Casa de Sion Orphanage is located in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and cares for some of the most needy children in the world. The courts are overloaded with children for whom there is no room. These children who come to Casa de Sion get another chance at a more normal life.

Seeing it from the outside, we have no idea of the reality that most neglected children face. This inside view gives us the chance to understand what a difference an orphanage can make.

Much of the following information was provided by a volunteer intern who spent some time in the orphanage with the children:

The children wake up between 6 and 6:30 am. The oldest ones bathe themselves, while the younger ones wait for the nanny to come at 7 am to bathe and dress them. During this time they are either playing or reading. They eat breakfast between 7:30 and 8 am. The teacher arrives at 7:30 am to prepare for school. The children have a room dedicated upstairs for their classes. At 8:30 am class begins. Children ages 4 and up participate in school while the younger ones stay downstairs to play. They have their morning snack at 10 am. They are served lunch at 12:30 pm. By 2 pm they are back upstairs to resume class. On Mondays and Wednesdays they have English class for an hour and then continue with their teacher until 4:30 pm. They eat dinner at 5 pm. Sometimes between class and dinner they have time to play outside and ride their bikes. After dinner they brush their teeth and put on their pajamas. They have until 6:30 pm to enjoy themselves. At that time we all gather together in the living room to read from the scriptures and have family prayer. Then it is off to bed. I have noticed that following a daily schedule allows the children to know what to expect and creates consistency. Their days are flexible to court appointments, visitors, trips, etc. that might arise.

When the children first arrive at the orphanage they are completely engulfed in the Routine of things. The very first effort made is to find out about the children since we receive no information from the court about the children when they arrive. We try to ask them questions about their families and their home life to understand better why they have been sent to the orphanage. Having this knowledge also helps us to understand better their behavior and how to relate to them. The employees take time to give explanations of the different things that happen in the orphanage. More than anything the children are shown love, discipline, and acceptance.

One of the first things that is taught when children newly arrive at the orphanage is the importance of hygiene. They are taught how to bathe themselves properly, brush their teeth, and the importance of not having lice. One of the things that I have noticed is that many children who come to the orphanage are not accustomed to wearing socks and shoes, so that is something that has to be engrained in them. Also, because many of the children come from backgrounds of sexual and physical abuse, they are taught the sacredness of their bodies and how to properly interact with those of the opposite sex. They come knowing too much about sexuality. Many of them are also way behind in their studies and come not knowing how to read and write. So they begin from the basics to catch up to the level where they should be.

The children seem to adapt very quickly to each other. I had the opportunity to see five new children arrive at the orphanage. They readily accepted their new surroundings, and the children already at the orphanage were quick to accept the new ones. The children made sure that the new ones understood all that was happening and that they they were included in all the activities. They have their arguments and quarrels, but the problems seem to subside as quickly as they arise.

In Guatemala lunch is the largest meal served, and in all the meals bread or tortillas are served. For breakfast they have scrambled eggs, black beans, pancakes, or cereal. They are served milk to drink. For lunch they always have rice with either combinations of vegetables (potatoes, squash, corn, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, etc.), chicken, beef, or soups, green beans or cauliflower fried in egg and flour, or doblados (corn flour mixture with ground beef and vegetables or cheese inside, fried). They are served fresh fruit juices, such as pineapple, raspberry, or lemonade, or juices from packaged powder. Dinner is more like a later afternoon snack. They have black beans, jam sandwiches, vegetables, eggs. They are also served a nutrious drink. For their snacks they eat apples, oranges, jello, crackers, rice crispy treats. Then there are always their special treats for different activities when they have cakes, breads, cookies, or different types of desserts.

Our primary staff, including our wonderful head nanny, are native Guatemalans. It is helpful to the children to be cared for by people of their own country and provides some stability in lives that up to now have been so unstable.We also use interns who committ to a 6 months stay to provide an American influence. They work with the native staff and teach the children English along with their other studies. We welcome volunteers for shorter periods of time as they can be very helpful in several areas. One they bring with them much needed supplies. Two, they help relieve the permanent staff of some of their responsiblities. The children love having the extra attention. Some of our volunteers have painted beautiful murals on the walls. Some have taught, cooked, played or cleaned or repaired. There is plenty to do and with our new location we will need help with construction and gardening. We love our female volunteers for their compassion and sensitivity, but we also love our male volunteers and would like to see more of them. Many of the children have been abused by men and it helps them to learn to trust the male population when they see how loving and tender some men can be.

The words of those who are on site at the orphanage provided me with a new perspective on how blessed I am, and what the real needs of children around the world are. Casa de Sion, like many other orphanages around the globe, is making a difference to the lives of children who need, more than anything, a safe place to learn and grow.

Written by Laura Wheeler, with contributions from the staff of Casa de Sion. Laura is the webmaster for Safe Homes for Children, a 501c3 corporation which administrates Casa de Sion. You can get a glimpse of some of the children and staff at http://www.safehomesforchildren.org/ .

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