Replacing Roofs at the Orphanage

(homework cabaña)

Hola!

For the past few months we have had the incredible privilege of volunteering in the amazonian city of Riberalta, Bolivia, with the NGO, Sustainable Bolivia, where together we worked closely with a local orphanage, Cristo te Salva. The guardians of the home, Andres and Jessica Galarza, welcomed us into the lives of the children with total respect and generosity-- there we shared meals, played soccer, picked mangos, helped with homework, but mostly, dedicated ourselves to developing creative projects with the 23 children of the home. Creatively, we engage the kids in drawing and artmaking via approaches that open them up to their own artistic inclinations. This means, first and foremost, having fun with drawing, exploring materials, and letting go of notions of “good” or “bad” art. Currently, the children are in the process of finishing their own personal diaries so each child has a little outlet of their own for writing, drawing, etc.

Their home, though, is in a desperate position at the moment. Repairs are badly needed on two central roofs: those of the homework cabaña and the kitchen. With the rainy season now well underway, our collective efforts to repair the roofs before November are very behind schedule. This means that Cristo te Salva is at daily risk of inundation. On days with heavy rain, the cabaña floods and the children cannot work as usual; in the case of the kitchen roof, rain water threatens to spoil food supplies, especially bulk items like rice and flour that are meant to provide for months of meals.

As volunteers and friends of Cristo te Salva, these repairs are critical to our responsibilities at the home. The primary function of our role at Cristo te Salva is to aide with the continued wellbeing and development of the home in any way possible and at the moment, the best way we can do that is by addressing their most dire issues at hand. Without our fundraising, Andres and Jessica, who showed us the utmost love and generosity, may have to endure the rainy season totally exposed to its dangers.

We, Esther and Addison, are privileged to come from financially stable communities back in the US and Belgium. Our privilege is also our asset in this case: we are asking our friends and family to please consider giving something toward our goal of $3500. With this money we hope to cover the total cost of repair and maintenance to ensure that the rainy season can no longer threaten the continued wellbeing of our children and friends at Cristo te Salva. 

We couldn't say how much we would be grateful to you for donating. 

Thank you & muchas gracias !

(kitchen)