In January, ROTH Volunteers Thomas and Sashana spent a week volunteering at Tierra Hermana.  A ROTH partner, Tierra Hermana is a centre catering to the needs of 19 boys with troubled pasts.  While in Lima, they visited the Hijos de Luya Day Centre and ran various workshops with the children.  Here's what they had to say about their experience: 

Sashana’s and my journey to Peru officially began on January 5th 2009, when we literally got the green light at Jorge Chavez Airport in Lima.  On January 6th we went to Luya to visit the school that ROTH built. For those who have followed the website waiting for new pictures to be posted, I can tell you that the site itself left me speechless. The beauty of the whole project can only measured by the work that the volunteers put into this school, and it is stunning.

The next day, January 7th, we met with the directors of Tierra Hermana where we discussed the project. Two priests, Fernando and Enrique, run Tierra Hermana. They have taken in a group of abused Peruvian boys and offer them food, shelter, education, friendship, and love. 13 of these boys call Tierra Hermana home, whereas 6 more come during the day to eat and learn. Sashana and I wanted to do various activities with these boys everyday. Seeing how they run a pretty tight schedule, we were allowed only a couple of hours per day.
On Monday, January 12th we started the first activity: arcilla, clay molding. The theme was animals, and let me tell you that some of these boys were extremely talented.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following day, we took the boys to their favorite destination: la playa!  The beach they chose was made up of big pebbles; the water was freezing, black and full of garbage. But they absolutely loved it. After which, we took them on a little boat road in a small bay where we saw crabs, pelicans and other various birds.

January 14th was cooking day. We wanted to show the boys a traditional French meal and keep it fun. A dish came to mind… and so did a movie. They absolutely loved the Ratatouille. Dinner and a movie!

For a little history, we took the boys to a museum. It was based on Peruvian history dating from the Inca’s to way past the Spanish occupation. Fascinating background this country has. To finish our week of educational fun, we took the boys to the beach one last time on Saturday, January 17th. Thankfully, the water and the weather were a little warmer and there was less garbage in the water. We played some volleyball, ate some ice cream and had a grand time. We said our good-byes but we knew we would return on Wednesday for a little surprise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to visit the boys one last time a few hours before our plane back to Canada. They had a mass for us, wishing our family’s good health, love, and a safe flight home. The second good-bye was a lot harder…

I have never seen the devotion that the workers at Tierra Hermana have towards these kids. The chefs cook three delicious meals per day, always something new. The teachers offer the best education in many subjects. The brothers teach the boys good values and help them forget their troubled pasts. I would love to return to Lima and see what will become of these boys. I am certain they will grow into fantastic men.

I’d like to thank ROTH for this fantastic opportunity.