A few weeks into our project, the team embarked on its first international journey to…Tijuana, Mexico. Although our project focus is on Southern India, we thought it would be a good idea to take a trip to see WCP’s existing operations and to get to know our client better. So on the morning of October 23rd, with gifts for the orphans in hand and curious minds, Davis Hwang, Tomo Miura, Art Chu and Tae Kim took the five hour bus ride down to Tijuana.
The first orphanage we visited was called Sion Orphanage, located in a suburban area of Tijuana. With a little over 100 orphans, this orphanage appeared to be very well-run. We were very pleasantly surprised to see all the orphans well-fed and well-clothed. Our time at Sion consisted of touring the facilities to learn more about their history, mission statement and operations, and then eating lunch and playing with the kids. All the children were very happy to see us, and some even got a karate lesson from the team martial arts expert, Tomo. This orphanage placed a strong emphasis on faith and education, and gave the orphans the opportunity to stay in school all the way through college, if they wished. While it relied on sponsorships and donations to sustain itself, this orphanage had extremely strong relationships with local church organizations and almost always had enough resources in terms of direct care.
The second orphanage we visited was Casa de Paz, located further away in a rural area. With plenty of land in the rural area, this orphanage was in the process of growing crop (olives and peppers) for use at the orphanage, with the potential to sell excess crop as a means of sustainability. In addition, teaching the orphans to farm was also a means to vocational training. Upon arrival we helped out with the harvesting of the olives while playing games with some of the children. Some of the kids were amazed with Tae’s sleight of hand tricks, and not so impressed by Davis’ juggling…Only three balls? Lame! With so much land, in addition to the farmland and greenhouse, the orphanage also had plenty of space for the children to run around and even keep farm animals – we stopped briefly to talk to a cow during the tour. However, being so far away from everything else also had its disadvantages. Medical care was far away, and the orphanage was considering setting up a dental clinic on-site using donated dental equipment. It was at this orphanage that we noticed an interesting dilemma orphanages are sometimes faced with. When they showed us the dental equipment that volunteers had donated, we also noticed the piles and piles of used computer equipment that wasn’t being put to use in the same storage room. While the orphanage may be well-run, they are not always able to gain access to the right resources to be used efficiently. For example, a donor would be much more willing to pay for a child’s healthcare or education needs, than say, the orphanages monthly gas bill, while both needs are extremely crucial.
