Volunteering At The Orphanage

Brittany
Mar 17, 2016
2 min read

Day 9: Wednesday 20 January 2016

Today was the first day that we would split up for our overnight visit to the orphanage. We were a little nervous for our time at the orphanage as it isn’t expected to be an easy couple of days. At the orphanage, there are many children of whom many are severely handicapped. We were split up by major to allow us to focus on major-specific projects. Laura, Dan, and I made our way to Madame Bernard and along the way, we picked up Captain Lennon. When we got there, we went up to the trailer and figured out some last minute distribution of the laptops and computers. We met up with the Mayor and made sure he had what he needed from the container. We then met Ailish at the orphanage and were given our room keys for the volunteer house. We created a list of things that needed attention at the orphanage and started with the “depot.” This is the room where the extra supplies, such as toothbrushes and clothes, are kept. We went through and created an inventory with specific numbers for what was left so that the staff would have a better idea of what was needed. Next, we cleaned out an old filing cabinet and brought it outside to be wiped down. We painted it and after drying, we brought it to the administration room. Supplies at the orphanage are limited so they do their best to work with what they have.

For the afternoon, Laura and I spent time in the physical therapy room and then met Dan outside with the other children. When we were through with our to-do list, we were able to play with the children. We also helped with feeding at lunchtime. We brought many goods to play with them to include bracelet-making, bubbles, stickers, and jump ropes. They loved them! It was really nice to be able to get to know the children a little, even with the language barrier. At the end of the day, we headed back to the volunteer house.