SaimasCharityTravels

Today was very exciting, it was the arrival of 2 very beautiful niñas who sadly were being beaten by their dad and mamita had taken them in.  When i woke up and came downstairs to say good morning to the girls, the newbies were in tears and it was very sad to see.  They do not understand that what their parents had done was bad, they just really missed their parents and was really hard to see them crying for their dad, someone they loved and didn’t understand why they took him away from them.  They are 4yrs and 6yrs old and hugely undernourished and just so tiny and instantly i knew exactly what to do.  I ran upstairs and grabbed a hand full of fruity lollipops i had been given to give to the kids, a small lollipop put a smile on their faces.  The youngest at 4yrs couldn’t take her mind off what had happened for too long, but i was soon able to make her laugh by saying Spanish words in the funniest way possible and selfies (of course).

I managed to take a walk into Cusco, a lot of tourists but amazing views but instantly thought of the girls who would love little trips like this.  Spent a couple of hours walking there and having a look around but wanted to get back as we had an afternoon of music lessons and cookery to get back to with the girls.

Finally made it back and went straight to the girls living area.  Just to give you an idea of this area it is literally their dining room, sleeping rooms, kitchen and play area and where they do their homework, its very cold and they do not have any heating, so come sunset at 16.30 its freezing but they just get on with it, they may well be cold or look at me and ask if i am but the fact i have a a couple layers of clothing on and 3 pairs of socks and still shivering, i tend to shake my head and just say ‘I’m fine’.

So the older girls were going to begin their music lesson, i watched them for a little while and so impressed by attention to the teacher and how focused on getting the notes correct, it was amazing.

So during music time i left them to it whilst i started on the burgers and frites for everyone.  The girls helped get the tables out and the wooden benches and stools for them to sit on and take the plates and bread and salad to the table.  There is no carpet, no cushions for the wooden chairs but they are just so happy with what they have and it was lovely to watch them all help to set the table.  They did not understand the concept of making your own burger, so we helped them open the buns, put the beef-burger on and add the sauce etc.  It felt so rewarding to watch them eat the food i had cooked for them, the new girls were not used to having so much to eat and i ended up feeding her myself so she finished everything as she didn’t fully understand it was all for her and no-one was going to take it away from her.

After dinner i helped clear everything away, we swept the floor and put all the tables and benches back to one side of the room, they all then had to one by one brush their teeth, although they happily gathered around a sink and brushed together.  Finally it was time for the younger ones to get into bed, i went into the 2 rooms as they have 5 girls to a room and kissed them all goodnight, a few of them said a prayer for me in Spanish and made the sign of the cross on me and then kissed me again before i left them to sleep.