An Apple a Day....

They say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but unfortunately it isn't always that easy! Especially when there are 31 children living in semi-close quarters...

As the weather starts to change ( in Bolivia from Summer to Fall) , the children start to get coughs and colds. Although Casa de Amor does everything possible to prevent this, the normal cold is hard to beat completely.

This morning, I went to the homes with the intention of spending the morning helping the tias and playing with babies, and soon saw that was not going to happen. Three of the babies were in their nice clothes, and Tia Maria (the healthcare tia) was looking for help. Taking one sick child to the doctor is never fun, but three is nearly impossible! Volunteer Cecilie and I each grabbed a child and headed to the clinic with Tia Maria. The clinic was luckily nearly empty, and the kids were attended quickly.

The price of healthcare in Bolivia is realtively inexpensive, but the expenses do add up. The visit for each child cost 40 bolivianos, approximately $5.75, plus medicine. The nurses were very friendly, and helpful, and the babies enjoyed the extra attention... even if it doesn't show on their faces. :)

We are thankful for access to good medical care, willing volunteers, and wonderful staff committed to the care of these precious children!

Visiting Team from Denmark

For many years, Casa de Amor has been blessed by the visits and hard work of teams from Denmark. The team is called Alterna, and visits Bolivia for several weeks each year. Alterna is made up of high school students and teachers, and always comes prepared to love and serve! Many wonderful long-term volunteers have also come out of these teams.

This year, Alterna arrived at Casa de Amor and listened to a little bit of the history of the home.

After a quick tour, everyone got to work! The guys were a huge help with yard work that often gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list. They mowed, weed-eated, trimmed trees, and rooted out lots of weeds! 

The girls were a huge help with the babies, and also went through the toy collection to throw away broken toys and small pieces

After working hard all morning, the tias had cooked a delicious meal, and everyone sat down to eat.

As the older kids arrived from school, they were slightly overwhelmed but very excited about having so many visitors!

After lunch, the team presented several skits with the gospel presented clearly. The kids laughed and enjoyed watching the “silly visitors”! (Most of the kids, some of the younger ones weren’t fans of the clowns. J )  The kids even got to participate in some of the skits!

Thank you to the Alterna team, and to all who pray and support the children of Casa de Amor!