Children in Santa Ana

The living conditions are so bleak and the people are in such poverty, that the government refuses to acknowledge it (The town is not on the map of Paraguay). We were all told that the town would be bad, but I really was not in store for what Santa Ana had to offer. The roads were not well paved, the rain was not properly drained, and the buildings were not upheld properly. But the biggest shock for me was when our group stopped in a soup kitchen, or comedor. But it was not for homeless adults like I might have imagined. They were kids. Some kids were comfortable enough to say a quick “Hola” or “Ciao,” but most of the children had looks of blank desperation and hopelessness – a stare that I will never forget. Just the fact that kids could not be fully supported by their guardians really impacted me. There do not seem to be any child service laws in this country. That experience today stuck out at me, and it made me realize how fortunate I was as a child to have the basic necessities to get by.

by Matt

Carapegua: The most pleasant memories come from my host family whose children were so curious about everything American. The six year old boy saying, wheres the chica!!

Amy’s Birthday

I stayed awake long enough to be able to identify every musical artist we both knew as well and then switch to English which they wanted to practice with me and had tutoring lessons on the weekends. I loved how excited the people were to be from Carapegua and how they enjoyed showing us all around and especially celebrating Amy’s birthday together at the local pizza place.

On the day we left they were sad that we didn’t stay longer and as they put on a final show for them I realized they knew how to make us feel so very welcomed and appreciated. Lasting impressions: I especially enjoyed working with the teachers and showing them interactive games to do with the students and share classroom management techniques as well.

Our turn to perform

I felt so alive and like the world became flat-as if we were like neighbors sharing coffee or mate (their drink, its a strong tea)together. We spent most of the time joking and playing games!!

Finally: Asuncion: We will begin working with the volunteers tomorrow and go tomorrow to Santa Ana, a very impoverished neighborhood. My impressions as I was being introduced around the area by the teenagers were overwhelming. Walking around was like stepping into a Dali painting, so surreal, in terms of the depth of poverty they live in, it had absolutely no feeling of normalcy.

To be continued…….

Barbara R. Vasco

Santa Ana Student

The living conditions are so bleak and the people are in such poverty, that the government refuses to acknowledge it (The town is not on the map of Paraguay). We were all told that the town would be bad, but I really was not in store for what Santa Ana had to offer. The roads were not well paved, the rain was not properly drained, and the buildings were not upheld properly.

But the biggest shock for me was when our group stopped in a soup kitchen, or comedor. But it was not for homeless adults like I might have imagined. They were kids. Some kids were comfortable enough to say a quick “Hola” or “Ciao,” but most of the children had looks of blank desperation and hopelessness – a stare that I will never forget. Just the fact that kids could not be fully supported by their guardians really impacted me. There do not seem to be any child service laws in this country. That experience today stuck out at me, and it made me realize how fortunate I was as a child to have the basic necessities to get by.

By Matt

Assembling bicycles

F.K. started his work in Zamia where WBR is now headquartered. WBR delivers its bikes to health care workers throughout the nine provinces of Zambia. The bikes enable health care workers to carry medical supples and medicine to Zambians in need of medical care. The bikes allow health care workers, who are all volunteers, to see many more patients than they possibly could on foot. Health care workers, who sign a two year contract to use the bicycles, can also use them for their own economic development and well-being.

Today we learned first hand the importance of bikes to the African community. In the morning, we visited the TATA factory to see how the bicyles are made and assembled. These are no ordinary bicycles. In F.K.’s words, they are ‘60 lbs of love’. These bikes are made of steel. They have a sturdy steel frame, one gear, thick tires, and a rack on the back that can hold up to 200 lbs. All the bicycles are made by hand by mechanics who are not paid but do receive training, a set of tools, a pair of overalls and a free bike. With these skills and tools, the mechanics have a useful trade and can support themselves by earning money to repair bikes in their local communities. The workers build approximately 45 bikes in a day.

Building a bike is no easy task as we learned later in the afternoon when we had the opportunity to build the bikes ourselves.

Priscilla tests the finished product

It was a bit daunting from the beginning. Laid out on the ground in front of us were the bike frames and all the parts that needed to be assembled: pedals, handle bars, fenders, kick stands, wheels, a bicyle seat, and many, many types of bolts and screws. In groups of three and four, we began assembling the bikes. It was a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. Luckily for us, five of the mechanics from the factory assisted us. With their help and encouragement, each group assembled 3 bicycles. We tested them out afterwards and can safely say that they all worked! It was a great feeling of accomplishment and all of us agreed that it was very labor intensive. It took anywhere from 1 to 1 ½ hours for us to assemble each bicycle. We certainly had a much greater appreciation for the mechanics who manage to make a minimum of 45 a day.

On Monday, we will personally deliver and ceremoniously present our 30 bikes to Monze, a rural community in southern Zambia. I have no doubt that our batch of ‘60 lbs of Love’ will be used to save lives.

P.S. It cost $109.00 to donate a bicycle.

By Priscilla Lund
(edited by Gaby Grebski)

Having settled in quite smoothly, we piled back into the bus, and were chanting "Ms. Jackson," "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," and other hip-hop favorites by the time the wheels were rolling. Our high spirits were somewhat tampered upon entering the skinny lane of the Changwe Compound, which exposed us to grim signs of poverty and pollution.

A PlayPump

But all was well again upon reaching the community school, where we had our first real-life encounter with one of the famed "PlayPumps". Though we already knew some about these water-pumping carousels, there was nothing like riding them ourselves to the sound of water getting chugged into the tanks overhead, as well as learning of how the school elaborated on the genius of the system—having spilt water from the faucet run into a fish pond, as opposed to just letting it dry up on the ground.

We were then greeted by our guide "K2" and the kindly nun "Sister Rita," who escorted us through the school and the nearby "Chawaniazocs" missionary. They aswered many of our questions on the site—how the school is managed, how its schedule is set up—and, in return, we were asked of our goals as a "LearnServe" group and how life in America is comparable to life in sub-Saharan Africa. After a few snapshots with the grinning kids we met, we were crammed back into the bus and drove away. Highlights of the return trip included hearing of the Zambian soccer team’s 1-0 triumph over Swaziland, and spotting a local hip-hop duo thrilling members of a local crowd.

Our journal reflections of that afternoon show that, though we’ve only been here a day, it feels like a whole week, thanks to the depth of knowledge and insight we’ve acquired on Zambian culture. Having gotten a first taste of the trip, it’s safe to say we’re all pumped up for more.

by Josh from Washington International School and Parry from SEED Public Charter School