Volunteering at the Cultural Center

     About two and a half years ago a woman by the name of Karen Ocampo created the Cultural Center in the small town of Santiago, Nicaragua which is part of the larger  town La Concepcion. When the program first began there was only a morning group of children. Very soon children started to roll in so an afternoon group was formed for students. The center took in every single child that wanted to be a part of it and most of them live within walking distance. The program was held every Tuesday and Thursday with the help of Karen’s sister, Isayana and very soon after it became a Monday through Friday program it is now. The children range from 4 to 11 years old. They participate in games, activities, art projects, and reading on a daily basis. In the morning there are 10 to 50 children while in the afternoon there are between 30 and 40 children.

    The government was supposed to be their main source of support but unfortunately that was not the case. Everything started very successfully until the government was not helping and then the owner of the land the program was on kicked them out. Karen was faced with the difficult decision of what to do next. Because she cared for this program vastly and felt a need to give these children a safe place to be she moved it to her small home. Around the time that she did this the creator Mariposa Spanish School in La Concepcion showed interest in the program and wanted to help in any way possible. Soon Karen was receiving volunteers, donations, and funding. One volunteer Margareta was so impacted by the children and what Karen was doing that she herself contributed greatly with donations and still does to this day. The program has been very successful when it comes to keeping children off of the streets and giving them a safe place to participate in various activities. The included art projects, crocheting, reading, and practicing English. Karen has many hopes for the future of the program including simply getting a plastic tarp to cover the outside area because during the rainy season in Nicaragua all of the children must be inside of her small house.  Overall she is hoping that the program will steadily become larger and that more children will be a part of it.

                     

When I first got to the center to volunteer I noticed that the house the program was run out of was extremely small for the amount of children there. I saw beautiful children all different ages coloring outside at tables.  They were very welcoming to me and I felt right at home. Karen even let me hold her 2 year child for most of the time. As a volunteer I was there for 4 hours. I spent time coloring with the children and playing games outside. The children were so incredibly excited and grateful that I was there. The children were extremely vibrant, energetic, and loving. When I was coloring with them they often come up to me and ask me to draw them something like a butterfly that they would then color in. One of the best parts of volunteering was that at the end of coloring all of the children brought me pictures that they had drawn for me to take home. When they were playing the games outside they were very happy that I joined in even though it was all in Spanish. We played games such as Nicaragua duck duck goose, hide and seek, and few other games. The women who work with the children do so much throughout the day and I could tell that they were thankful to have some help.

In addition to playing with the children I was able to observe them and how they interacted with one
another. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America and when I saw the children and 

the home the program was in it showed. Dirt seemed to clutch to the children’s skin. They had ripped

clothing, their teeth molding, and I even noticed one little girl was eating crayons because she was so 

hungry but what I noticed next was beautiful. Although these children lived a far from privileged life

they were all so happy. They constantly had smiles on their faces and gave me lots of hugs because 

they were so appreciative that I was there. An experience as a volunteer changes your outlook on a lot
of things, especially what makes people happy. These children had one another and a program that

was full of love and fun activities. I observed that the children acted as if they were siblings with one 

another by helping each other out when needed and always playing together. When it was time for me 

to leave all of the children ran to me and gave me hugs and hoped I would be back soon. 

Through volunteering, especially with children, I have found  that you are really able to see how people
live differently and how much little things in our life matter rather then consuming as much as possible and
having a lavish life. It teaches you never to  take food, water, or a house for granted. Lastly it

shows that there are truly amazing people living in the world such as Karen who had dedicated her life

to this amazing center for children.

Author: Sierra DiMartino