Three girls sitting at lunchtable Children's Village Cochabamba, Bolivia.…
Last August two lovely girls celebrated their 15th birthdays at SOS Children's Village Sucre. The girls name's are Yolanda and Veronica. Their "SOS families" got together to celebrate. This is an interview with the girls:
- Lisa
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Three girls sitting at lunchtable Children's Village Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Last August two lovely girls celebrated their 15th birthdays at SOS Children's Village Sucre. The girls name's are Yolanda and Veronica. Their "SOS families" got together to celebrate.
This is an interview with the girls:
Yolanda, what can you say at such a special day?
I feel like a princess today. My fancy dress, my fashionable hairstyle, everything is so beautiful. I also feel great because all my family is present: my [SOS] mother, my brothers and sisters, and my elder brothers living in the cities of La Paz and Cochabamba. I am sure they made an extraordinary stop in their jobs to attend my celebration.
Veronica, what about you? What are you feeling today?
I do, too, feel like being the happiest girl today. Like in Yolanda's case, not only my entire "[SOS] family" gathered together for my party today, but also my older brother is here. They don't have much money - I know - and I understand that a trip from La Paz, plus accommodation in Sucre, is not cheap for them. A few years ago, though, they promised to be present at my 15th anniversary. Well, here they are, enjoying my great party with me.
There are many young guests at your party. Who are they, Yolanda?
They are some of our best friends of school.
Ah! For some of our school friends, it is the first time to be in the village. They were really impressed. They just love the houses in the village, specially the inside of our houses. They think that living here would be great.
What did you talk about with your relatives before the party?
Veronica: They asked me about the things I have been doing lately, about my family in the village, my studies, the village itself; but I also asked them about their lives and the things that keep them busy. They advised me to work hard to get a profession. So far, they are very happy for me.
Yolanda: They also adviced me to behave well and that I should always count on them at anytime. They asked me to keep our roots alive, our origin, the town where I was born and never forget the value of respect for others. They feel like nowadays fewer are the young people who really practise the value of respect.
Girls, now that you are 15, what message do you have for teens like you?
Veronica: As you have seen, I'm very happy that has a very, very large family. I wish all young people could have the same. What I ask them, though, is to enjoy their families as much as possible. No matter who they are, I think it is the greatest gift in life.
Yolanda: My message for people of my age is that life is great. It is great just as it is. We don't need anything else to make it better. So, please, don't allow anything - drugs, alcohol - to interfere with your life's happiness. Value the presence of each member of your family and enjoy their company. Personally, I feel grateful to my family for the many things I received from them since I arrived at the village.
SOS Children's Villages does its best to keep families together, bringing brothers and sisters together whenever we can.
- Mary
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Mouthwatering bizcochuelos (pancakes) at the SOS Social Center Huancayo, Peru.
The SOS Social Center Huancayo has many interesting workshops, including one on pastry making. These skills give mothers a secure income for their families.
This is a little report about the SOS Social Center Sponsored Workshop for Mothers:
The first session in the pastry making workshop involved the baking of bizcochuelos, which are traditional homemade pancakes. The main goal of the workshop was to teach mothers how to prepare these delicious food delicacies.
The woman who taught the mothers was selected from an advert the social center staff put in a local paper. They were looking for an experienced person in the preparation of bizcochuelos. Besides this requirement, the person was also expected to posses the ability to teach his or her skills. Indeed, the search for such a qualified person turned out to be very hard. Fortunately, a kind woman showed up filling the requirements and the workshop was launched as soon as possible.
The lady had a lot of experience in the preparation of different cakes and found no problem sharing her experience with the mothers.
The first rule: hygiene in the preparation
As she began with the first session of the workshop, all trainees were asked to wear a clean apron and use a white baker's hat to avoid hair fall-off during the preparation. They were also asked to wash their hands very well before.
Mothers were very happy and enthusiastic. During the whole week, they engaged in the preparation of bizcochuelos. The sweet delicacies tasted so good, even after the first classes, that coworkers for the center as well as for the village were rapidly tempted to get some bizcochuelos.
But just making the food is not the only part of the course. Before the course began the staff from the social center carried out a market analysis in the town of Sicaya, a rural town, to determine if there is demand for these baked goods. The results revealed that sweet bizcochuelos is one of the most preferred snacks of the local inhabitants. It also showed that the demands was high enough for the mothers to, if they decide, create a business for this product.
Finally, the grateful mothers thanked the director of the center for their support, and to the teacher of the workshop, for kindly sharing with them her experience.
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