AbrePuertas was started by a SUNY alumna and is situated in the district of Coya, Peru, in the Sacred Valley outside of the city of Cusco. The organization works to improve community literacy, empower teens through leadership and public speaking trainings, engage families who may undervalue traditional education, and bolster the value of learning and art.
Corazón de Dahlia was started by a Binghamton University alumna. The organization providesafterschool programming for children, a bi-lingual and media library, and an educational toy and game library.
El Comedor Popular is an organization made up of local women and provides a source of food for families who would otherwise lack an adequate food supply in the form of a soup kitchen.
Students were asked to reflect on their impressions of each service partner after spending time working on projects at each location, as well as what they have enjoyed the most. Here are some of their thoughts:
"Abrepuertas has only 2 instructors: Ellen and another teacher working with her. The space was kid-friendly, but there was no electricity or running water. Abrepuertas caters to about 40 kids at a time and it seemed that if there were more staff there, it would be easier to accomodate all of the kids." - Karly Armstrong
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"Out of all the service projects I really enjoyed working at the Comedores. This project was the most exciting for me because we had the chance to really work with building the things they needed in order to make the Comedores better for its guests." - Charlecia Chung
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"The most telling moment came when I went to Ellyn, the director of AbrePuertas, at the end of the third day and asked if we had done enough to help her. She laughed and hugged me, and she told me she was so glad we had come. At first I thought maybe we had disappointed her with our subpar painting skills and Spanish, but her appreciation made it clear we had done work that she really needed, and enabled me to feel better about our time there." - Sarah Glose
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"I, a 20 year old, can admit that I do not have the confidence and appreciation for life that I've felt in the girls here. Corazon de Dahlia is such a special place, and I am proud to have worked there for just the 2 days that I was present." - Alison Gryzlo
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"AbrePuertas is nestled into the mountains of Peru in a town called Coya. This rural area presents a challenge for the founders of the program because of funding difficulties. We, as volunteers, were able to offer our support by helping to convert old recycling bins into shelves for the kids' toys and supplies." - Bridget Kunz
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"My initial thoughts about our service partners were: “We’re doing so little for them! Why aren’t we doing more? Is this all we’re doing?” At AbrePuertas, I struggled to do more for the children there. I was wondering how we could even further help them---and if they even needed our help for many of the things we would like to provide them." - Helen Li
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"My impression of Laura, the director [of Corazon de Dahlia] was that she was a very strong woman who was not afraid to voice her opinion and stand up for the organization and their needs in order to grow and move forward." - Diana Reyes
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"At Abrepuertas, Corazon de Dahlia and the comedor I have realized that all three non profit organizations have the same thing in common: they need year round volunteers and help rather than just a couple of days a year." - Ally Sanchez
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"AbrePuertas was definitely my favorite though thus far. Ellyn, the director, was such an amazing person and gave so much positive energy and great vibes. Also the kids were so adorable and fun and it was nice to get to know them. I also liked helping fix up their building and help organize the new classroom location." - Elizabeth Saturnino
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"Out of our three service sites, Corazón de Dahlia is the one I´m most critical of. Laura [the director] talked about how they have no support from the community, but did so with a sense of resentment and moral superiority, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that attitude alienates the community and is part of the reason the community is not supportive. Grounding with a community means putting your motives for the success of your organization aside and interacting with locals on a human-to-human level: asking them questions, seeing what you can do to alleviate some of their apprehensions, working with them, and being empathetic towards their limitations. I also realize that my impression of Laura may be a result of a misunderstanding due to translation and a lack of time with her." - Mohini Sharma
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"I was surprised by AbrePuertas because they seem to be able to impact the community so strongly with the little resources they have. It was easy to see how passionate and caring Ellyn and the other staff are for the work they do. They truly exist for helping the families of Coya grow stronger through education." - Meredith Summers
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"The second site, Corazon de Dahlia, was slightly less beneficial for both parties. I really liked working with the girls in the young women's empowerment initiative, but it seemed to me that having 18 foreign students come in and play with the kids in the program was more of a nuisance to the teachers and long term volunteers than anything." - Dina Truncali
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"The workers at the comedores expressed how very thankful they were that we came to do service. Our service partners also made it easier for us to do our work. Whether it was translating languages or instructing us how to do something, they were very helpful." - Anton Vlahek
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"The most enjoyable moment is during the time I spent time with the children. I played games with them, such as the hopscotch, scavenger hunt, and soccer. I also tutored children in learning English. Even though I can only use few Spanish words to talk to them, I still feel proud that I am able to teach them English." - Jianhang Xiao
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"My three days at AbrePuertas and two at Corazon de Dahlia taught me several impactful lessons on communication that I will carry with me whether I continue to work with children, or if I am burned out until I have my own kids. First, I discovered that enthusiasm goes far beyond words. Energy and excitement can be a source of entertainment and brighten a day even without words. Alongside this, I learned that simple physical forms of communication and body language - a high five, a thumbs up, a pat on the back, even just a smile - can serve as sufficient forms of communication and can brighten anyone's day, mine included." - David Zatyko
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