An SOS Friend Shares Sports and Miles

Arriving at the village

My name is Lago Baroni; I am a young athlete with a great social sensitivity. Since very little I began to fight for my dreams and I am now an ultra marathoner. A year ago I became a “Friend of Heart” and support of SOS Children’s Villages Venezuela. My commitment is to help children, adolescents and youth who are under the care of the village to fight for their goals as I do. 

One of the activities I enjoyed most this year was the “Open Day” held on 19 May, which also commemorated the International Day of Families. On reaching the village I was surprised to see a well-organized house development project consisting of twelve houses, with open space areas. Upon entering, I was immediately received with the laughter of happy children playing and enjoying the day with much enthusiasm, and open doors for me.

I started the tour and I noticed that all the houses were decorated, and the theme was flowers. Each house differed depending on the subject: pink, cayenne, sunflowers, and many more, all were decorated by the children themselves. Also, food and drinks had been carefully prepared for the visitors to share with the family, the SOS mothers and aunts.

Only one guess at who this little man is!

In one of the houses I visited I met Pedrito, a small four-year old kid, he approached me and very kindly gave me a hug. After a while I brought food and Pedrito looked at me, so I asked him “Would you like to eat?”  He shook his head, meaning no, and replied: “No, because here on the chair you cannot eat, one should eat at the table “. I was surprised how smart he was, so I replied, “You are right, one is not supposed to eat in the living room.” I got up and went to the dining area and asked if I could eat there.  And he said “Yes.” Actually I was struck by a four year old correcting me in such a polite way.

The day went on, and there came the activity of releasing balloons and making a wish. It was nice to see the girls and adolescents with happy faces and great expectations, releasing balloons and having fun. This activity was followed by the gift award act that could not have been missed, to SOS mothers and aunts, the real heroes who give their love and dedication to the children, so they are well cared for and feel the warmth of a home.

Finally, it was my turn to show these young people a video of a race in which I participated, EMA Race Show 2011. After the show I gave a short talk entitled: “An SOS Friend Shares Sports and Miles”. At this time, I took advantage to show slides of my passion: sports. How wonderful it is to practice, the benefits and discipline thereof. My intention was to make it clear that the obstacles must be overcome and dreams and goals should not be abandoned, because with perseverance and discipline one can achieve everything one intends. As I always say, with “mind and heart!”

The SOS Mothers and other co-workers are such kind people!

It was time to say goodbye, and I was really happy, with a heart full of joy. Before I left I promised that I would visit them again, and have a sporting activity to share with everybody, together, as a family, we will play and have fun.  

We Retain A Part Of Every Story

My name is Sol and I am one the family facilitators at SOS Children’s Villages Bolivia. In this post, I will share the experience of welcoming a new child to an SOS family, or as I see it the birth of a new opportunity.

In the role of family facilitator I develop a close relationship with each SOS family which is how I learned the story of five-year-old Mayra, a girl whose experiences have shown me how important it is to give people, and especially children, a second chance.

Mayra experienced the disintegration of her family due to problems related to the alcoholism of her parents. The girl and her brothers were subject to irresponsibility, neglect and never-ending exposure to physical and psychological abuse. Despite their young age, the children had to watch and wash cars on the streets to get by and make enough money to buy themselves a little food.

Just before Myra was taken into the care of SOS Children’s Villages, one of her biological siblings suffered an accident and visibly fractured his arm. Incredibly, the mother had not even taken him to the doctor as she didn’t feel it was necessary. This shows how the children were abandoned, they even slept on the streets to escape. This situation led neighbors to denounce the case to local authorities. As a result, the children were first referred to the State’s transitional shelter while the authorities tried to locate other family members who would take care of Mayra and her brothers, but there were none and so the judge determined the placement of these children with a family at the SOS Children’s Village La Paz.

Now, it is already a month since Mayra became part of an SOS family in the SOS Children’s Village of La Paz. She is an active girl, sociable with peers and people older than herself. According to her SOS mother, she is very responsible with school homework and house chores.

I remember that for the arrival of the children, I was in charge of organising of their welcome. I know it is a very important moment for the newcomers, so I always do my best to not only welcome the children with a little party, but mainly make them feel that this is going to be the best place they have ever lived in and that they are safe now.

Mayra and her siblings were welcomed with great affection by the SOS mother and the children who would become their SOS family. Upon arrival, they were introduced to all the children, they got to see their own new bedrooms – something they found very special – and the dining area where they were going to share meals or watch TV. Finally they had a tour around the village. Well, they were delighted, and I felt tremendously happy to know that the organisation of the reception accomplished its goal: to make feel the children like at home. It is always very moving when the things we take for granted in our daily lives are appreciated so much by those who have never had them.

Each one of us who is in contact with the SOS families retain part of the individual stories, especially those bad memories that need to be resolved so that the children can leave them behind and move on and start a new life. Mayra is the smallest in her home and easily the one who most quickly adapted and started walking around with a big grin on her face. Recently, I asked her what she feels has changed the most in the last few weeks of her life, and I give you her answer: “Now I’m part of a family”.

Welcome Dad!

My name is Kathiuska Silva, and since last year I work as a secretary for SOS Children’s Villages in the city of Potosi, located in the south of Bolivia. The story I want to tell shows the significant change SOS achieves not only in the lives of children but also in that of their families.

Cristina and Pedro, parents of Pamela, Yvette, Marcelo, Sebastian and Alvaro, made up a beautiful family which, despite difficulties, had managed to stay together. Cristina sold food and Pedro was a delivery driver. Hard times befell the family and Pedro started drink, causing fear and instability with his temper. The situation became worse when the mother died. The children were alone with a father who was consistently unable to take care of them. They thought everything would change with the coming of a stepmother but, contrary to her promises of love and affection, ended up mistreating them.

Because of the continuous abuse by the stepmother, neighbours reported this situation to the Municipal Defence Unit. The institution soon intervened and moved all the children to a temporary welcome centre. After a while, the authorities decided to request placement of the children in the SOS Children’s Village Potosi.

Under the care of an SOS mother, in a home where each child has their own room, the children had everything they needed. The group of five enjoyed life as children again thanks to the loving care and attention they received.

Everything seemed to be going great until the SOS mother noticed that Ivette was behaving rather oddly. She would put her head too close to the books to read and would lean towards the left to be able to see the letters. Concerned, she talked to the teachers at school who confirmed that not only Yvette but also her brother Marcelo had the same problem. Immediately, the mother visited an eye specialist for the check-up of all five. In addition to the other two, Alvaro was also diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a rare hereditary eye disease which requires a constant degree deviation of their glasses, until, one day in the future, an operation can be performed. Since then, the dioptric measurements are higher and the glasses must be renewed twice a year.

Despite this disease, which has not been yet healed, but controlled, the siblings are quite enjoying their life in the village, waiting for the time when they are ready for an operation. Everyone wishes them luck and hopes that they will be healed permanently.

And it seems luck really is on their side, but in a different way. Almost a year a year ago, these kids were given a very big surprise. The surprise was their biological father, who had recovered from alcoholism and was desperately looking for his children. Many years had gone by but finally the family reunited.

I remember the tremendously emotional scenes taking place when they met. Pedro, the father, could not stop sobbing and felt incredibly remorse. He was so happy and thankful to see them so well and especially protected by an outsider who treated and loved them as her own children. Pedro has stopped drinking and, although he does not live with his children yet, but he is always aware of them. He goes to school to visit them, talks with their teachers and is already well known and highly regarded there. Pedro constantly pays visits to his children in the village and is present at most special moments in his children’s lives. He is always therefor each birthday, Christmas and other special occasions. It makes me very happy and more than a little emotional when I see this story and what is clearly the beginning of a very happy end.

Working Together as a Family

My name is Mariel and for the last eight years, I have worked as a social worker at the SOS Children’s Village Ojeda.  This work has been very rewarding for me because I can communicate directly with SOS mothers, children or adolescents who have been welcomed to SOS Children’s Villages and anyone else involved.  The progress so many of the people I work with make always gives me hope and the energy to work on some of our tougher cases.

One of my main tasks is providing continuous training tools to SOS families that enable them to deal with all sorts of issues and problems they may have.  In February, I carried out a dynamic training course to improve family life, covering a range of topics such as who we are in our families or children’s rights and their emotions.  Additionally, there was a short workshop that helped them in communication and conflict resolution, followed by a review of the development plan that every child has.

 

During the training, participating SOS mothers were accompanied by two of their children which in the end gave us a quite sizable group at 30 people!
 

Maria Antonieta, SOS mother, told me that her experience was very rewarding, and that the best thing for her was to be accompanied by two of her sons. “Listening to their voices suggesting ideas to improve family life was amazing and showed me how far they have come since they arrived.”

 

This type of activity, where mothers and children bring their ideas together, is very constructive, because they foster the approach and good relationship and communication between them. Clearly, it was a good experience for them all to learn together and strengthen their family relationships.

 

Practical experience, dynamics, games, exhibitions, and plays, were among the tools that were used during the various workshops.  Yanauli, an eight years old girl, later said that what she enjoyed the most, as well as the drawing and games, was the opportunity to say what she liked and disliked.  To her, it was amazing that her opinion was as valued as that of the adults and she loved feeling included in proceedings.  Never was there a moment where she felt it was only the grown-ups talking among themselves.

The main objective of this training was to promote values such as respect, appreciation, and mutual understanding. It is vital to develop the skills in each family member that allow them to interact without violence and prevent child abuse. Through these activities, families living in SOS Children’s Villages can continue to live in an environment surrounded by love and affection.

Integration in the SOS Youth Community

My name is José Rodríguez, facilitator of young adults at an SOS Youth Community in Maracaibo.  Last February, I wanted to hold an integration activity with adolescents and young adults to tighten the bonds of friendship and do something a little bit different.  Therefore, we decided to go to the beach.

We started the day by making the travel arrangements.  First we bought food and then went searching for a tent, as we were going to an island where staying overnight is permitted.  We packed sunscreen and, most importantly, the bathing suits!  Seeing the excitement  on the young adults’ faces never gets old and as the beginning of the adventure came closer they started getting restless!  Reinier, a member of the youth community, was particularly pleased and absolutely loved the idea of camping on the beach. 

At last, it was time for the trip.  Early in the morning, we boarded a boat that took us to the island.  Some of the boys were very nervous at the prospect. Jorbi was one such lad and, with a slightly fearful voice said: “This scares me. What if the boat capsizes?”

Others were fearless and enjoyed the whole journey, cheering and laughing whenever we hit a wave.  Upon reaching the island, we disembarked and immediately started looking for the best place to build our tents.We had lots of fun playing football and volleyball.  We dug in the sand, built sandcastles and, best of all, we plunged into the water. We looked like fish, diving under the surface and chasing each other.  Later, the boys had their sunglasses on like movie stars and walked along the beach showing off.  Marcos said: “The girls are going to fall at my feet!”  These kinds of comments got a good laugh out of everyone, which meant even more clowning around as the young adults tried to outdo each other with cheeky jokes.

As night fell, we lit a bonfire, told funny or horror stories and, in this way, shared a wonderful time getting to know each other better. Soon, the next morning came and it was time to go back.  Everyone was a little sad we had to leave, as the island is a little spot of paradise away from the hustle and bustle that is modern life. We all wanted to stay at the beach!

It was a wonderful trip and everyone is already looking forward to the next one!

This activity allowed me to get to know all the boys in the SOS Youth Community La Cañada on a personal level.  I do my absolute best every day to get closer to the young people and adolescents we take care of.  It is important for me to establish a friendly relationship with them so that they trust me and confide in me.  In this way I am able to support them, guide them and give them the best advice possible whenever it is needed. 

 

Like a Fairy Tale

Maria came to our Family Strengthening Programme’s offices in Marina Gorka in Belarus in August 2010 when she just couldn’t cope anymore. Until then, the single mother had been taking care of two girls – both with serious illnesses – completely alone.

At the age of just three months Maria’s daughter Kristina was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease and increased muscle tone. In seven years the little girl has had to survive numerous dangerous surgeries and has been diagnosed with a lot of other serious illnesses like cerebral palsy, convulsion syndrome, thrombocytopenia, a weakened immune system and delayed speech development. As a result, she was not allowed to go to kindergarten as they did not have the facilities or expertise to care for her. Olga, Maria’s older daughter, was diagnosed with a cyst in the brain after a severe head injury.

Treatment, going to the doctors and staying in the hospitals took most of the finances Maria had, up to 70% of her already low budget was spent on medicine. This meant she had to take out loans for daily expenses, and all the while Kristina’s health got worse. Eventually, Maria saw no other option but to come to us. “Help! I have no more power anymore to fight for my children and I don’t want to, I can’t live like this anymore,” she said.  Having fought so hard for so long, it had initially been difficult for her to admit that she needed assistance.

We organised the girls’ individual development plans, provided food and any necessary medicine; the mother was offered the services of a psychologist to support her psychologically and emotionally. For Kristina we organised sessions with a specialist to correct the speech and also arranged for her to attend a “school of future pupils”.

Both girls took part in celebrations and events at the centre where they had the opportunity to take part of competitions, singing and win small presents.  It was a novel experience for them, as previously this kind of entertainment had been a lot rarer.

Kristina and Olga have already experienced such hardship and difficulties in their short lives, everybody who works at the Marina Gorka Centre just wants to give the girls a more joyful and beautiful life, one that more closely resembles the fairy tales they love so much.

“Me and my Kristina, we love fairy tales very much,” Maria said after one of the events. “Today at the party, everything was just like in a fairy tale: beautiful and full of gifts!”

In our centre Kristina and Olga had the chance to participate both in individual and group tasks with their peers; these and the psychologist helped Kristina especially as she had spent a lot of time in hospitals. She had problems with getting to know other children, but after some time she turned into a cheerful girl who said to the psychologist: “Now I have many friends, I play with them and I tell them that you help me to become smart enough to go to school!”

Thanks to many specialists Kristina got the chance to go to school like any other child. We helped the family with the clothes, shoes and school equipment.  She loves going to class, but unfortunately still has to skip many lessons because of her hospital visits.

Maria is still worried about the health situation of the girls, but she proudly tells us: “Meetings with psychologists have helped me to understand more clearly the needs of my children. Every time Kristina comes back home from the hospital I try to make a small event out of it – the girls sing the songs they love, dance and have fun, and I cook their favourite food: fried potatoes.”

Achieving the Dream

It is very gratifying to actively participate in the development of children and young adults at the SOS Children’s Village Ojeda, more so knowing that these children, despite the adversity they experienced, manage to become good, productive and valuable persons to society.

 

My name is Rossana and I have been working for SOS Children’s Village Ojeda for the last four years now. Getting work at the Village was the best thing ever to happen in my life. Knowing the life story of each child and teenager so closely motivates me to be even more dedicated to them in my work as a social worker. The sense of achievement and pride I get when I see my work directly contributing towards their happiness and positive development is second to none.

I tell you now that on one occasion I was part of the independisation process of a twenty year old boy who was welcomed in the village with only four years, with his brothers Luis, Edwin and Karleidis. An example of what I do every day would be the independisation process of Eduard, a twenty year old young man who was welcomed to Ojeda sixteen years ago with his brothers Luis, Edwin and Karleidis when he was just a little boy.

The process is like this: During adolescence each person is trained to become independent. When Eduard reached this period, he was not sure what studies he wanted to pursue. Talking to him, I realized that his talents were in the culinary arts. I can say that his motivation for cooking started at an early age, when he helped his SOS mother cook. Eduard was always aware of what his mother was preparing to eat, and he always asked if he could help. So, he surely requested to be enrolled in an International Chefs´ course. For a year, he attended all classes, and eventually he not only received his much longed for International Chef Certificate, but actually passed with honors!

Soon after graduation, Eduard began working at a luxury hotel in the city. Thus, after a trial period during which he had proven his ability to work well under pressure time after time, he was taken on permanently. Eduard was so happy he went around bragging to everybody. Like at any restaurant, he started as a kitchen help, and after four months he became second cook because he had quickly learned all the restaurant’s menus. Since then, he said he also had the opportunity to work with a sous-chef and even with the first chef, and his goal was naturally to become first chef.
Eduard is still only young,
and I am sure that he will continue to grow from strength to strength and achieve great things. As for my part, I will still be here to support all children and young people that need me, helping them to achieve their own dreams.