Tuesday, June 19, 2012

2012: Animal Rescue






Lulu, the Yahoskas dog, recently had a litter of seven puppies (Lulu is the white dog in the second picture). Five of them died from starvation. Upon my first visit to the Yahoska's home, I discovered the last two puppies (only six weeks old) being rejected by their mother. She bit them each time they tried to nurse, since she too is starving. Unable to focus on my projects intended for that day, because of the brown puppy that was dying on the ground, I decided my first project would be to save the pups. "Girls, the pups are going to die, like the other five, unless I take them to the vet." The girls helped me find an old box with which to carry the puppies. They emptied the soap and supplies that were being kept inside, and placed the dying puppy and its more lively sibling inside. Off I went with the other volunteer, Gabi, on a paseo to San Marcos.

In 2008, I had a similar experience with puppies, but had to transport them on over five hours of buses (see earliest blog posts). The 1 km walk and moto ride into town proved to be much easier than my previous trip with puppies in a box! We visited the nearest veterinarian. My granny always tells me to keep a $50 bill hidden in my wallet for emergencies. The last time I had used it was for the last batch of puppies, so I thought it appropriate to try the same approach. Most Nicaraguan veterinary offices do not take animals overnight, but with the offer of $50, they made an exception. They agreed to recuperate the starving pups, give them all necessary vaccines, and feed them every two hours for seven days - all for the price of $50. Small amounts of money and effort go a long way in Nicaragua.

The next challenge was to find a good home for these tiny animals, whom should be with their mother for another six weeks or so (but this would not be possible, as their original home does not have the means to feed them and give them the proper care).

I returned to the Yahoskas for the rest of the day, and decided to visit the vets office after work to check in. AMAZING! One of the men who works at the office took a liking to the babies, and asked if he could have them. Who better to take the dogs than a person from a veterinary office? Successful first Monday in Nicaragua!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

2012: Richmond 4th Graders Engage in Philanthropy Project!

My students and I carried out our annual philanthropy unit, exploring the meaning of helping others and making a positive impact on our world. We carried out the Three Cups Of Tea young readers literature unit, learning about how many people in the world are deprived the right to education. After falling in love with the children of Korphe, Pakistan, as well as hearing my many stories of the street children in Nicaragua, my students were eager to help.

After six weeks, students fulfilled their goal to fill two, large suit cases of donations for the street children I work with in Nicaragua. They brought in Spanish books from home and bought out many dollar stores in order to bring in school supplies for the Yahoskas. This year's class, only 26 students, raised 96 pounds of Spanish children's books and school supplies. As you can see in the first picture, students sorted the donation boxes into categories, helping me to remove all the packaging in order to more efficiently save space in the suit case (being sure to recycle all paper and plastic products). In 2011, I didn't think to have my students engage in this process, and I ended up spending many hours doing it myself. You learn with each year! While they were sorting, many of them said, "Ms. Bishop, this feels so good!" It was motivating to see such young students thinking beyond themselves, giving to those who need help. One of them, who has been saving money for college, spent some of her own money to buy supplies. Her mother was really proud of her decision and contribution, as am I! In order to change the world, we have to change mindsets. There is always a way to help out!






Most importantly, students engaged in the writing process by composing thoughtful pen-pal letters to the Yahoskas. To make a child feel important via a letter can be very powerful. I remember feeling so special getting mail at camp from my mother and family, and I can't imagine what it would feel like to get a letter from a curious pen-pal from another country. Students were instructed to describe their community, family, interests, and school life (along with whatever other details they could write full paragraphs about) in their letters.  Students wrote in their languages of choice, after careful planning. When final drafts were complete, students who didn't know how to write in Spanish were tutored by students who could. Many hours were spent in translation stage, but after much work all the letters were successfully translated into Spanish! Andres, who volunteered for the day, was able to help one of my students learn some Spanish during the translation process (his mother has given consent to display this photo). Six of my previous students, currently on their way to the sixth grade, wrote second letters to their pen-pals from last year.

Richmond students, you are changing the world and helping out those in need! Thank you to parents and community members who helped to make this project a reality!