Hilda at Amanacer Site Tells Her Own Story

Hilda lives at the Mother of God girls’ home and attends the St Vincent de Paul School, part of Chalice’s Amanacer Site in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Hilda is not sponsored by Chalice, but the school and home receive support from our programs. She wrote her story, in Spanish, and wanted to give it to me when I visited her school. She gave me permission to share it with Canadians at home. A little punctuation has been added to the translation for clarity, but otherwise remains intact.

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“Give A Man a Fish…”

Power for a sewing machine: 220 volts. Power for a chainsaw: 58 volts. Power for an oven: 240 volts. Power for a man or woman to earn a consistent, competitive daily wage: stronger than the sun!

Unemployment among parents is a consistent issue across all of Chalice’s sites. Finding daily wage work (such as agricultural labour) is challenging and often seasonal, and permanent positions a pipe dream to many. Naturally, many people become entrepreneurs, making use of their skills and available resources to start a small business – be it a handicraft, or a service, or an agricultural endeavour.

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Talk About Street Art!

On my first day in Kumbakonam, the town where Chalice’s Tamil Site is based, my colleagues and I took an evening stroll through a residential neighborhood. I kept seeing chalk designs on the ground in front of the house’s doorway. Some simple, some more elaborate.

 

My colleague explained to me that this practice is called rangoli, or sometimes kolam. Residents, often women and girls, will draw fresh ones in the mornings and evenings in front of their homes. At times, such as on special occasions or during festivals, the designs will have specific means or honour specific deities. Sometimes they are just decorative and an opportunity to get creative.

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