Lots and lots of leña

Hi everyone!

The video from Cuarto Poder still isn´t on the internet, but I will let you know when it is. The casa´s website got over 400 hits from when it aired (Sunday at 8p.) until Monday morning. That is crazy! From what we´ve heard from Gil, the director, people have been contacting him internationally. He told the volunteers that many Peruvian citizens were moved by the fact that us volunteers have come from all over the world to help here and so few of the citizens here are willing to help their own people. Hopefully it will instill some movitivation in many of them to help some of their own people and organizations! Furthermore, while wondering through the streets here, people often ask where we´re from and why we´re here. When we mention that we are volunteers at Casa Hogar Los Gorriones, the reaction is so warm and heart felt, especially now that the program was aired on t.v. It seems like they are more accepting of us being here in their country and culture.

The ultimate goal of the program on television was to raise money to build a new casa for the children. The casa they are occupying now is being rented out. It works, but is run down and many of the children share twin size beds. I recently worked on translating a presentation on the construction plans and costs (just under $1 million USD total) from Spanish into English so Gil can explain and share where the money is needed to English speaking individuals. Some of you have expressed interest in helping out in some way and if you are interested in donating, let me know and I will add the information on the next blog. By no means am I trying to guilt you into donating, so please do not think that! Onlyif you are truly interested.

So, you are probably wondering, what is leña? Its Spanish for wood. Last night we came home from working on the translations to a truckload of wood. I used to complain to no end when my Dad would make me (okay, more so my brothers!) move the 100 logs in a wheel barrow about 100 yards. We are moving about 500 times as much and twice as far without and wheelbarrows! We all stood in an assembly line fashion and passed the wood along. French, Belgian, English, American, Peruvian, 7 years old to about 30 years old. Althoug it may seem like an overbearing task, it meant a lot to me and I sort of feel closer to everyone because of it. I would even go as far to say as I enjoyed it, but Dad don´t get any ideas because I will not drive home to help you do it. (Okay, so maybe I will for some dinner?) I didn´t get any photos of it, but one of the volunteers did and I am hoping to snag some of them before I leave.

As far as the volunteer work itself goes, its been great. With the little time I have, I am getting done what I can. The most recent road block (here its more like sheep in the road or vicious dogs biting my ankles) I´ve come across is that of the casa´s doctor. As I previously mentioned, many of the lupes have difficulty eating and swallowing, specifically Yacner. I made a plan for the señoritas and future volunteers to better feed him and the others with the little resources they have . Part of the plan includes no liquids right now, including mate, a fruit based tea that they drink after lunch. What Yacner really needs is to have a video swallow study done (an x-ray of him eating to see if he is or isn´t aspirating, aka things falling down the wrong tube) because he demonstrates so many symptoms of possible aspiration, especially after drinking liquids. The boy has had chronic lung congestion and infections for a very, very long time and for all you speech paths, he demonstrates EVERY other red flag of possible aspiration (gurgly voice/respiration after eating, finicky eating behaviors, coughing while eating from time to time, lack of a gag reflex.) I am in the process of finding out whether Ayacucho has access to the machines needed for this test, but dds are not on our side. He does seem to handle pureed foods relatively well and he is able to handle nectar to honey thick juices (aka Peru´s idea of a smoothie with milk and no ice) pretty well. If only we had access to this test! Or at the least, thickener for the mate. I apologize for all the speech pathology terms!

Anyways, the doctor who treats the chidren in the casa came the other day and told the señoritas that they should continue to give him mate and lots of liquids because he is such a sick child (once again for you speech paths, it figures!) I am trying to get ahold of the doctor to explain where I am coming from. I´d be nervous if it were an American doctor, but I am even more nervous to do it in another country in another country. In my heart, I know I can´t just leave it unsaid. I wouldn´t be doing justice to the little guy. The least I can do is try...

Well, we are off to move the leña from the front of the house to the back where it will be stored. Hi ho, hi ho, its off to work we go.....

Oh, and here are some pictures. Hope you enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=yp8utat.6oh7ad71&x=0&y=-qp57ya&localeid=en_US

Love you all!
Lauren