage, napping and changing the babies diapers, and a kitchen.
The bathroom has four toilets and four sinks in a row (with no divider) which has led to some pretty hilarious experiences (like the first time I walked in there to just find two boys sitting, chatting, hanging out… and pooping, while about six or seven kids were just washing their hands not paying much attention to the five year old behind them wiping his butt). Bathroom activities are definitely not something kept private with these kids. For anyone wondering, the Tías (staff) have a separate bathroom that is more private. The outside area, referred to as the patio, has a bunch of play structures and beat up toys that the kids love playing with. There isn’t a ton of space to run around, as it is all fenced in, but they make it work. The Jardín has some basic structure in terms of a general schedule (when the kids are inside, when they are outside, when they eat lunch, when they drink milk, etc.) but for the most part, every day brings a new surprise for me in just how unstructured it actually is.
We had a VE-wide meeting this morning where we were talking about our institutions and I made a comment about the Jardín that someone responded to with “you just love the Jardín!” And it is true, I do. I think that when I consider the resources they have available to them (which isn’t much), the unknown future of the toma and therefore the jardín (everyone can be kicked out of the toma by the government in a minutes’ notice), and the poverty that these children live in I am just so impressed. Most of all though, I am amazed by the Tías and what they do every day. These Tías have been working there for an extremely long time- it is not an easy job, it is not a great job, and it requires incredible amounts of patience, motivation and most of all love. And every single day, I see just how much love these Tías have for the children at the Jardín. They really are incredible with them and it is easy to see just how much the children love the Tías back and respect them.
And now that I have been at the Jardín for two months I understand how it is impossible to not love these children. I would confidently argue that they are the cutest, sweetest, most amazing kids in the entire world and they are my daily reminder as to how important the Jardín is and how much my help, and VE’s help can matter.