Ainhoa Pangua Ortiz, a physiotherapist from Vitoria, and Asier Ruiz Uruñuela, a graduate in physical and sports activities animation from Barakaldo, are two young people linked to the "Young Basque Cooperators Program-2018" who, through Juan Ciudad ONGD, voluntarily participate at the San Juan de Dios Psychopedagogical Institute in Sucre (Bolivia).
This center, managed by the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God, is dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of children and youth with disabilities in its area of influence.
The San Juan de Dios Psychopedagogical Institute welcomes young people like Ainhoa and Asier, who, through Juan Ciudad NGO, are eager to learn about and interact with other realities, communicate and share from an intercultural perspective, learn about the social and healthcare work carried out at the center, and participate as volunteers in various activities and tasks to support this work.
Both of them tell us about some of the activities they have been collaborating on at this center during the three months (from July to September 2018) in which they have been participating.
Ainhoa
I am part of "Participating Mother," a program run by the San Juan de Dios Psychopedagogical Institute in Sucre. It provides families with babies with some type of disability or motor developmental disorders (ages 0 to 5) with guidelines and treatment to improve their health and abilities as much as possible.
The activity is always conducted with a family member of the baby present, so they can explain how to handle the baby at home and what can be worked on. Each baby comes two or three times a week, and at the end of the sessions, the pediatrician assesses them again to determine what goals have been met and whether further work is needed.
My role in this program has been to support the center's two physiotherapists in teaching parents the treatments and achieving the goals set for the baby, such as leg and arm mobility, rolling over, being able to hold their head up when lying face down, etc.
It's an activity I feel very comfortable in, as the professionals, babies, and family members are all lovely, and the latter come eager to get involved and learn.
A hug,
Ainhoa
Asier
I'm in the residential area with the girls and boys who live there year-round and those who stay during the school year because their families can't take care of them, although they pick them up during the holidays and some also on weekends.
Above all, what I've been supporting during this time has been developing a program that helps these children achieve the independence they need in their daily lives: a "feeding therapy" to differentiate the different problems they have when eating and how to help them become more independent. There's also a "communication board" with basic needs, such as eating, drinking, different pains, going to the bathroom, different emotions, types of clothing, footwear, and a notebook with different types of women's and men's clothing, as well as different sports and activities, among others.
I've also participated in crafts to work on psychomotor skills, helped with meals, watered plants... and whatever else they ask of me.
Thank you for this opportunity to grow and learn everything I am learning.
Asier
Source: JCONGD Volunteer Department
Photos: Ainoa and Asier
