Friday, July 12, 2013

A Canadian Family's Vacation Experience at Los Ninos del Capitan


One of the experiences that makes me so happy is to hear the stories of people who found my blog and were able to help the children in Cabo San Lucas.  I never could have imagined that so much good could ripple out from a blog and the ripple just keeps growing.  If you are someone who has happened to cross this blog and want to be inspired, the following gives you the recent experience of the Shoemaker family from Canada.  I welcome others' experience as well.

DAY 1
Volunteering at Los Ninos del Capitan daycare in Cabo San Lucas was all that we had hoped it would be.....and more! I think that each of us, as individuals, took away a little something different from the experience, but the 5 of us all agreed that the experience has left a lasting impression in our hearts and in our minds, and that we are eager to return.

The daycare was located about 20 minutes from our hotel, in an area that lays in stark contrast to the wealth that we had observed in Cabo's hotel zone and tourist district. Where the paved, marked road ends, begins the dusty, sandy, dirty, bumpy route to the barrio where the daycare is located.  Homes in the barrio are small, typically one room shelters which seem in mid-construction no matter where you look. In this neighborhood, homes are built literally board by board, cinder block by cinder block, as the family can afford to add to their home - with the poverty level here homes are never really finished as we would be accustomed to in Canada. The building materials available are of low quality as are the regulations guiding the construction, as many of the homes, fences, rooftops are seemingly falling apart right before our eyes.

This dusty road brought us past the Primary school to Los Ninos del Capitan daycare - a large purpose built facility created solely by donations - a far stretch from it's humble beginnings in 2001 in one room with 7 children and a kind grandmother who founded the centre. We are sad to report that Herminia Zatarain, the founder of Los Ninos del Capitan, passed away while we were there. Without her vision, perseverance and dedication to young children, the 100 children enrolled at Los Ninos would be living a very different life.

The Los Ninos building is "U" shaped, housing the director's office, 5 children's classrooms, after school care, a dental office, a kitchen, eating area, laundry facilities and more. In the middle of the building, lays the open area for the playground. The selection of toys in the playground was very limited - I noted some ride on toys that had been donated by other families with whom I had been in contact, and a small kitchen centre in disrepair. I was impressed with the progress that had been made since seeing photos even as recent as a few months ago - the dismantling and removal of the old, unsafe playground climbers , as , as well as the disappearance of the 40 sinks that had been living in part of the playground for a long time.

 Upon our arrival, we were greeted in a most warm and friendly fashion. Some children were playing outside and they ran to us to give hugs and to chatter excitedly in Spanish. When we entered the toddler room, the toddlers and teachers performed a cute dance and many of the children climbed into our laps and arms. In one of the older classrooms, the children sang a welcoming song to us, and then busily returned to their preschool workbooks in which they were coloring. Each child wanted to share the pictures in their workbooks with us, their big, brown eyes gleaming with pride.  My initial impressions of the daycare were very positive, and I was quite surprised by their operations in many ways, as I had no idea how a daycare would be organized in Mexico. 

The classrooms were very clean, equipped with child-sized wooden tables and chairs, a bathroom with little cups and toothbrushes all in a row, but little else in terms of toys or books. The children looked well cared for at their daycare, which was open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and were a very happy lot. Each group of children wore a different colored smock to identify which room they belonged in. The teacher's wore smocks as well, and white polo shirts emblazoned with the daycare's logo. The children were very respectful of their teachers, of which there were usually two per room, with the exception of the toddler room in which there were three. 

Floors were swept and washed before mats were laid down on the floor for nap time - even the bathrooms did not hold any unpleasant odors - amazing with the heat there and the amount of usage those bathrooms must see.  The children moved across the courtyard (in an orderly fashion, I might add!) to the lunch room where Marguerite and her crew were preparing meals for the hungry crowd. Breakfast had been prepared earlier, and a snack would be provided in the afternoon - this is definitely more food than the children would receive at their home - a saving grace, if you will, as supper that evening may not even be an option for them. Before the children eat, a prayer of thankfulness is recited by all in unison.

 Nap time was an amazing event - mats with cotton covers were laid side by side with no space between each, and all in the middle of the room. After lunch, the children changed out of their morning clothes if they were dirty from lunch, and without a whine, or a fuss, laid down on their mats, and went to sleep. Despite how close each child was to the other, as their mats touched, there was no wiggling, no giggling, no fooling around.................just sleep!

Nap time
 The teachers did not speak any English, but despite the language barrier there were several with whom we really connected. They were kind, caring and had a happy demeanor with the children, and they welcomed the help from our family. We helped create decorations for the upcoming festival, fixed some bikes, painted a bathroom, as well as some of the exterior of the building.

After nap time, I was thrilled to be able to read some stories to a group of 4 year olds in Spanish. When I finished the first one, they kept asking for more! I taught them a song about colors in Spanish, and their favorite song was "Mi Cuerpa Hace Musica" - or "My Body Makes Music", during which we clapped, tapped and danced the cha-cha!

As I observed several children getting ready to be picked up in the later afternoon, the teacher would wipe their hands and faces with a wet wipe, spritz down their hair with a water bottle, brush their hair, or re-do the braids or pony tail that was falling out. After that the teacher walked the child to the first locked gate, on to the second locked gate, where the parent was waiting outside of it. This was also where the records of daily attendance were kept. I was amazed at the protocols in place and being utilized. Not once did I get the impression that things were being done differently just because we were visiting - rather it was just part of the everyday necessary practice at this daycare.

A few hours into our first day's visit, we opened our big suitcases of toys and shoes from Canada with Adriana, the director. We separated the shoes into a bin for the girls and a bin for the boys, and one teacher from each class came to choose the sizes of shoes that would best fit their group of children. We heard many excited exclaims from the teachers as they looked at the shoes.

After nap time, the teachers called one child at a time to try shoes on! There were big, big smiles on the children's faces as the shoes were unveiled, and the children who were waiting their turn found it a very difficult task! The children kept touching their new shoes, and one even held it to his nose to smell it. Everyone wanted to show them off to us! New shoes are such a rare commodity at this daycare that one of the Director's greatest wish is to send each child off to Primary school with a pair of new shoes. Such a simple request, and I truly hope that her wish comes true.

One of the staff was responsible for recording each and every donation that we brought from Canada, shoes included, as well as the new purchases that we eventually made in Mexico. We were impressed with their accountability.


Day 2
Today was our big shopping day for Los Ninos del Capitan daycare - the opportunity to spend all of that very generously donated money from our Canadian friends and family to help support these children. Believe it or not, it proved to be a much harder task than we had ever thought!

We hired Salvador and his big blue taxi van after discovering that there was not a single truck to be rented in Cabo, nor a big enough SUV, to take us shopping for the daycare. Our first stop was Walmart, thinking that like in Canada it would prove to be a one-stop shop, and we would leave there with playground toys in abumdance! This was not the case - a few hula hoops, books, balls, bubbles, chalk, puzzles, a basketball hoop, cleaning supplies, wipes and toilet paper - and still alot of money to spend. Our goal was to buy playground toys to turn that empty space into a cheeful one - but not a playhouse or slide in sight.

Sam's Club proved to be more disappointing, and then we were directed to a store called Soriana. Patient Salvador drove us there, and again waited and waited for us. We hit the jackpot of toys at this store! Right as we walked in to Soriana's we saw.....a playhouse, a boat, a teeter totter and a spaceship slide! The price tags daunted us - $3863.96 pesos, $1710.50 pesos, $2476.38 pesos - Whoa! big , big numbers to compute, calculate and convert, then re-compute, re-calculate and re-convert, as we didn't want to make a gringo error at the cash register! We crossed our fingers that our calculations were correct!
 
The service at the Soriana store was second to none - at one point, I think we had 4 clerks helping us......in Spanish, of course! But they were very forgiving with our limited vocabulary. They seemed amazed that we were purchasing so much - in fact, I think we ended up buying most of their store's toy displays. They really made a fuss over us and were especially pleased when they learned where these toys were going.

We were so excited as Salvador and the Soriana staff loaded the purchases into the van. We also purchased another basketball hoop, mini soccer nets and 4 ride-on motorcycles. Our bill was enormous upon check out, as it was in pesos! 


Thanks to the Shoemaker Family for their contributions and to those who contributed.  It is a joyous blessing to see little kids with new shoes and toys to play with, and to know that they will have food to eat.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like to do the same.  If we do just a little, it really does make a difference!    Marlene


New toys for learning colors and counting



















Sunday, March 31, 2013

Casa San Juan Diego, Cabo San Lucas

An oasis for children, homeless families and those in need



This facility was built by the Children’s Foundation of Cabo San Lucas to provide resources to children and families of the homeless and severely impoverished. All the staff at this facility are local volunteers.  When I visited Casa San Juan Diego, I talked with a volunteer teacher and psychologist, both who work at the center four hours or more almost daily.  This center is overseen by the local Catholic priest but operates only on donations.  

The primary focus of Casa San Juan Diego is summarized below:

1.  100-200 children per day come here for a meal in the morning, to participate in activities and have a safe place to engage in sports and activities.  To use the facility the older children (age 9-17) must attend one class.  These classes vary from teaching basic values, social skills, education about drugs, abuse and violence, and English/Spanish language class.  The classes are held right after breakfast.  The children are always welcome to spend time at the facility during the day, if they aren’t attending school.  Many children also participate in sports and games at this facility after school.  Casa San Juan Diego is a safe place for children to be.  Most of these children live in severe poverty situations and some live on the streets. 

2.  At Casa San Juan Deigo there is a small space for homeless families to live for a limited amount of time, usually a few days to a week.  They must apply to the foundation to show their level of need.

3.  Anybody can come to Casa San Juan Diego to have breakfast, but an agreement is made that if they participate in receiving the meal, they must also attend a class to learn employment skills (carpentry, hairstyling, etc.).  Another requirement is they must give back to the organization by helping at the facility:  preparing meals and cleanup, cleaning the facility, taking care of the grounds, or babysitting small children while their parent(s) are attending a skills class. 

4.  The staff at Casa San Juan Diego try to help with offering connections to other needed resources.  Mental health counseling is also offered by one of the volunteers there.  

It amazes me how many resources are available to people who use this center, but how little it operates on.  Costco and Walmart contribute food once a week.  Charity and donations from other sources are minimal.  

The list of needs and projects to help with at Casa San Juan Diego is long. 

Supplies needed are:

    * Any kind of technology (computers, printer, calculators, television, DVD player).  
          These are used in the classrooms for the children
 Art supplies of all kinds:  paper, copier paper, glue, paints, crayons, pencils,    
          markers, clay/play dough, scissors, construction paper, felt, etc.
 Books for ages 9-17 years of age
 Sports equipment (soccer balls, basketballs, softballs, bats, playground balls for   
          younger children)
 Playground equipment for the older children.  The metal playground equipment  
          they currently have is falling apart and is actually dangerous). 
 Playground equipment for the younger children.  They currently have cheap  
          plastic equipment that is falling apart and unusable. 
 * Toys for babies, toddlers and young children (including riding toys)
 * Cribs
 * Playpens/baby enclosures
 * Small chairs and tables for pre-school age children
 * Diapers, baby wipes, diaper ointment
 * Medicine, vitamins
 * Shampoo, hand soap
 * Head lice shampoo and lice combs
 Toilet paper
 * Food of any kind, especially the basics (flour, cornmeal, cooking oil, canned   
          and boxed milk, sugar, rice, beans)
 * Milk and infant formula
 * Cleaning supplies:  soap (hand, laundry, dishwashing, general purpose), bleach,  
          disinfecting solution
 * Paint
 * Chicken and rabbit food
 * Shovels, rakes
 * Clothing and shoes for all ages, children to adult
 * Materials for the carpentry shop to make small items that can be sold to sustain       
         Casa San Juan Diego
 * Tools for carpentry class:  skill saw, jigsaw, drill, tools


Services and projects volunteers could participate in:

 * Teaching any kind of skills to adults
 * Teaching how to create a garden and compost
 * Fixing and expanding pens where over 70 rabbits and 80 chickens are housed 
           in one small pen for each, building nesting boxes for laying hens, figuring 
           out a way that manure can be used for the community garden that hopefully 
           someone can help establish
 * Teaching children any kind of skills
 * Maintenance repairs (electrical, plumbing)
 * Teaching children how to do a craft project
 * Teaching sports games
 * Teaching any kind of hairstyling skills, pedicure process, manicures, spa 
            services
 * Repairing and painting two large rooms where infants and toddlers are taken 
            care of while parents attend one of the skill classes.  The area is currently 
            dark, unattractive, with small tables or chairs.  Toys need to be discarded 
            and replaced, nothing bright and stimulating is on any of the walls
 * Any kind of interaction with the children, reading books, songs, music, playing   
            with toddlers and holding infants
 * Constructing and/or reconstructing the playground area
 * Counseling/trauma therapy (EMDR or EFT), help with work around abuse issues, 
            self-esteem, education about anger management, addictions
 * First aid/minor medical procedures and evaluations

If you would like to help by donating items, time or service, contact me or the director below.  


Contact information

Address:
Casa San Juan Diego
Prolonacion Leona Vicario, Col.
Meza Colorada
Parroquia
Av. Lopez Mateos/Prologarciòn
Morelos, Col. E Jidel

Director:  Prof. Augusto Marròn
augustocaloo@hotmail.com

Casa San Juan Diego phone:  624 12 45 978

Staff: 
P. Arturo Garcia Fernandez, volunteer teacher
624 12 16 009

Evelia Martinez Solis
624 16 86 041

Hours:  8:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Activities until 5 p.m. for children (most children are there for the morning hours and return after 2 p.m.)

The volunteer kitchen crew cleaning up


Unsafe playground equipment

Small shop where participants learn carpentry skills
Are that could be used for an organic garden.

Infant and toddler room, barren and sparse.
The toys for young children to play with while parents are attending a skills class.  Most of it needs to be thrown away.

The same room as the toys (above), sparse and bleak.
Rabbit pen

Someone donated 76 chickens, this area needs help.







Sunday, February 24, 2013

An Experience Shared of Vacation, Volunteering and Celebration

I was contact last month by Bob Bryan of Mentor, Ohio who was traveling to Cabo San Lucas with his wife to celebrate their anniversary.  He had seen my blog and I was able to share details of who to contact and what to do to make connections after arriving.  I was thrilled to hear back from him about his experience there.  I love seeing the ripples of connections with the children in Cabo and other locations through DreamMissions because people are willing to extend themselves to make a difference.  Thank you to all of you who have or will connect with the children to make this world a better place.   Bob was gracious enough to give me permission to share his letter and pictures, which follow.

Children from Los Ninos del Capitan during playtime.  All the riding toys in this picture have also been donated  by other visiting travelers who wanted to help the children.


February 7, 2013

My wife, Janice, and I visited Los Ninos del Capitan on Friday, February 1st which was our 33rd wedding anniversary!  I wanted it to be a special day in which we were not simply thinking of ourselves but giving something to children in need.  We have a history at our home of feeding many children brought in by our children over the years and our motto is "If you visit our home, you will not leave hungry!!"

We must first thank you [Marlene] for leading us to this opportunity and God stamped it on my heart to do something instead of just selfishly enjoying a wonderful self-centered holiday.  This was a fantastic opportunity in which I will encourage many of my business associates and inspire others to share with these beautiful children!

Also, when making arrangements there are others that made it possible starting with the General Manager of the Holiday Inn Resort in San Jose Del Cabo, Patricia Chapman, who so generously allowed Gaston Mejia of the IT Department to take us to Sam's Club to purchase what is a 2 month supply of food for Los Ninos and stay with us to deliver and visit the wonderful facility.  He was also touched by the experience and related this excitement back to Patricia who mentioned that they would also reach out to help.

Our thanks to our new friend, Adriana Camarena - AC Direccion General for Los Ninos who was fantastic and what an outstanding and loving person that is the right person for the job with such a loving heart for these children and their well being!  We hope to see her many times in the future!

Adrianna Camarena, Director and Janice Bryan
I would encourage many that are blessed enough to travel to one of the great places on our planet, who will spend a lot of money for their personal pleasure, to take the cost of a single wonderful meal, say $100, and share that with children that could not fathom such an experience.  You will be truly blessed and will know they will not go hungry.  Many of us do not have any  idea nor have ever experienced a lack of food or anything.  Be generous with a good heart and it will fill your heart with joy!

Best regards,

Bob & Janice Bryan
Mentor, Ohio

Bob and Janice Bryan with Patricia Chapman of the Holiday Inn in San Jose  del Cabo.


If anyone else is traveling to Cabo San Lucas in the future, feel free to email me and I would be happy to help you make the connection to help the children in need in that area.  

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Los Niños del Capitán – Cabo San Lucas, December 2012

A Return to the Children 

Prior to my most recent trip to Los Niños del Capitán in December 2012, I had contacted the new director to learn what their most needed resources were.  Her immediate response was "We need food."  As noted in my first post in April 2012, this facility is a nonprofit daycare for children of the barrio, whose extremely impoverished single parents (mostly mothers) are working.  Their typical work week is six days a week, 12 hours a day.  The parent pays an average of $60 US per mont or whatever they can afford and the daycare attempts to find other ways of raising funds to cover their costs.  Once the child goes to public school, the parent will repay what is owed to the daycare.  The operating costs are about $250 US a month per child, so there is a wide gap in what they receive and what is needed.  

Two Costco carts of food for the children.
Before my visit, I was able to put the word out about the need for food at the daycare and money was generously donated.  It was the best Christmas shopping trip I've ever experienced. I just wish the people who provided donations could have been there.  At Costco and a local produce market I was able to purchase beans, rice, sugar, cooking oil, milk, soap, bleach and a few other basics.  Both Costco and Walmart donate some food to the daycare once a week, but upon arriving, the daycare's shelves were strikingly bare.  


Our helpers at Costco, loading our van.

Our delivery, waiting to be put away.

Having arrived in the morning at the daycare this time, the very small classrooms were full.  As  I made my way to visit to each room, once the children discovered we were there to give hugs and spend time with them, we were mobbed.  There were 86 children, one small room for each age.  
My new friends.

It was an incredibly overwhelming experience of feeling so many little bodies rushing to me to be held, hugged, talked to, and to receive whatever affection they could get.  There were tears of joy running down my cheeks to see their little smiling faces and also tears of sadness at how desperately these kids just need love and attention. 

The staff at Los Niños del Capitán are wonderful people, doing a fantastic job to make sure these kids have two meals a day and a snack just before leaving for home.  It amazes me what they can do, operating on such a shoestring.  Clothing and sometimes medical care are also provided when possible, as professional services are often donated by physicians and dentists.   But there just aren’t enough resources available to take care of the daycare's needs.  As a nonprofit, the daycare has been funded through donations and fundraisers.  Due to the decline in tourism, the resorts have not been able to contribute as they have in the past. 

I would deeply encourage anybody who reads this and who is interested in having an unforgettable vacation in Cabo San Lucas to take a little time to volunteer at this daycare.  The love and affection you give will be returned one hundred times over.  And if you are able to raise some money for donations or can contribute to the cause yourself, just send an email to them and ask what their most pressing needs are.  Between Costco, Walmart, Sam’s Club, or whatever store you happen to be closest to in Cabo, it’s an easy trip to pick up supplies and drop them off at the daycare.


The experience you will receive from knowing that they will have food in their tummies is something that you will never forget.  But the joy you see in their faces when you wrap your arms around them is priceless.



People Coming Together

When I arrived at Cabo San Lucas, I mentioned to the employee checking me in that I was going to be helping out at Casa Hogar Cabo and Los Niños del Capitán.  The next morning the concierge, Laura, came up to me and asked if I was the person who was going to volunteer at Los Niños del Capitán.  She explained that she had been gathering toys and teaching her daughter that there are children less fortunate.  She asked if she could go with me and it worked out perfectly.  She was able to translate communications, helped with shopping at Costco and directed me to where I could buy pinto beans at a local produce stand.  The toys she donated were used for Christmas gifts for the children. 
I was so happy to see all the new little riding toys that had been provided by a family who connected with me through this blog.  It was an incredible joy to watch their happy little faces as they played.



On my previous trip to Cabo, I had met a man who asked if he could accompany me to the daycare on a later visit.  It worked out that he was in Cabo San Lucas that week.   He provided the van to shuttle the food to the daycare, helped with unloading, and generously donated money for food as well.  A big thanks to Laura Argomedo, from the Wyndham at the Marina in Cabo San Lucas, and Kenneth Williams, from Reno, Nevada, for your assistance and support. 

The youngest child aLos Niños del Capitán



I also want to thank Felix Negron and Emalee Hill who helped with translating instructional material, letters and emails.

Contact information for Los Niños del Capitán

Director:  Adriana Ciamarena
Phone:  624-173-3807
Email:  Los Niños del Capitan
Address:  Mañana 89, Lote 05
                Cole Mesa Colorada, 2da Etapa
                Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Facebook:  Los Ninos del Capitan Facebook

Resources needed at this time are:  
Rice, beans, flour, sugar, cooking oil, canned and boxed milk
Pancake mix, yogurt, tortillas, Maria Galletas
Toilet paper, baby wipes, dish detergent, tissues
cleaning supplies such as bleach, dish detergent, all purpose cleaner
art supplies, children's books, small shoes (age 1-5), flip flops
Paint of any color, but especially a chocolate brown color
small children's backpacks

Repairs that need to be made:  Playground equipment is falling apart and either the wood needs to be replaced and repaired or new playground equipment installed, new screens on windows, painting, sorting and disposing of old donated material from hotels.