Making a Difference by Harry Turner

We kicked off this week with another successful English lesson. On Mondays it is almost exclusively children that turn up to the lessons and whilst they can get rowdy at times, the progression with the language is obvious. In Bolivia, the families have to work long hours to support themselves, and because school finishes at 13:00, children as young as 4 years old are left by themselves or with their siblings for hours every day. Our English classes and health workshops allow these young people to come and talk to their friends, educate themselves and feel safe. 

On Tuesday we made the usual trek to Coscoma to give some wholesome food to the elderly people we help. After playing meals on wheels we continued up to an elderly gentleman’s house, the path to which has become overgrown and dangerous, leaving him cut off from the town and unable to be an active member of the community and access the essential healthcare he needs. To rectify this, we set to work with picks, shovels and machetes in hand, clearing the way from the road. Some of us were able to show our flare for garden landscaping, creating the safest path, others expressed their knack for construction by building safe and sturdy steps which should be able to fend off the harshest of the tropical weather. After a couple of hours hard work, a clear path had been cut out of the shrubbery, reconnecting him with the town. When we’d finished, the Don looked over the moon! He was so thankful, offering us bananas and seats out of the scorching Yungas sun. Our spirits were high afterwards, the elderly people were so grateful for the help, the food, and the company; all of which we were more than happy to provide.  

This week has certainly been one of reflection, as the end draws nearer, we can’t help but look back on our time in Coripata. From first arriving, finding ourselves in a foreign land and unable to speak the language, communicating with gesticulation and loud voices, to now, where we can teach classes, give workshops and have basic conversations with our host families and the other members of the community. In this respect, I feel we’ve all done well, integrating into the community and embracing the everyday life of a Coripatanian. I know for one that I will miss the fresco, empanadas and our hilarious host family.

From a personal perspective, I feel the project has come on leaps and bounds since we first arrived in Coripata. Since teaching English the community has really opened up to us, even inviting us to community events, such as the annual ‘Demonstracion de educacion fisica y musica’ in the local school. The elderly in Coscoma seem to have taken hope from the guarantee of a weekly visit and help with any tasks, more than once we have met them up and about, walking around the town. Looking back, I really feel we´ve made a change; a small one, but definitely for the better.