Ana, Meindert, Noemi, Susannah Jerome and I continued in to the taxi to Santo Toribo, which is a day care center for mentally and physically disabled children. The organisation is about 20 years old and there are about 170 kids attending the school. Terrorists came in 1980 when the school was just starting, and didn't want the school to continue. Some people from Ireland had originally started the organisation by wanting to build a church and give health and education. The terrorists forced all of the foreigners out of Peru because they didn't want projects like this running, and so this is now why the organisation is solely run by Peruvian people.
There are many different projects and interesting things within the Santo Toribo day care center including physical therapy, a bakery, jewelry making, hand crafts, and even making shoes, and many classrooms where most of these activities can take place. Once a year, every year, for the past 12 years, they expose all of the products they have made next to a church in Trujillo, and sell these things to make money for the organisation´s needs including equipment for the kitchen.
The government is helping by paying all of the regular teachers here at the school, and so support in this organisation is strong. Families must pay for their child to come here, but if they can't afford it, then they just pay whatever they have.
This organisation is where Noemi (a volunteer I'm currently living in the house with), will be coming to volunteer for the next 5 days.
If you would like to donate to or volunteer at Santo Toribo visit http://www.otracosa.nl/
