Colombia - Start in 'Hogar de María'

Hello dear people

With this blog, I want to share my photos with you. You will find explanations directly with individual pictures.

For those who want to know more, feel free to read on...

Since January 10th, I have been living in a children's home for girls who come from difficult circumstances. The home was originally founded by Swiss nuns (Beata María Caridad Brader) and is still run by Franciscan sisters today.

The city of Pasto

The 'Hogar de María' is located in the city of Pasto, in southern Colombia. At an altitude of 2,500m, the air is rather fresh (and the climate is unpleasant ;-) and thanks to the sparse hours of sunshine, I am still as pale as a cheese ;-( When the sun is finally out though, I immediately get sunburned...

The city itself is unspectacular and rather quiet. The number of drug addicts is noticeable. Since personal drug consumption was legalized in Colombia six years ago, the number of addicts has multiplied...

In addition, in Pasto, you experience the flow of refugees from Venezuela up close. Many are on their way to Ecuador. There is no help from the state. The visibly exhausted people have to help themselves and make a living by selling sweets.

In any case, I enjoy the privilege (in contrast to volunteers in other parts of the world) that I can move around freely here and come and go as I please.

In the home, up to 30 girls can be accommodated. Unfortunately, currently only 23 children live here, aged between 6-14 years.

My tasks? Accompanying the children in their daily lives, playing with them, supporting them with their homework, especially with English. I also help in the kitchen every day and participate in everything that happens here.

Since the end of March, I have also taken over the English lessons for the 1st and 2nd graders at the nearby private school. My class has 38 students whom I teach for two hours every Friday. It should be known that the teachers do not speak a word of English, but it is part of the curriculum. English can only be learned at the university here, the previous levels of schooling are a waste of time.

Back to the Children's Home...

The girls are well taken care of by the social worker and the psychologist, who are present at the home every day.

My 'colleagues' also include two teachers or caregivers, the cook, the gardener, the accountant, and the five sisters.

The girls are wonderful and I enjoy being with them very much. Despite tragic stories and traumas, I see them as supportive and empathetic. They make great efforts to cope with the tasks of everyday life...

...and that is not so easy here. The girls have a highly structured daily routine. The focus is on education, which I generally think is great. However, in my opinion, play and fun are somewhat neglected.

Every day is different. It never gets boring and so much happens that I don't even try to write it all down. Therefore, I don't write detailed reports and mainly use this blog to share the pictures.

                      *** THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST ***