Barbara van der Heiden, the Netherlands 3 weeks voluntary work at Children’s Hospital Baca Ortiz in Quito

After several months of excitement and preparation I finally left for Ecuador on Saturday June 16th 2007. I had the night flight from Amsterdam to Quito, with a stop in Bonaire and Guayaguil. The flight was fine, no delays or turbulence. Before I left I had several times contact with Dr. Maximiliano Moreno (Max, head of Ecotrackers’ projects) by email. I had the address and phone number, so I knew where to go after arriving at Quito Airport on Sunday morning June 17th. I took a taxi to the apartment and just pushed one of the buttons that said Ecotrackers. Max’ daughter was at the apartment and Max came in just after me. He welcomed me with open arms and that’s when I knew everything was going to be great. We chatted for a little while, Max told me all about the different projects they are working on. And he showed me the apartment, the views are wonderful, all around are mountains (very special for a Dutch person). Because Max had some business to attend in Esmeraldas on Monday, he took me to the hospital right away, 2 minutes walk from the apartment, to show me where I could start on Monday morning.

We went to the 6th floor, Traumatology, to the biggest room all the way at the end of the hallway. My first impression was: what a crowded room, lots of noise, poor equipment and furniture. I was not surprised, because I was prepared for this, I knew I could not compare this with European hospitals. We started talking to a few people, introducing me to the parents and the children. But I was not prepared for the way I would feel, you are never prepared for that. I have no medical background at all, that is why I wanted to do this, to help others, but in a different kind of way that I do at my office job (HRM) in the Netherlands. I do have experience working with children, but not with sick children. But that was part of the experience to gain and also the adventure of doing something totally different. So my second impression was that my stomach turned around and I had this lump in my throat after seeing the injuries of some of the children. They amputated the legs of one of the girls, there was this little boy with a terrible hip fracture (open wound) and most of them had diapers around their legs because of open wounds. On the other side I must admit that most of the children were smiling when we told them that I would come in every day to do some exercises (grammar, math, English etc) with them, so they would not get too far behind in school. So that gave me a push in a positive direction again and the lump in my throat started to fade away. When we walked back I was a little confused about what I should do exactly, but Max assured me that everything I do will be fine and that I did not have to worry at all. The most important thing is that the children get devoted attention, to help and teach them and put a smile on their face.

Back at the apartment I started unpacking my things and settling down. I was going to stay here for 3 weeks. I was tired from the trip and slept for about 2 hours. After I woke up I went out to look for a store to buy something to drink. It was very quiet on the streets, what surprised me a lot. I walked around and found out that just a few blocks away I was in Gringolanda, Mariscal. A lot of restaurants, bars, hostels, internet cafes and little shops. And of course a lot of foreigners. I went to post something on my web log and had a drink on the terrace. Two Ecuadorian girls started talking to me and invited me to sit down with them. It was really nice. After a while it got cold and time to go back. After the sunset it really gets cold in Quito and I was not prepared for that at that moment (no sweater with me). I was a bit surprised that it went so quickly, the sunset and temperature going down. So at the apartment I had a few cups of tea, but I didn’t get warm at all, must also have been the jetlag. In the evening I met the rest of the family. It was very nice to meet them all and have a chat with them.

On Monday June 18th my voluntary work started. Because the doctors make their rounds on Monday morning, I was told to come around 10 o’clock to the hospital, all other days at 9 o’clock. First I had a little chat with all the children, asked their name, their age, in which class they were and what they would like to do the coming weeks. There were 8 children in the big room and one girl all alone in another room. The ages vary from 5 to 13 years old.

This day I also met another volunteer from Canada. She was already here for a month and told me that she worked on different floors. She also told me that I could find the creative therapy room (Ludoteca) on the 4th floor and that I could borrow some toys there for the children. So I went down for a while and met Veronica, she works fulltime at the Ludoteca. She told me I could take some toys, but had to bring them back in time, because they close around midday. But it was good to be able to get some toys (even though they were old in my opinion, for the children it was great) to play with. There were also other volunteers from different organizations.

The first 3 days I spend time getting to know the children and trying to get their trust in me. With some of the children this was more difficult than others, but most of them opened up after a while, and so did the family member that stayed with them. It was also very difficult for me to not notice their illness and wounds, and it hurts a lot to see them in so much pain, not able to move or leave the bed, or sometimes not able to do anything. But this also got “easier” after a few days. You get “used” to it pretty soon. I was there to help them with their studies or just to play with them. I bought some coloring books and some study books to work with. They really enjoyed it. It took their mind of things, of being sick. Some days they did not want to do anything, and I did not want to pressure them, sometimes I just sat beside their bed and read a story or just nothing, just being there was enough.

One day when I came in they all called out: Buenos dias, Profesora! That was a great feeling, a feeling of acceptance and knowing that they were really looking forward to do some things with me. Besides doing exercises and playing with the children I also helped with changing the beds sometimes and passing out lunch.

During the 3 weeks I helped out at the hospital I did see them improving, not only health wise. Some of them, Luis and Liliana, were learning English, the numbers, colors and little phrases. I did some writing with Aylen, after a while she could write all by herself: “mi mama me ama”. With another girl, Melany, I did some math, and she was using my fingers to count on. It was such a good feeling that my help made a difference. With Jennifer we made grammar exercises in her schoolbook (which was great for me, so I could review this too). With Christian, Roger and Martin I played games. Christian was into gadgets, he loved my mobile and digital camera, he might grow up and be great photographer. I just felt one with the children and family after a while. Like little things: sharing their food with me, being able to have full conversations with them and exchanging experiences/ differences between our countries. It was wonderful.

At work (in the Netherlands) I put up a little memo for my colleagues with the question if they would give a voluntary contribution for the hospital. The feedback I got was incredible and the money I received too. I received almost 475 dollars. From that money I bought some books and most of it I gave to the church organization at the hospital. I met Senora Monica, she took me on her rounds. We visited children and parents who are very poor and didn’t have enough money to buy medication etc. Senora Monica told me that she would spend every dollar wisely and that before I would leave she would give me all the receipts of the medication she had bought for these children. They do such a great work at the hospital. At the Ludoteca they have this little kitchen where they make sandwiches and drinks for the parents that stay with their children all day. The children get food from another voluntary organization, but the parents don’t. They also have candy and cookies for them. One day she gave me a big box of candy to give to ‘my’ children and they were all very excited. These little things are so great!

During the three weeks at the hospital every child got a little place in my heart. Of course there are some that really left a memory. Roger, the youngest, who was so full of energy and joy, maybe a bit overactive in a positive way. He was also very stubborn, that’s what made him so funny. He was the first to leave, which was great for him and his family. I really missed him after he had left, missed his laughter, and I was not the only one who missed him.

Melany, they amputated both of her legs, was so incredible, full of live. It was great to hear that a television program gave her a wheelchair. Of course they came by and took a lot of pictures, also from the pins and wounds, which I found a little bit insulting for her and her family at that time, but who am I to judge. But I was really happy for her that she got the wheelchair, because her parents did not have enough money to buy one. She told me that she wanted to be a teacher whenever she grows up. I think she will be perfect doing that.

And there was this little boy, Martin, who was very, very sick. His grandmother stayed with him most of the time. He was in so much pain. I was not able to play a lot with him, but I just sat with him whenever his grandma had to go for a while. He was very quiet. Luckily the hospital also has a psychologist who came in every other day to check on him. I really hope he’s getting better soon.

During my stay there a few more children were moved to the “going home soon” room as we called it, so a few new children came into the big room. One of them was a 13 year old girl, Daisy. She had a shoulder injury and her leg was still in plaster, but she was able to walk. I felt really bad, cause her father just dropped her there and left, after a week he came back. She did not have anything, not even clean clothes or a pillow (which they have to bring themselves). Luckily the voluntary organization “Las Damas” took care of her and brought her clothes and some toiletries.

On my last day I promised them I would bring something nice with me. So on Thursday I went out to buy little things. I bought for everybody the same: a cuddly monkey with long arms and Velcro on the hands, a nice pencil, some juice, cookies and lollypops.

When I came in on Friday and they saw the big black plastic bag…… there was no way I was going to do some exercises with them anymore. Daisy, the girl with the shoulder injury, helped me handing out the presents and they were all so happy. Nine children with a monkey around their neck. It was so much fun. I had one left, cause Liliana went home that night before. Unfortunately I was not able to say goodbye to her, but I was glad she was able to go home, back to rest of the family. Daisy gave the last monkey to one of the nurses.

It is very difficult to say in just a few words what my experience with voluntary work is, the feeling is hard to describe. I learned a lot, not just about the hospital and medical issues, but most of all I got to know the people. Everybody was so friendly and family life is very important to Ecuadorians. An experience like this makes you appreciate the little things and don’t take everything for granted. I can say without any doubt I would do it again. If you really want something, you should not hesitate, you can only regret the things you have not done.

Of course I also had a few nice trips during my stay in Quito. I went to Otavalo to go to the markets, went to one of the “Middle of the earth” monuments and enjoyed the beautiful landscapes. An other day I went with an organized trip to Cotopaxi National Park and climbed up to 4800 meters. Ride an old train up to the park. On this trip I met Regina from Switzerland, and we planned some other ‘touristy’ trips together. One weekend we went for the day to Mindo and walked through the cloud forest, saw a beautiful waterfall and the butterflies at the farm. We also went tubing down a little river and sat in an old teleferic enjoying the beautiful sights of Mindo area.

During the weeks in the afternoons I went to the Old town, we took the TeleferiQ up the mountain and enjoyed the view of Quito. Visited some museums and just walked around a lot to explore the city. We went out and enjoyed the nightlife and met a lot of people. The first week we (Clare – Australia, Margareth – US, Marco – Germany and Antonella – Ecuador, all connected to Ecotrackers) visited a Salsa concert in Plaza de Torros. It was so great, so many people were dancing and enjoying beautiful music, we even learned a few steps of Salsa. Another night we watched a soccer game on TV in a student bar. It was all a lot of fun, there was not one dull moment at all.

After my voluntary work we (Clare and her mother Lynn – Australia) went to Puerto Lopez by bus. We first got off in Manta, but we did not like the place too much, so we took the next bus to go on to Puerto Lopez. Luckily we reserved a room at Itapoa Hosteria, cause it was very busy. On Sunday we just had a quiet day, walked around town and booked a boot trip to Isla de la Plata for the next day. On this trip we first went whale watching, incredible animals. Then we went for a good walk on the Island and saw frigate birds and the 3 boobies. It had not rained for about 5 years on the Island and everything was so dry, but there were still trees with green leaves. After that we went snorkeling, the water was pretty cold, but you forgot all about it, when seeing all the fish in the water. That evening Regina came to Puerto Lopez too, which was really funny because she shared a cabin on the Galapagos tour with Lynn. On Tuesday we went for lunch and met a Dutch couple who Regina and Lynn knew from the Galapagos tour too. It was such a funny coincidence that we all knew each other. On Wednesday Lynn had to travel back to catch her flight back to Australia and Clare went on to Solango to do voluntary work over there. The rest of us went on a boot trip again, just whale watching. It was worth it to do it a second time! On Thursday we went on a horse riding trip thought the forest. We had very special transportation: we were sitting on white plastic chairs in the back of a truck. Unfortunately the trip was not at all what we had expected. We even felt very bad for the horses, it was so steep sometimes and very muddy. But the guides took good care of us and after the trip they invited us in their house for a meal, which was very nice.

On Friday we all moved on. Martijn, Marjolein and Regina went on to Cuenca. I went back to Quito in the evening, but enjoyed the first sunny day that week at the beach (Puerto Lopez is mostly clouded during this time of the year) before hopping on the bus.

On Sunday evening I left with the bus to go to Cuyabeno. The bus trip was okay, a bit bumpy, but you get used to it. The group was small and very nice people, 2 girls from Australia and one girl and her mother from England. We arrived in the morning at Puerto Carmen and there Pancho was waiting for us. We first thought he was the guide, but he told us he was the cook at the lodge we were staying at. The guide, Washington, was already there with another group. We had a canoe trip for about 2 hours through the beautiful rainforest. We saw a lot of different birds (some looked like turkeys) and monkeys high up in the trees. Arriving at the lodge was a bit magical. Beautiful cabins situated around the main cabin, with a dining area, bar and the kitchen. Hammocks hanging around to relax in. It was great, right in the middle of the rainforest, close the Laguna Grande. We had very good lunch and time to relax in the hammocks. In the afternoon we went for a quiet canoe trip and saw more birds and monkeys. You can never see enough of them, monkeys are my favorite. After that we went to Laguna Grande to see the beautiful sunset. In the evening we had dinner and chatted with the others, all from the US. They were leaving the next day.

Sleeping in the jungle is an experience on its own. All the noises of the birds and monkeys, the beautiful dark sky with so many stars made me want to stay awake… But eventually I fell asleep … I woke up in the morning and felt great! After breakfast we went for a good walk and saw all kinds of trees, birds, and insects. We ate lemon ants, tasted the ‘milk’ from a tree (which is a good cure for stomach aches) and we also tasted the quinine tree (which is a cure for malaria). It tasted the same as tonic water. Unfortunately we did not see a lot of animals or flowers, but that’s because of the season, so I just have to come back another time. But we did see a caiman. After a good lunch (the food was very good and healthy) we had time to relax and in the late afternoon we went piranha fishing. We caught about 4 and a bottle fish. In the evening we had dinner and relaxed some more, the rainforest is the place to relax, you really feel great.

The next day we went together with an other group from another lodge to one of the communities. First we had a nice walk, saw big spiders, beetle and a strange looking caterpillar. We saw the cacao-tree and a lot of banana trees. Arriving at the community there was a big celebration going on because it was the last day of school, lots of music and people playing volleyball and soccer. We went to see a yucca-yard. We first got some yucca roots, peeled them, and then we went to somebody’s house and grated the roots. Our cook put the grated yucca in a cane ‘towel’ and pressed all the liquid out, then they filtered the yucca and the lady put the ‘powder’ an a big plate on the fire. That is how they make yucca bread. They also cooked some yucca in salty water, as well as some bananas. And we tasted the self made alcoholic beverage of yucca. It was very cool to see and taste this all. We went back to the main field of the community where Washington and Pancho played some volleyball. We sat in the shadow and enjoyed watching the games. In the afternoon we went back to lodge to relax and have a late lunch. And in the evening we went for a night walk. We saw so many incredible spiders. I even let one big tarantula walk over my arm. Also the boot trip in the dark is amazing. After that we had a nice dinner at the lodge and went to sleep … remembering all the beautiful things we had seen and done those few days. In the early morning on Thursday we went back to Lago Agrio and took a plane back to Quito.

The last 2 days I went shopping and stayed at a hotel, enjoyed the swimming pool and of course I had to go by the Ecotrackers office to say goodbye to everybody. We had a nice lunch together and it was hard for me to really go. I wish I had much more time to stay in Ecuador, I feel I have not seen enough or done enough, so who knows, I might go back there. 

I would like to express my thanks to Max and his family, who made my Ecuadorian experience very special.