Experiencias - Voluntaria de Winay en Carmen Alto.

Annette Duhig, llegó Ayacucho en el mes de diciembre del 2008 y esta es su experiencia: I am from Ireland and I decided that I wanted to offer support through voluntary work, to an organization whose primary focus is to make life better for children. After much research online and some surprise at the exorbitant fees the majority of agencies charge to place volunteers, I came across the Wiñay Organization based in Peru. From the outset it seemed worthwhile and interesting, so after several e-mails back and forth with its director Oda Cevallos, I had found my mission. Oda's sincerity, kindness and dedication to helping these children was immediately apparent on our first meeting. The primary school that Wiñay is working with is located in the beautifully picturesque town of Ayacucho, which is about 8 hours from Lima by bus. I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't worked all that much with children prior to this experience, but as soon as I met them I was fascinated by their joy for life, their enthusiasm to learn and how bright and affectionate they are. I soon learned that coming from a different part of the world and speaking a different language does not matter. We had so much fun in our English classes, I only wished I could have stayed there for a year to teach and have each one of them reach a strong conversational level in English. During my stay there the kids put on a show on their last day before Christmas vacation; many dressed in typical costumes and they danced, sang and recited poetry in their native Quechua language. We put together a party for them, with hot chocolate and cake and handing out gifts we had brought from Lima and Mexico. It was such a special day that I will hold forever in my heart. With the help of donations from kind family and friends, we managed to raise enough money to build a much needed classroom and replace a roof that had been damaged by strong winds prior to my arrival. I am very grateful to everyone who generously donated. The Wiñay organization has some very interesting plans to help these children, primarily through education and nutritional programmes. I feel very priviledged to have had the opportunity to spend time with all these people, where the objectives are heartwarmingly transparent and extremely worthwhile. I am very much looking forward to returning to the school to help in whatever way necessary and I can positively recommend this organization to anyone who is considering volunteering and who wants to contribute something to loving children who do not have much more than a desire to learn and an enormous smile on their faces as they never get tired of greeting you with "Good morning teacher". Should you wish to contact me with any questions, you can e-mail me at languageconnect@yahoo.com and I'll be happy to reply