Protect 300 girls from Child domestic work in Peru

Dear friends,

We want to share with you how our Sunday sessions with girls in child domestic labor at La Casa de Panchita work.
Early in the morning, on a private bus parked in Pamplona Alta, San Juan de Miraflores, Mrs. Susana (community leader) waits for the girls, usually 25 to 30, who live in nearby areas. Along with one or two promoters, former child domestic workers, they make their way to La Casa de Panchita. On the way there, the girls eat some fruit, since many of them probably didn’t have breakfast.

They arrive at 10am. Staff members and volunteers receive them with warm hugs and kisses. The girls are then divided into small groups of five. Each group is assigned to a tutor, who helps the project coordinator carry out the activities planned. Sunday activities are divided into four sessions of 1,5 hours each. At 1pm, lunch is served and it is usually one of the girls’ favourite meals (chicken, fish or meat, accompanied by vegetables or potatoes, with juice and a fruit dessert).

The abovementioned four sessions are always carried out with games and playful dynamics. The first assesses the risks of child domestic labor. The second one is a crafting workshop, like painting a box or a picture frame that the girls can take back home. The third session addresses a special topic chosen by the girls, while during the fourth one, we take them to nice park near La Casa de Panchita. Sometimes we are able to take the girls to the beach, museums or to the zoo.

During the day, the girls needing school support receive special assistance and there is also some time left to read and comment AGTR’s "The future in my hands", a publication describing the support channels available for children exposed to domestic labor.

We would like to share with you some of the girls’ comments on these Sunday sessions at La Casa de Panchita:

"I've never been at this park before. It is very large and very nice”.
Shirley M., 13 year-old

"I hardly ever go out for a walk when I’m home. I do not have enough time."
Nancy M., 11 years-old
 
“How pretty! I never imagined the sea would be like this. It looks very different than I expected: It looks colourful, It’s not just a single color”.
Susana Q., 17 year-old
 
“What a pity we cannot have these kind of trips all the time. It’s very cool and I'm not afraid of crossing the street anymore. When there is no traffic light it’s scary because they don’t even look at you”.
Miriam B., 15 year-old

Best regards,

Blanca Figueroa

Dear Friends,

At La Casa de Panchita we have had special events to celebrate the Domestic Worker's International Day (March, 30th) with our girls in child domestic labor and adult domestic workers. Thanks to your support, the girls could take a break and go to the movies to watch the acclaimed comedy-drama "The Maid". For adult domestic workers, we organised a special workshop in which they learned how to cook traditional Peruvian dishes, while enjoying amazing food!

On the occasion of this Domestic Worker's International Day (Today!) we would like to take the chance to share with you a (very) short video on what happens to girls exposed to child domestic labor. We would also like to share with you Elena's story, as a testimony of the importance of the work you are helping us carry out at La Casa de Panchita:

When Elena turned 10, she was sent to Lima to “help out” at a relative’s home. She cleaned the house, cooked and took care of the children and was treated as “the help”, not as family. She barely had time to sleep at night and no time at all to do her homework. She remembers how much her employer yelled at her and how she was ashamed of talking about it with others. When she was 14, Elena started attending La Casa de Panchita. With us, she learned how to speak for herself, she worked hard to improve her Spanish reading and writing skills and improved her grades at school, receiving the education wvwry child deserves!

As you may know we started a nwe project to secure a safe place for our girls and to keep providing them with the support they need. Chech it out by following the link below and please, take a minute (literally!) to watch the video, click HERE.  Elena and other girls like her need us!

Thank you!

Links:

• http://goto.gg/19654