The Photography Exhibition of the Restoration Shelter!

This past Saturday, the girls of the Restoration Shelter had the unique opportunity to share with the public the photographs that they have taken over the past several months as a part of a special photography project. The exhibition, entitled “The Imprisoned Tree: exploring the theme of nature in the city” took place at Sustainable Bolivia here in Cochabamba, and featured the work of 9 different girls, all pertaining to the theme of the title. As one of the goals of this photography project was to raise the girls’ self-esteem and confidence, we were very excited to see these girls so willing to present their photos to the public and speak proudly of their work.

The event was well-attended and guests were highly interested in purchase of the photos, as well as the handicrafts and food (also made by the girls!) which we had for sale. There was even a photographer from Los Tiempos, the Bolivian national newspaper, who attended the event, and an article on it came out the very next day! You can find it in Spanish here. We closed up the event with a raffle of all the photos that hadn’t been purchased, and then the girls presented a couple dance numbers.

Here’s a sampling of the photos from the exhibition, with titles and descriptions written by the girls themselves:

Geovana, “soñar no cuesta nada” – soñar con un Mundo con naturaleza no cuesta si la cuidamos

Sandra, “la naturaleza cuida la ciudad” – Aún la naturaleza es una parte muy importante de la vida, depende al cuidado que le den a la querida naturaleza. Porque Dios dijo, “cuiden lo que estoy creando con mucho amor para todos ustedes”

Vania, “momentos de un árbol: ¿libre o encarcelado?” – Nosotros como personas deberíamos comprender a esa naturaleza como los árboles; comprender que estos árboles son otra vida que deberíamos cuidarla. Ahora, como se ve la imagen, “el árbol encarcelado,” estas rejas que le encarcelan a ese árbol somos nosotros. ¿Por qué? Porque nosotros como personas matamos a esa flora de la naturaleza, y no hay otro modo en que nuevamente hagamos nacer y crecer ese árbol.

Dentristry Workshop at the Working Girls’ Center!

Two weeks ago, a group of 20 young people dressed with their white lab coats came to the Working Girls’ Center—they were a group of students from Universidad Mayor de San Simon (UMSS) in their last year of dentistry. They divided us into three groups, according to age, and they explained to us why they´d come: for university, they have to do volunteer work involving check-ups on the condition of the teeth of people who would normally not be able to go to the dentist. They then did a check-up on each and every child at the center.

Because they participated, all the children at the Working Girls’ Center get a free follow-up check-up and medical treatments until their teeth are completely healthy again. Since many of them haven`t ever been to a dentist before and their teeth are in pretty bad condition, this was a great opportunity for them. Although they were a bit scared, they were very interested in everything the students were doing and writing down and in the end, everyone got a free examination!

It was a great day and both sides were able to help each other: for the university students, it was an important part of their studies and for the children, it was a unique opportunity to have their teeth tended to and learn how to care for their teeth themselves.

Marcha contra la violencia escolar

On Monday morning, the girls and staff of Mosoj Yan joined together with about 4,000 other students in Cochabamba in the marcha contra la violencia escolar (march against violence in schools). The event was sponsored and put on by World Vision Bolivia as a part of their campaign, “Borremos la Violencia en las Escuelas” (Erase Violence in Schools). According to a recent article in Los Tiempos, the campaign has three objectives: for students to recognize when they are being bullied, for parents to be able to identify when their child is a victim of bullying, and for teachers to adequately respond to bullying when it is reported.

The march started at about 10 a.m., and went from the central plaza to the plaza of the flags at the end of the Prado. The girls carried signs and posters which read phrases such as, “we want to live without violence” and “say no to bullying.” According to studies done by World Vision Bolivia, 5 out of every 10 students in Bolivia has experienced bullying and/or in-school violence, either physically, morally, psychologically, or sexually. Thus it’s very important for us–and the girls of Mosoj Yan–to come behind and support this cause!

Even the Restoration Shelter van got to participate!

El Mosaico

Lately at the Restoration Shelter, the girls have been working on a mosaic using shards of glass that they found on the streets of Cochabamba. The project not only gives them an opportunity to express themselves, but also helps them to think through how in their own lives they can transform something that seems worthless into something beautiful.  Stay posted for a shot of the final project!

Recién en el Albergue de Restauración, las chicas han estado haciendo un mosaico hecho de pedazos de vidrio, los que han encontrado en las calles de Cochabamba. Este proyecto les da una oportunidad de expresarse, y además les ayuda a pensar como pueden transformar las cosas que piensan que no tienen valor en sus propias vidas en algo hermoso. ¡Manténte atento! Fotos del producto final llegan pronto.

A trip in Chapare with Albergue girls

Thank you to  everyone who donated to help make a mini-vacation with the girls from Albergue possible! We–the girls, staff, and volunteers at Albergue–got to spend 3 days in El Chapare, in a town called Villa Tunari. For the girls, it meant so much for them to get travel outside of the safe house and experience a different place.

While El Chapare is not all that far from Cochabamba it could not be more different! The weather is hot and humid, but luckily there was a swimming pool in our hotel, which was definitely a highlight of our time there. We have never seen the girls laugh and smile so much as on our trip and we have seen some new friendships among the girls start to grow.

Another highlight was Macchia Park, a nature reservation for monkeys and other animals. We got to see a lot of monkeys and a waterfall on our hike through the beautiful jungle forest! And the girls got to take lots of pictures along the way, for their photography class.

Such a good time shared with the girls and staff on this trip…

Donation

Few days ago, Mosoj Yan received from “La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Santos de los ultimos dias” a donation of food, writing , for a total of 35 000 bolivianos. This will helps the 220 adolescents whose live in the street and are helped by the association.

Girls of the various association’s centers presented songs and dance to thank this generous present.Mosoj Yan helps girls since 22 years in Cochabamba by providing integral attention, psychological support, various workshops to these girls who are vulnerable.

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Origami Time!

The 72 Hours Project

This weekend at Mosoj Yan we held the 72 hours project (www.72stunden.de), an event which lasted 3 days, with the objective of raising funds for the Centro de Trabajadoras at Mosoj Yan.

From June 13 to June 16, the volunteers and children at Mosoj Yan made bracelets and baked goods such as rosquillas de anis, empanadas, rollos de queso, and donuts, and then sold them on the streets in Cochabamba and Quillacollo.

In the end, we raised more than 1250 bolivianos for Mosoj Yan.

Thank you all for your help!

72 Hours for Mosoj Yan

72 hours were created by the German foundation of young Catholics.Its idea is to realize a charitable action in 72 hours.

Mosoj Yan Trabajadoras is a center of attention on the children and the young workers. It intervenes on school educational and family aspects.

This year the 72 hours are going to be realized in Bolivia and we wish to raise funds for Mosoj Yan.

The event will begin on Thursday 13th of June at 5 pm.

To the program : music, sale of cakes, crafts, etc.

We are waiting for you!