We recently had a chance to stop in at the Casa de la Amistad (House of Friendship) and see how the center has been running. The Casa is right next to a major men’s and women’s prison in Cochabamba and provides a safe place for kids age 4 to 18 who live with their parents in these facilities to go during the day and receive a variety of services. (Click on the ‘Projects’ tab above to learn a bit more about this program).
Kallie had worked here during her 2009 internship so she really enjoyed getting to see some of the staff again and showing me around the place. We spent most of the morning between the pre-kinder and kindergarten classes and had a blast playing games with these uber energetic and engaged kids. At one point Kallie disappeared with a teacher for nearly a half-hour during a break which left me spent like arcade quarters.
We also stopped in to see a group of teens who were receiving homework help and working on art projects with supplies and instruction provided by the Casa. A couple of them were quite excited to use the few English words they knew. It was also neat to see how many of the older kids were encouraged to help the younger ones, providing them a chance to gain leadership skills and support the staff.
Kallie had worked here during her 2009 internship so she really enjoyed getting to see some of the staff again and showing me around the place. We spent most of the morning between the pre-kinder and kindergarten classes and had a blast playing games with these uber energetic and engaged kids. At one point Kallie disappeared with a teacher for nearly a half-hour during a break which left me spent like arcade quarters.
We also stopped in to see a group of teens who were receiving homework help and working on art projects with supplies and instruction provided by the Casa. A couple of them were quite excited to use the few English words they knew. It was also neat to see how many of the older kids were encouraged to help the younger ones, providing them a chance to gain leadership skills and support the staff.
| CBM, who initiated the Casa, continues to have a financial partnership with the program but today its staff and governance team are entirely Bolivian. It’s great to see programs like this endure through the perseverance of the local community. | |
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