Aguas Calientes

This morning, after a bit of a late start, and yet another crazy bus ride we were off to the "aguas calientes" or natural hot springs up in the mountains. Part of what we were able to donate to the casa was this outing, where for once every member of the house (mothers, kids, employees etc.) was able to enjoy time outside of the property and a change of scenery. (This is so rare in fact that no one remembered to bring keys to get back into the Casa, since there is always someone there to let you in...leading Sergio to have to scale our newly painted wall to let us back in later that day.)

It wasn't until the bus pulled up to the Casa that we truly realized that every single child was coming, babies and all. Luckily we had decided to have our own bus, which allowed for some peace and quiet over the rough, winding roads of the drive up the mountain. After an hour and a half we reached the indoor pools of natural water, and were humbled to see the majority of madres and their kids wearing bathing-suites we had donated. We accomplished the challenging task of tiring out the majority of kids by playing in the pool all day, and some even learned how to swim!

Again we were reminded at just how young the mothers are, when watching them cannonball and play in the pool, just as young girls would do, often times leaving their baby under the supervision of anyone around to allow some time to themselves. Imagining myself in their position really opens my eyes to what a struggle it must be to completely care for a child at such a young age. We were able to have time with Raquel to sit down and ask all the questions we had been wondering throughout the week. She revealed that 15 year old mothers are certainly the most difficult, as it is hard to be completely selfless during that age in a girls life. She also said that over 25,000 rape cases were reported last year, the majority of which resulted in pregnancies (in the "machismo"-dominated world of Peru, rape cases that do not result in pregnancy are generally not prosecuted, since a baby is the only generally accepted evidence of such a crime). Therefore, it is safe to say that thousands more occur and are never reported, or since they do not result in pregnancy there is no "evidence" and all charges are dropped.

A picnic lunch was packed for all 13 mothers and their kids, along with all the employees. Cooking alone for such a number of people is a full time job, which we have learned from working in the kitchen throughout the week. There is never a time of day where something isn't being prepared, as the babies eat every couple hours, and over 30 people are present for all other meals. The mothers were responsible for feeding their child while also trying to eat lunch themselves, as all the kids were running wild after their swim. I truly don't know how they do it since most of our group was already asleep on the warm bus, worn down from such an exhausting day.

I admire not only the bravery of the mothers, but also the dedication of Sergio, Raquel, and people like Pilar (a former madre at the casa, who is now a full-time manager there), who work day in and day out to keep the Casa functioning. Thanks to them these girls have the ability to carry on with day to day life the best they can, learn to care for themselves, their children, and begin receiving an education. I'm so glad that not only were the kids able to enjoy a day out of their ordinary routine, but the mothers and co-workers too! I hope we tired the kids out enough that they all sleep through tonight!

-Bridget McNulty