Wednesday, 24th February - Wawa Wasi - My work assignment

Nine days to go and I have finally received my assignment in Ayacucho.  I am to work at a Wawa Wasi [Wawa = baby and Wasi = house, in Quechuan, which is the native language of Ayacucho].   This means that I will be helping to look after the children, aged from 6months to 4years, of families living in extreme poverty who are unable to pay for child care while they are off working, typically they would be stret vendors and work for 10hour stretches at a time.  Instead, they are able to take their children to a community home for free which, in most cases is a room in a 'caretakers' house.  The Government provides some eductional materials and hot meals for the children and a very small stipend for the caretaker.  All other help is voluntary.   I am very happy with my placement, not least because little babies wont realise that I cant speak much Spanish!  My duties will include playing with the children, teaching, feeding, putting them to bed and teaching basic hygiene and health care.  Trips out are occasionally organised and I have read one blog where all the children were piled into a van and taken to the local zoo. Some of the zoo animals were not actually there in body but just painted on the walls! Cant wait, although with a certain amount of trepidation.  Must hone up on my infant songs and games.