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By Melissa Benites ’03
My year in La Paz, Bolivia, was
the greatest learning experience of my life. I studied the
history of the old Incan land, tried to learn Aymara (one
of the indigenous national languages) and tried chuño
(a dehydrated potato that I will never try again).
But Amigos de Esperanza (Friends
of Hope), the volunteer program that I cofounded at the Children’s
Hospital in La Paz, will always stand out as one of my most
meaningful experiences in Bolivia.
Amigos, as we called it, was
created after a visit to the Children’s Hospital with
my friend and fellow cofounder Sarah Narotzky ’03. The
condition of the hospital was dirty and run down, the lack
of supplies was great, and children lie in beds, staring with
blank faces at the television, bored and listless, some crying,
and all of them alone. The children must lie around for months,
waiting for treatment and surgery and they are left alone
because their parents can’t afford to not work.
I was overwhelmed by the situation.
Suddenly the poverty of Bolivia had become very real and leaving
the hospital that day I was devastated at the thought of these
poor children lying sick and alone, day after day. Sarah was
equally affected, and we made a commitment that day to those
children in the hospital.
We knew that we didn’t
have the money, knowledge or connections to change the conditions
of the hospital, but with a volunteer program we hoped that
we could at least relieve the boredom and loneliness of a
few children. Our goal was to create a volunteer program in
which participants would spend time playing and doing activities
with the children, stimulating their minds and lifting their
spirits.
So, armed only with our ideas
and time we started Amigos de Esperanza.
Bolivia is a different world
from the United States, and things are not always so easily
accomplished. Trying to get a hold of the hospital director,
buy supplies for the program and recruit volunteers became
a nightmare. Volunteerism is an unusual concept in Bolivia
and it took more than a little coaxing to get other Bolivian
students to volunteer their time. Still, although our program
was small and we were inexperienced, I know Amigos made a
difference in the wards of that hospital.
When I think of Amigos I mostly
think about the time I spent with the children, how they would
smile and laugh and yell my name to come over every time I
entered a different ward. David had been in the hospital for
more than six months since his fall from a mango tree, and
Sarah became one of his favorite friends, always making sure
that the avid artist had enough paper and markers. I remember
a 6-year-old child who came in one day, alone and scared as
doctors took his blood. Although we couldn’t communicate
because he spoke no Spanish (only Guarani), we still had fun
that day, drawing big trucks and houses and decorating with
our Garfield stickers.
Most people didn’t understand why we were at the hospital,
why we were spending time with these children. But the kids
never cared, never asked. They were just happy to see a smiling
face and a big box of crayons.
Since our return to the U.S.,
our program has been inactive because of the difficulty of
recruiting committed Bolivian volunteers. Although I am disappointed
that I was there only a short time, I still consider my work
at the Children’s Hospital to be my greatest learning
experience because I was faced with real life in that hospital,
the realities of poverty and sickness. But I also learned
about the possibility of hope that is always present. I was
able to bring a little hope into the lives of those children,
a little laughter, a little amusement.
Knowing that I may have helped
even one child to have a better day makes me smile and gives
me hope that in the future I can have a more lasting impact.
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