Peru Children's Charity

The other facility where I have been working two days a week in Puente Piedra (Rock Bridge) at Km. 34 of the Panamericana, a quick 2.5 hour bus ride from home. I am working with a Charity called Peru Children's Charity that was started by a man from Ireland 7 years ago. The organization is unique in that every single penny of donations goes to the improvement of the therapy center and the lives of the children. It is a special place where people have respect for each other and there is very little screaming and crying (something I am starting to realize is not normal). There is one physiotherapist, one physio assistant, a speech language pathologist and me. Although it is basic, the center is therapeutic and many kids have one to one sessions with the therapists. There is currently a new facility being built to accomodate for the rapid growth and increase in patients. We hope the new center will be done by Christmas. For more info rabout the orgnanisation or to see photos and the plans for the new center visit: http://www.peruchildrenscharity.com/. Currently the children are working on christmas crafts to sell at a Christmas fair to raise funds for the center.

My role is to help assist with therapies and help out with other daily activities. I also hope to help further develop the Occupational Therapy activities because currently this area is somewhat limited (although the kids do get some OT time). My first goal is to learn all the names at both places, one step at a time!

I recently began working at two very different centers for children with disabilities here in Lima. The first one is in La Molina, one of the most beautiful areas in Lima. The place is a dream. It is the nicest facilities I have ever seen. It is fully equipped with a heated indoor hydrotherapy pool, special rooms for ultrasound, electrical stimulation, a hydrocollator, and other very clean and very new equipment. The centre started out as a school and it is run by a group of nuns (see the La Alegria en el Senor on the right under "my favorite links"). 100 children attend each day from pre-kinder to grade 12. The students that attend have a wide range of diagnosis and are taught using the same curriculum as in the public schools. Those who can afford it pay for matriculation, therapies and the meals provided. Those who cannot pay are subsidized by scholarships.

Attached to the school is a therapy center where I have been working that is utilized by the students as well as the public. Each student has their own rehabilitation schedule and the therapist are organized and punctual. The environment is quiet and therapeutic while the children are polite and obedient. The adults treat the children with love and respect and in return the children treat each other with love and respect. This is something I have come to learn may seem obvious to most of us, but is not obvious to everyone, even some of those who have chosen rehabilitation as their career do not always treat patients with respect. Thankfully here, that is not the case.

I spend one day working on physiotherapy with the kids and one day doing occupational therapy. Like I said it is truly a dream place to work. I will try to post some photos soon!!