Getting started

I´ve been volunteering at Proyecto Horizonte since the beginning of the school term in February (just over a month already, which has passed worryingly fast!). So far I´ve been helping out in maternal, the nursery for under two´s, where the wonderfully dedicated Rosemary and her team of 2 work. With an average 15 little kids each day they´ve certainly got their work cut out. I started out helping out every day, as a way to get to know Proyecto Horizonte and discover which other areas I might also be able to help in. Working as an accountant back in the UK, this has certainly been a little different to my normal work routine! I have to say I was a bit apprehensive, having not looked after kids for a very long time, especially such little ones. However it´s been really rewarding, it´s been lovely to see them slowly adjust to nursery, start to enjoy it and the day is certainly never dull with Rosemary in charge. There have been numerous mornings where I´ve been the ´entertainment´and had to dance to Boney-M in front of 15 little under 2´s, looking at me as with slightly bemused expressions!

Going forward, I´m now getting more involved in other projects. I´ll be starting to tutor in the after-school maths programme next week, which I´m excited about. Again, I´m slightly nervous as I´ve never taught before, but I´m very keen to give it a go as it´s something I´d thought about doing for a long time back in the UK. I´m also helping out with setting up an online Customer Relationship Management database for Proyecto Horizonte, working with an ex-volunteer, Scott Hartig. At the moment this involves a lot of data entry, but once the hard slog is done, we´ll be able to utilise it to it´s full potential. At the same time, I´m assisting another volunteer, Cecilia, with process mapping the organisation. Again, we´re only just starting out, so the next few weeks will certainly be extremely varied and interesting.

Outside of the organisation, Cochabamba has been a wonderful place to live. This past month has been intense with carnival preparations in the build up to carnival itself last weekend. Each night the plazas were full of troops practising their dances, full of energy and great to watch. I travelled to Oruro, for the main carnival, which is held the week before Cochabamba´s, and was blown away by the experience. Cochabamba´s carnival was very similar, so full of energy and I feel really lucky to have been here and experienced it.

So yes, so far so good and I´m really looking forward to getting more and move involved in the next 2 months.

If you´re thinking of coming to volunteer at all and would like to ask any questions, please do contact me.