Today Rosi and her husband Victor drove us to CAICC, Centro de Apoyo Integral Carcelario y Comunitario. Many of the students at CAICC have mothers incarcerated at the nearby women's prison. In Bolivia, children are allowed to live in the prisons with their incarcerated parents but the kids are free to go to school and other activities during the day. At CAICC children can spend their free time playing music, doing their homework, and earning some extra money by painting ceramics, baking bread, or performing music.
Teacher volunteers from la Biblioteca Th'uruchapitas come to CAICC to spend time helping students with their homework and special writing projects. CAICC has a nice collection of books in their study hall. The books are kept in a locked cabinet, reflecting the scarcity and value of books in this country. Many of the books are worn and well-read.
Our time at CAICC was very pleasant and memorable. We had a long discussion with Veronica, the director of CAICC. It is only after speaking with Veronica that we noticed the lack of electricity in the building. CAICC runs on minimal funding from the government-- they receive the largest block of their funds from volunteer students from other countries who pay for the opportunity to volunteer. We met four such volunteers, two from UNC-Chapel Hill. And even though CAICC does not have enough funds for electricity they invited John and I to stay for lunch, a three course meal with soup, eggs, rice, and plantains.
No comments:
Post a Comment