The Last few Months At Seeds: SUMMER 2015

Well, it’s been a wonderfully busy “high season” this year. So many people coming and going, whether it be for just a few weeks or several months. Regardless of their length of stay, however, all of our volunteers over the past few months have had a fantastic impact on the lives of our youngsters at Seeds of Hope.

We’re so lucky there are such caring and outgoing people in the world who are willing to give up their time and money to help others. And with often negative media attention surrounding volunteering in recent years, I feel it vital to point out the genuine good there is in volunteering. Seeds is a fantastic example of how the role of a volunteer, and the money they contribute to participate in our project, makes a huge difference to the lives of those that desperately need it. I am lucky enough to witness with each passing day how much more confident the children become, the large strides they take in progressing with their studies and how happy they seem when they know they are achieving their goals.

And, of course, this progress would not be possible without the fantastic help of those who come and volunteer with us. They work incredibly hard everyday and the results are evident. So, I just wanted to say a big thanks to those who have attended Seeds this summer! You’ve made a HUGE difference!

Now on to the fun stuff. Of course, what with working hard all week long, by Friday we’re ready to let off some steam and enjoy ourselves. Please read on and have a look at the exciting Friday activities our volunteers have prepared over the last few months for our children. It’s been a blast!

Photo Friday!

For a month we had Profesora Edyta helping at Seeds who is studying photography in the UK. She kindly brought with her a number of cameras and equipment, including a bag full of disposables! On one Friday afternoon we challenged the kids to split off in groups and take pictures of particular objects beginning with a certain letter of the alphabet. This gave the kids the opportunity to get creative and to work together to navigate their objects around the park and come up with the best ideas.

Once the challenge was completed we let the kids run riot in the classroom and create photo collages using an array of materials to best display their personality. It was a fantastic day!

Día de la Madre

Of course, it was Mother’s day in May, so the kids were eager to get their creative juices flowing and make cards for the special day. Our volunteers spent the afternoon helping the children make their cards as vibrant and heart-warming as possible!

Labour Day, Sports Day!

Sometimes, if there’s a holiday, we’re able to take the kids on a field trip. This year, on Labour Day, we took the kids out for the morning to take part in our very own sports day. Our volunteers came up with a long list of whacky games to tire the kids out with. Luckily the sun was shining and a great time was had by all!

Salt Dough Models

As the rainy season settled itself in for a slightly longer stay this year, we had to make sure we had plenty of indoor activities for our Friday afternoons. We decided we would make salt dough out of flour and make models with the kids. It was a very messy affair, but they absolutely loved it!

Mask Making and Egg and Spoon Races at the Park!

Sometimes we’re able to split our afternoons in two bits and have time for both arts and crafts and to play games at the park. On this particular day, Profesora Marie suggested we make masks out of cardboard and lollypop sticks for the kids to decorate. After spending some time making ourselves as sparkly as possible, we headed to the park to play egg and spoon races, sack races and wheelbarrow races. What a jam packed day!

Party Time at Seeds!

For the last several months we’ve had a group of dedicated volunteers staying with us for stretches of 2 to 4 months. They have been a fantastic help to us here and the children were extremely sad to see three of them go during the same week. So, to lighten the blow of all three of them leaving at the same time we decided to arrange a party at the school with games, cake and face painting!

Of course, not only did these volunteers have a profound impact on the children, but the children made a huge impact on the lives of the volunteers also. To say thank you to them and the school for being so wonderful they made a photo collage of their last several months with the kids and framed it to go up on the wall so we can remember their time with us for years to come. Thanks, guys!

Thanks for reading! If you're interested in volunteering with us please fill out one of our application forms here or send us an email at seedsofhoperu@hotmail.com.