Day Four: First Day at the Casa!!

Today was our first day at the Casa and by far the best yet. Raquel, the woman who started the casa, began by giving us a tour and then explaining the situation of the women in Peru. The women who live there are brought up expecting to be raped and knowing that laws against this exist but are not enforced in this country. The fact that these women are born into such difficult situations and can actually function and turn their lives around is truly amazing. We all sat in awe as Raquel explained the stories of many of the girls in the casa. We were speechless, shocked and saddened when hearing about the horrors some of these girls had experienced in their lives before the casa. It definitely made us realize exactly why were came here and motivated us to get to work at the casa. Most mothers that enter into the casa have zero self worth and are in much need of TLC.

Our work today consisted of helping to make lunch for 50 people, including ourselves, sanding a ceiling in preparation for painting tomorrow, and also helping watch the kids and infants in the nursery. We cooked a traditional Peruvian meal of ceviche, cancha, and two types of potatoes. It was interesting to have fish that was cooked only by the chemicals in limes. Cancha was a salty dried corn that tasted just like popcorn and everyone agreed that they could get used to snacking on them. We also got to play with 15 of the 27 children that reside at the casa. They were so welcoming and excited to jump all over us at any chance. We brought half of the donation suitcases which included clothes, toys, school supplies, and some dress up clothes. The best moment of the day by far was when we told the kids that we brought some new toys for them. The children were so happy they could barely contain themselves as we unpacked some basic toys such as a Frisbee and a couple puzzles. The children couldn’t stop smiling as we played with simple action figures and a puzzle. We couldn’t stop smiling either. The feeling of love and caring encompassed the casa today. We felt so lucky to bring such happiness to these kids whose lives aren’t always so lucky. They went from toy to toy in minutes but the kids really just enjoyed when we picked them up or threw them around.

It was really sad leaving today, the children tried to follow us out the gate and were disappointed to see us go. We are all so attached to them after only one day. The mothers are not as easy to talk to because their Spanish is somewhat faster and they are introverted, which Rachel attributed to the circumstances they have persevered through. We are all so excited to return tomorrow although it is going to be exponentially more laborious than today.

-Kevin and Maddie