¡Hola! de Fi y Che

As you may have noted we are no longer in New Zealand but in Bolivia. Our commitment to writing on the blog has been pretty poor however rest assured that this is not because we have nothing to tell but rather because we're feeling rather lazy.


We've spent the last two weeks in Santa Cruz, Bolivia doing some voluntary work with young children. About half an hour from the town centre by bus, this children's care centre is located in one of poorest parts of Santa Cruz where there is no refuse collection system, where the sewage system is appawling and the water contaminated. Despite this the children always turn up with a huge smile on their face, bounding of energy and full of hugs and kisses for these white strangers. During the week an average of 20 kids attend and on saturdays, when none of the children have school it's normal to see 70 kids running around the yard which is the home of the organisation's director, a totally inspirational, 4 month pregnant woman, called Gabriela.


The children are absolute gems and an example to all spoilt children the world over. Once again, we've experienced the incredible generosity and humanity of those who have very little. The eldest sibling will always be there to console the younger brothers and sisters, to make sure that that their face and hands are clean and that they get their glass of milk at the end of the day. The love and respect they have for each other is incredible. Whilst the older children play football (with Jay) or draw or do their homework you can be sure that the youngest (2-3 year olds) children are perfectly happy sitting o the swings by themselves observing the small world around them. When I first went up to give one of them a push on the swing, I received the biggest, most genuine smile ever. Bogies, dirt, sometimes cuts, one shoe on one shoe off and hand-me-down clothes and as far as I'm concerned I have the happiest kid in the world staring me right in the face.


Contrary to what the departmental government might like us to believe, poverty is rife in Santa Cruz. Despite being the wealthiest city in Latin America's poorest country, thousands here live in abject poverty. Whereas the 4x4s cruise the old colonial city centre, flying their pro-autonomy flags, in the poorer suburbs horse-drawn carts wander the dirt tracks beside the open sewers. Street traders, who are predominantly indigenous, are a common site, selling everything from sweets and fruits to car accessories.