Saturday, February 18, 2017

Students gearing-up for school!



Eight students from La Libertad are being sponsored by friends of the project.   In January they did their back-to-school shopping.  We prepared a trip downriver for Tuesday, the usual day that members of the community travel to the city.  But first, for the boys, back-to-school haircuts.

Everyone love a haricut!

Waiting for the other kids



The trip from La Libertad to the city of Leticia takes about four hours.  Four parents went with the students to help with the trip.  The group left the village at four in the morning, an early morning for the kids and adults.  At 8am I greeted everyone at the dock at the port of Leticia.  Note the life vests which were also supplied by friends of the project.  Safety first!

While we required the kids to wear life vest, the parents did not want to.  Something else to work on.


After the long trip we went to a local restaurant to have breakfast.  We had huevos peticose (scrambled eggs with onion and tomato), two pieces of bread, and hot chocolate.  The chocolate is a treat the kids seldom have, and they were very happy to drink it after a cold early-morning boat ride!

Each breakfat cost $1.40 USD


And then off to the stores…


Shopping at El Vecinio


We did most of our shopping at two stores.  The kids were encouraged to try things on to ensure a good fit, but even with the encouragement we have had to make a few exchanges.

Buying shoes at La Regalia


The students must wear uniforms to school.  The shirts all have the insignia of the school and their athletic uniforms are set with the colors of the school.  If they or their clothing is dirty they are sent home.


One can never have too many pencils

Each student is also required to have notebooks, pens, pencils, colored pens, crayons, glue, a ruler, and many other small things.


Ready to leave
The whole shopping experience took about three hours.  At 12 noon they started the 4 1/2 hour trip back upriver to La Libertad.  In total their trip from the village to the stores and back took a little over 16 hours.  Try that with a group of kids!

The community, teachers, parents, and especially the students are all very thankful for the help that they received from their patrons.  We will send updates as the school year progresses.