Looney Ludoteca: laughing with and being inspired by kids

By: Tierra Entre de los Ojos (Emily)

Intro
For the last three weeks we were at Pisco Sin Fronteras, I spent most of my time volunteering at the Alameda Ludoteca. A ludoteca is similar to a daycare center. At the ludotecas in Pisco, Peru kids from 1-16 years old come to play and learn. There are so many children in Peruvian public schools that they can only take half the students in the morning and half in the afternoon. The Alameda Ludoteca provides a place for kids to come when they are not in school.

Have you ever sat in the middle of a room with your eyes closed and only been able to hear the sound of laughing children? If so, what and how did it make you feel?

My Story

The first day of work at PSF, I did not yell my name loud enough to get onto any of the projects I desired. Alas, I was stuck going to a place called the “Alameda Ludoteca,” where I was told I would be attacked by 20 screaming children who would want to climb me like a tree, pull my hair (what little I have now), and paint my face, arms, and legs. Having worked in a daycare, ski coached a group of 13-year-olds, and done a significant amount of babysitting, I was not entirely worried. Kids are kids right? They may have a lot of energy, but they are fun!

What I did not know going into they day´s work was that Vitalina, the Professora, was sick. This meant that we, 3 volunteers who spoke little to no Spanish, would be attempting to keep the children not only entertained, but also under control for the day. Needless to say, I felt like a substitute teacher from another planet. For the first hour I was able to play volleyball with a group of girls while the other two volunteers drew and worked on puzzles. However, childrens´ attention eventually grows weary and they want new things to do. Additionally, children in the neighborhood can come and go as they please, so those we were to oversee grew from about 10 to 35 by the end of the day. At this point, we were not only spread too thin to be able to play with everyone, but also unable to keep materials from being scattered and toys from being broken. In addition, a boy who I was told was troubled started picking fights and when I tried to break it up he swore at me in English.

Its true that kids will be kids, and I have never seen a substitute teacher that wasn’t taken advantage of at least a little. Regardless, I felt there was something more that I could provide. At the end of they day one little boy came up to me and asked if I was ever coming back. He looked a little sad and said, “Susie nuca regresa,” which means Susie never came back. I enjoyed all the hugs I got that day, and I loved playing with the kids, no matter how rowdy, but I could see there was a lack of stability as volunteers come and go.

That night, I expressed my concerns at PSF’s bi-weekly “all hands meeting.” After the meeting Bryan, PSF’s grant writer and now a friend of mine, asked me if I would like to help run a new project that would be starting at the Ludoteca in just a couple weeks. It seems I arrived at PSF at just the right time. Recently, Bryan wrote and received a $5,000 grant to fund the Alameda Ludoteca. The funds, which were granted by the Mandala Trust, would provide a salary for Vitalina and a weekly budget for project materials.

Christelle, a volunteer and friend at PSF who set up many things for the Ludoteca, sat down with Bryan and me, and we discussed how we could best use the MandalaTrust funds to create a better Ludoteca for the children of Pisco. Our goal with the new project was to set up a more structured schedule with art projects, music, activities, English classes, passport day (a day dedicated to learning about places around the world), and a project leader.

I was the project leader off and on for the last three weeks and it was an incredible experience. We made paper maché balloons, friendship bracelets, decorations for a Christmas tree, taught about the seasons in English, learned songs about bananas, and traveled to Cuzco and Arequipa, Peru and Spain. Passport day was the most exciting. To start, we made pretend passports for all the kids and put their pictures inside. On this day a volunteer comes to the Ludoteca and talks to the kids about a place they have been or where they live. The volunteer shows pictures of this place, talks about the culture there, and makes a food native to city or country. When we talked about Peru, we made arroz con leche (rice pudding), and when our friend Carlos from Spain visited, he prepared a Spanish omelet made of potatoes and vegetables.

We are here in South America to help students in the United States gain a broader global perspective, but I constantly find my perspective being broadened. And what I gained from the students in Pisco, opened my mind. I see children who grow up with next to nothing. While I have heard about places like the poor communities of Pisco, I have never had the opportunity till now to really see how happy the children are. I think the help I provided at the Ludoteca added to the fun the children had for a few weeks. They were excited when I brought in elaborate colors of string, and their attention was glued for hours on making bracelets. When my friend Elise taught them The Banana Song, one boy insisted on writing all the words down and singing it over and over again. I saw their eyes light up when we taught them about the places they had never seen in Peru and the places they had never imagined, across the Atlantic in Spain. One boy told me he would have to ask his dad, but that he thought it would be fine to go on a trip with us to wherever we would take him. This made me smile.

In fact, I think I was smiling much of the time I was at the Ludoteca. Just hearing the children laugh and seeing them so happy made my day, every day. Rayna and I created PEDAL for Change because we want all children to have the same opportunities we did growing up. I am glad I could make some kids in Pisco happy for a day. But I continually remember the saying, “Feed a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime.” Thus, even more so, I hope I sparked their interest, even one student, to do more. I hope that the excitement they showed during passport day lasted for longer than that moment, and that they will be inspired to take advantage of the opportunities the world has to offer.

I see how happy these children are, living the lives they have always known. I also see how excited they get about what else is out there, beyond Pisco. I hope they will reach those places and those dreams. I know it is much much harder for these children than it is for those in a challenging situation in the United States. I also know that with enough inspiration and drive, anything is possible. And Pisco Sin Fronteras proves that every day.