The day´s ins and outs

 So I have been in Sucre now for almost two weeks. I go to Nanta almost everyday and the medicine I brought from the states with me were greatly appreciated. It´s incredible how quickly the kids go through the multivitimins. Since there are more than enough people helping out in the infirmary, I have been spending the majority of my time at Nanta playing sports with the kids and taking notes on what the kids are eating.  There is not too much information on Bolivian diets, especially the lower class diets, in the states so I figured while I am down here I could start a food diary and interview the kids on what they are eating.

It has really been so much fun to see all the kids again and I have had such a good time playing in soccer games with them and watching their baseball games. Thanks to everyone who donated sports equiptment. The kids could not be happier with all the new gear available! Above and below I have posted some pictures.

 

 

I will not have much time to write in the next week. Tomorrow (Friday) I will be traveling to the countryside and on Tuesday I will be heading to the southern Bolivian town of Tupiza for five days. Then, the following weekend, I will head to Potosi and with luck will have the opportunity to dance in one of the city´s biggest festivals.

To be continued….

My second impression of Sucre, Bolivia

This trip has been really eye opening in a lot of ways. Having a pause in the States before revisiting Sucre has made me see the city in a new, more realistic light the second time around. I still love Sucre but I think all the initial magic along with my adventure high have worn off. Now, I feel more like a Sucrena just really living in Bolivia and less so of a volunteer visiting the country for the first time. I now find myself bargaining a lot more on cab prices when I take them although now I usually take micros -local buses- everywhere. I no longer settle for the “gringo” price or treatment, I expect to be treated as any Bolivian.

Right now, things are extremely tough on the people. The poorer you are, the worse. Everything has risen in price, from cabs to food to internet service. The price of bread has gone up almost 2 bolivianos since I left and meat is a luxary that not everyone can afford. When the dollar dropped it did not just affect North Americans it hit hard on a International level and the people hit the hardest were those in the poorest countries. Nanta is now spending  a lot more on food a week for the kids and now more than before, the organization is struggling to get funding.

Rising prices are not the only obstacle that many must face here, the political climate also seems to be getting worse. Boliva seems to be an even more divided country than before and outbreaks of violence against the government seem to be more frequent in its many citys. Yesterday, on the news, I watched several Bolivians from Santa Cruz beat up a police officer and a week ago I saw a man from Sucre openly insult two cops as he passed by with his two small children.

Taken Dec. 2007

There have also been far more strikes since I got here. When I first arrived all the public school teachers in Sucre were striking for higher wages and the kids did not have classes for a whole week. It is hard enough for the kids at Nanta to study, go to school, and hold a job starting at such young ages. On top of that, if you keep having your studies interupted by strikes, it is really hard to get ahead. This past tuesday, the campesinos put up blockades around the city, thus preventing transportation within and out of the city. Once again, the kids did not go to school. Yesterday, in some parts of Sucre the water was shut off from what I believe was a result of the bockades, but sometimes it is hard to tell.

Jampi Huasi, Ñanta

Since I got back in late April I have been eagerly awaiting and preparing for my visit back to Sucre and Nanta. The plan right now is to work in the infirmary for 2-3 weeks and then travel for 1-2 weeks. Heike, my friend who is a nurse from Germany will be working there too! I have been keeping in touch with a number of the kids at Nanta through facebook (which they started using this summer) and email and I can not wait to see them! While working, I got to know a number of the kids very well. Not just the sick or wounded would come into the infirmary. In fact, most often the kids would just stop in to chat, ask me questions or even help out. Eusevia, 9yrs, was my little enfermerita and would help cut gauze, sanitize tables, and make cotton balls for the future wounded.

Even though the kids are upbeat and happy most of the time, the lives they lead are extremely hard. Most of them worry about making money, getting food, going to school, and caring for their numerous siblings all at the young age of 8 or 9 yrs. Nanta really helps restore some of their childhood to them through numerous activities. The center also serves as a much needed escape, a place to wind down and get away from life’s many hardships. The kids refer to it as “casa Nanta” and i think for many of them, it is home. My description of Nanta does not do it justice so if you are interested in learning more, the website is really well done:

Centro Nanta

In the Jampi Huasi or infirmary, I found that what a lot of the kids wanted most was to be loved and be taken care of, especially the younger ones. Coming from families with 8 -12 siblings a lot of them were starved for attention so they would often come in with a “cut” that was not visible to the naked eye or a “dolor horrible de la barriga” after I had just seen them on the soccer court running around all day. This was their way of getting undivided attention without saying it directly.

However, some of the health issues of the children are very real. Most of them are malnourished, missing amounts of vitamin A, zinc, and calcium from their diets (info from Nanta nutrition report by Julie Heroux, Oxfam and article from news- medical.net).  Also, a lot of them have parasites from food being improperly prepared or foul water. Their hygiene is something to be reckoned with and makes them more prone to skin infection and warts. Giving the kids multivitamins can help but treating them with anti-parasitic medicine only goes so far as it is likely the kids will get them again. I’m afraid, water and food issues need to be addressed at a public health level before the parasite problem can really go away. As for improved hygiene which I focused on a lot the first time at Nanta, I found it was getting better among some kids. They were keeping their nails shorter and coming in to ask for soap to wash their hands. Not to mention, using the hand sanitizer all the time which they could not get enough of! Although I talked to them repeatedly on why it is important to have clean hands, it will take a long time for mindsets to change and new routines to develop. On top of that, most of them do not live in clean living conditions and do not have showers in their houses. If the kids are good about it, they use the showers at Nanta to wash once a week but how many kids as young as 7 year olds do you know that voluntarily take showers (let alone cold ones)?

The first thing the kids will probably ask me when I arrive is what I have brought for them? “Tienes regalos para mi,” they will say, and probably will not stop until I prove that I have in fact brought something. Luckily, the pharmacy where I used to work donated a lot of medicine to Nanta so I will be able to say “si, ya tengo algo para tu salud!” Now, nanta will be pretty well stocked with vitamins, calcium pills, antibiotic skin creams for impetigo, wart medicine, condoms, acne wash, hand sanitizer, etc. Not to mention my personal favorite, Dora, Batman, Scooby doo, and Hello kitty bandaides!

Back to Bolivia

Well, I am going back to Sucre, Bolivia Aug 9th- the day before Evo’s reelection/ or whatever it is.  I always seem to step into the middle of some huge, heated political event every time I go. First it was Noviembre Negro, now its the national elections.  This visit will only be for a month but who knows what can happen while I’m there. It is Bolivia! Although this visit will be short-lived, something tells me I am going to have a life long relationship with el corozon del Sur America. Yes folks, I think we have a keeper. I also decided not to give up on my blogging about this wonderful, sometimes frustrating, sometimes crazy, sometimes magical country. Why continue holabolivia? When trying to figure out what exactly will be happening there on Aug 10th, I came up pretty empty handed. Let’s just say the smog in Beijing is getting a lot more coverage than Bolivia has gotten all year. I have come across one good source for the latest news in Boliva and I highly recommend it:

Jim Shultz’s Blog from Bolivia

I guess I am just a huge fan of Bolivia and like all countries I know it has its problems but I have fallen in love with its good and its bad and I hope that others can learn a little more about it or at least put it on their map. I remember when I first told my friends I was going to Bolivia, a good number of them had no idea where in the world it was. To many here in the States it is an unknown country and with reason; it barely gets any news coverage, and it is never the setting for movies or well known books.  However, once you find it is very hard to let go! Nos vemos alla!!