When we first arrived at Damien House this morning, it was organized chaos as usual. The first thing we had to do was gather the recuperating patients from the nerve decompression surgeries for a picture. A few of them were leaving to go back home that morning. Sister Annie explained to them that they should be very thankful to God and the medical volunteers because the surgeries they received cost about $25,000 in the United States. She even said, "You should feel like you won the lottery!" Next, we did some cleaning and attended a lively Mass in the chapel.
After lunch, we traveled to La Puntilla, a nicer area on the outskirts of Guayaquil. There we visited a private Catholic elementary and high school called Nuevo Mundo. Nuevo Mundo is cool because it is separated into two parts. For those who pay tuition and attend morning school, every class is in English and the curriculum is challenging. The other part of Nuevo Mundo is that in the afternoon children from one of the poorest parts of the Guayas province, Durán, are able to use the same facilities and receive an otherwise unattainable education, all for free. Once they reach tenth grade, several students are given scholarships to finish their high school careers in the morning school.
Seeing the dedication of the teachers and the students' passion for success reminded our group how important our education is and has been. A quote on one wall of the school reminded us that "An education opens up doors that no one can close." We were also asked to ponder this question: "What is the point of an education?"
Hasta mañana,
Mary Claire and Matt
Abel, one of the scholarship students, speaking to our group at Nuevo Mundo.
Wonderful to see your efforts having such a positive impact.
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