Karuna Shelter Donations

This has been a looooong time coming, and I really apologize, especially to those who sent donations for the shelter and who have been waiting to hear what I did with them. The creative process just hasn't come easily to me in the last few months..

To be honest I was nervous about the donations. I had never expected to receive so much money for the shelter, especially without even asking. I was so humbled by the support for my little shelter, it was truly unbelievable. Shockingly $1700 was collected and so never having expected that

I left here thinking "holy man, what am I going to do with that kind of money??" I was worried that I wouldn't be able to come up with enough ideas to use it all, and would let everyone down in the process. 

Shelter staff Alex and Thelma were shocked too. They never see much money coming their way and were clearly thrilled. I don't think they really even believed it at first so I had to keep reminding them to give me ideas as to what we could do with the money. 

I don't even know how it came up but before long they were telling me about a plan that they had had for a long time, and which they had put a proposal in for, to build a partition around the women's bathroom. 

As you can see from the attached pictures, the men's and women's bathrooms are open, with a line of toilet stalls on one side, and with no doors. The showers are at the back of each room and again given the room is open one can see everyone coming in and out of the showers, changing etc. The staff area is in the middle and raised

Women's washroom. As you can see there is no privacy

higher so staff can see what is going on on each side. What's bad about it is that when people are at the entrance of the shelter they have a really good view of the women's toilets especially. So basically the women and children have no privacy. The staff don't even have a private bathroom to use which even I found stressful because if I had to go to the bathroom while I was volunteering I was screwed. So the new door would close it off so that nobody wold be able to see in. I was immediately thrilled with the idea as I had always felt that it was not a good set up and that it must be quite uncomfortable for the women in particular.

No doors!!

Thelma and Alex had had a contractor come years before I believe, and showed me a written quote that they had. It was going to be over $400. I didn't even have to think about it and said yep let's do it! I don't think it registered with them as to how easy it was going to be given that they had been waiting for so long. Within days they had talked to their boss, he had approved it and the money was handed over to start. After that I felt more relaxed about the donation planning given that the bathroom project was going to be a good chunk..

One of the other things that I had been thinking about for a long time was to implement a monthly birthday celebration. It may not sound like something important to do in the big scheme of things, but in the months that I had been volunteering at the shelter I had been struck by how many people didn't know when their birthday was when they were asked upon arrival. It was clear that some had come from such poverty that birthdays were insignificant. Many others were away from their family in order to work, were estranged from them, or simply had nobody to celebrate with. This is so sad to me as throughout my life birthdays have always been a big deal, and a highlight of the year. Cakes, presents, parties, cards in the mail..whatever. Recognition from those who care about you that it's your special day, and a day where you feel just that..well it's the best feeling. 

So my thought was to have a collective birthday party each month celebrating those who were having a birthday. I thought it could take place on Wednesday when the special dinner was provided by Panza Verde, and that afterwards there could be a cake for all to share. I knew it would be easy to do as everyone who stays has to provide their date of birth. So I ran the idea by Alex and he was all for it. I purposely didn't mention it to Thelma as her birthday was coming up days later and so I thought we could make the first one as a surprise for her as well as the others. 

The day of Thelma's birthday I picked up the massive cake that I had ordered; on it a message wishing all the December birthdays a Happy Birthday. It was a beautiful cake as you can see..

After dinner I snuck it into the men's area while Thelma was busy doing something, and we got the candles going while everyone gathered around with excitement. I was amazed how into it everyone was..all I can say is that it was a big hoorah! It got loud, they were doing some birthday rhyme in Spanish, singing and cajoling Thelma to dance. It was really, really  lovely as you can see from the videos...

Afterwards Thelma and the other 5 people celebrating their birthdays that month blew out the candles while I took pictures. It was so cute as some of the non-December birthday folks seemed to want to get into the picture action. I guess it was a sign of how special it was, and how a birthday celebration like that was not something they were typically apart of. This was what I was going for, for people to feel special, and to promote that feeling of family and connectedness within the shelter for those that didn't have that elsewhere. 

I love how Papa Nacho was totally into being in the pic with the birthday gang :)

Well something else really cool happened after that too. 

One of the December birthday girls was from Honduras and part of a group of 3 (2 girls and a guy) who had come to Antigua to sell their artesania (jewelry). I would see them sitting on the street trying to sell their jewelry during the day, and on nights when the shelter was open, they would arrive to stay. Other nights I assume they slept in the park.  I figured life must be hard in Honduras for them to live like that just to make a little cash. They hadn't been coming for long but presented as really nice people; very polite, friendly, and appreciative. Well while this was all going on the one birthday girl handed Thelma a necklace that she had made, and which they were hopefully going to sell. I thought to myself, what a kind gesture from someone who is essentially homeless, to give a gift to someone that she barely knew, and which was going to mean less money for her and her friends to live on. It was lovely to see..

We then served the cake, and man it was like a swarm of bees I tell you!! They were loving the cake, some coming back 3 times, including one of our oldest shelter clients, Adrianna, who never seems to eat anything. Well she was scoffing that cake down with glee! We actually had to turn her away after 3 pieces as we got to the end. I can't believe they ate that whole cake! 

The mad dash for cake

Adrianna loving her 3rd piece!

Manolo who you have read lots about celebrated a birthday in December, hence the cake in the face!

My 2 boys from Quiche..I was glad that they got to experience the party

Thelma seemed tickled pink with the gesture and that was cute. I told her about my idea afterward and she was all for it. I was relieved knowing that it was going to be her and Alex taking on the extra work each month ordering and picking up the cake. With that I left money for them to buy a cake every month for the next year as well as candles, plates etc. Another Karuna gift that would surely brighten the lives of these people who have so little...

My other idea was to essentially subsidize the shelter being open one extra night a week during the cold months (January and February at least). Alex and Thelma were on board knowing how much people suffer on the street on nights when it can go as low as 11-12 degrees, especially being the windiest months. 

Maria in her spot waiting for the bakery to close so she can sleep :(

Attached is a picture of Maria and another unknown homeless person hunkering down for the night in Parque Central (not something I would ever want to do, nor survive).

The bakery has now closed and Maria is bundled in a comforter that someone gave her ready for the night

One of the beautiful Parque Central buildings at night. Many homeless sleep in this corridor

An unknown homeless man sleeping

I knew that I would need to speak with the supervisor of the shelter for this proposal as it meant salaries, food etc. I was optimistic as I seemed to remember being told previously by one of the bosses that it cost $70/night to run the shelter. He had also shared that the shelter wasn't self sustaining as people didn't donate to the homeless, and that they typically sent donations to help children. As a result, the majority of God's Child donations went to their education program and hospital for sick children.You may remember my blog post "Adults Need Help Too" which spoke about this reality. So I was figuring in my head that if it truly was about $70, that we could definitely manage to subsidize a couple months of extra nights. I was excited by the possibility...

I had sent an email to the shelter supervisor before I went but didn't hear back. In all fairness I don't know that it got to him. So I just walked to the project one day and asked to speak with him. In hindsight I probably should have led the meeting in English as I could have expressed myself better, but I wasn't sure about his English level, sooo thought what the heck, might as well put the ol' Spanish lessons to use! I explained what I wanted to do, emphasizing that the clientele weren't the image that some have of the homeless. That we had families with children, elderly, and people with serious health issues. I didn't feel that he bought my pitch to be honest. I was told that the shelter was a significant cost to the organization, without donations to support it, and that they were actually thinking about closing it down. I was crushed. I tried to relay that people really do care about the homeless, and as an example shared how much money I had collected from friends and family without even asking. I told him that I felt more could be done to promote the shelter and the issues of the people that used it. In hindsight I hope that I articulated that I would even help, because of course I would. 

When I told him my idea about subsidizing an extra day during the cold months he made a call and came back with a $200 figure per night. I was shocked by it, and still don't agree that it's accurate but it was kind of left at that. Obviously I couldn't do what I hoped to do if it truly cost $200 per night. He was going to follow up with someone higher than him and get back to me. I left so dejected and depressed thinking that the shelter that I was there to support, and which I was working on new projects to improve, could imminently be no longer. And Thelma and Alex didn't even know. I never did hear back from him, and so the idea of the extra night was over. 

I tried to shake off that bad news and just focus on what I had come there to do. So after continued harassment of Thelma and Alex as to what they needed, we started to work on things like new blankets to replace the ratty ones, supplies to make the pizza donation nights easier (cookie sheet, spatula, aluminium foil), real spoons, large quantities of coffee and sugar so they would have a hot drink on Wednesdays when there wasn't one, toothpaste and other personal hygiene stuff. I was running around Antigua looking for all these things, bargaining when I could and lugging everything over. I definitely learned some new Spanish vocabulary and lost a few pounds in the process!

New blankets for the shelter

You may remember that on my first trip I had donated some money to help get hot showers for everyone. By this visit the hot showers were up and running and everyone was thrilled with the idea of a shower. Gone were the days when Alex and Thelma needed to harass people to bathe. Well for the most part, as there were still a couple of stinkers (literally) who clearly have other reasons for not wanting to shower. But the hot water was a big hit. Well one of the women's showers had broke so that was another project that the Karuna donations took on. 

The other major project that I wanted to take on was a Christmas party (pretty much for the same reasons as the birthday parties). Christmas is a big deal in Latin America. It's not about the presents at all though; it's about family being together, having special food, music, dancing and fun. So I wanted to do something for them knowing that this would likely be the only place they would celebrate. Well let's just say that it was a major undertaking! 

I started to write lists of the things that we needed, with the caption "El Gran Convivio" in my notebook which means something like "the big Xmas party." Well my Spanish teacher saw that and killed herself because of the enthusiasm behind it I guess. So from them on it was referred to as El Gran Convivio. 

First we talked to Panza Verde and thankfully they changed their traditional meal to the night that we wanted to have the party, which was my last night at the shelter. So I didn't need to worry about food, just dessert which was a big deal at Xmas. As luck would have it Thelma's son Patricio was a chef and made desserts so we contracted him to make "molletes," a special Xmas dessert kind of like timbits but lighter and in a sweet syrup. Delicious...We also needed to make "ponche," a traditional hot seasonal drink made with a million types of fruit. Thelma offered to make that with the help of Karuna donations. The day of the party she asked Silvia, one of our regular shelter residents to come and help cut all the fruit. It was really nice of her to come and help as there was a ton of cutting involved. 

So the days before the party I spent many hours going all over Antigua and even Walmart in Guatemala City getting decorations, special plates and napkins, Xmas music and most exciting, stuff for the Xmas gift bags!!

These bags were my baby! Before I left Winnipeg I had gone to Mordens chocolates, a Winnipeg institution, and bought a whole bunch of chocolates in the shape of a Canadian maple leaf, wrapped in red foil. They were so pretty! I went to the Forks and got maple flavoured taffy, and brought those loonie and toonie chocolate coins for another bit of Canadian flavour. At the Dollar Store I had bought some hats, mini gloves and special Xmas gift bags. My friends Sanjeev and Diana who have a dental practice in Portage la Prairie (shout out to Portage Dental Associates!!) had also  donated 50 toothbrushes for me to take so I was off to a good start before I arrived.

In Antigua I bought socks for everyone, and to go along with the toothbrushes, mini toothpastes which I had to search all over God's Green Acre for!! Everyone also got packets of shampoo and some local candies and chocolates. And for my two special boys that I referred to in an earlier post, the boys who had traveled far from home to work, well they got special bags with Kinder surprise eggs and all kinds of treats. 

I made 50 gift bags but had a list of special people who were going to get a couple extra things. I had brought some of my dad's infamous beaver tail wallets that he had made when he was alive, but which had flopped and been the butt of many jokes. Well he would be impressed as those wallets are now all over the world. I have given them to many special people in places that I have traveled over the years. Turns out they are great Canadian mementos and in Guatemala, guys such as Victor and Demetrio were going to get one. 

My sweet Maria got special gloves and a pink hat with a star that I thought would be cute on her. I had also brought some travel perfumes and my favourite fruit flavoured lip chap that the Honduran girls got. It was difficult but I was able to find Xmas name tags so everyone got a bag with their name on it, and with my special group getting something a little extra. 

And we certainly needed a pinata! Latinos always have a pinata at parties like this. So I was prepared to go searching for a big santa or something festive, and to fill it with candies as they traditionally do. Well it turns out somebody did it for me. I'm proud to say that my Spanish teacher (and now friend) Janeth went out of her way to ask her friend, who actually makes pinatas for a living, to donate a pinata, and another family friend donated the candies. I was so impressed with Janeth because when I had first met her I know she thought I was crazy for my interest in the homeless of Antigua. Her view was at the time was pretty common amongst Guatemalans just like in Canada where the common belief is that they're drunks, criminals and just menaces. But over time, with every Spanish class involving my stories, updates and passion, I could see her interest and compassion for my people growing too. She began to learn them all by name, remember their stories and ask me for updates. And I'm positive that she wasn't doing it just to make me practice in Spanish. 

Papa Nacho and Maria were the most visible for her to spot and so she would tell me when she saw them, even when I was back home. She even greeted Papa Nacho one day as he stood at his regular place guarding motorcycles, telling him that she was the gringa's Spanish teacher :) She also became my local advisor when it came to El Gran Convivio and was so much apart of the plan that she announced that apart from taking care of the pinata that she wanted to come to the party herself. I was floored really in how much she had changed in a short time. It was a real life demonstration of how compassion can spread and grow if we make the effort..

We didn't say anything to our shelter clients about the party as we didn't want people who normally didn't stay to come and crash the party. So we planned in secret which was killing me as I wanted to make sure all my peeps were there. Finally after days and days of planning and running around the day of El Gran Convivio arrived. Alex opened the shelter early afternoon and I showed up with all the supplies. Thelma and her helpers started to make the ponche while I got the gift bags ready. It was a stressful afternoon to be honest as we had so much to do and didn't give ourselves enough time. But it all came together eventually...

A bunch of poinsettas arrived from the organization's Xmas party for the kids and huge donated cakes, I don't even know from where. We got the traditional Xmas marimba music going, decorated with white lights, bows and such, hung the pinata from the tree outside, set up a Xmas tree, and my favourite purchase, a Merry Xmas mat at the door. 

Janeth filling the pinata

 

Janeth and I (las uvas jugosas)

The 3 Santas

Before everyone arrived I handed Alex and Thelma their santa hats adorned with flashing lights (oh yes we were going all out!) I took my usual place at the gate and greeted everyone with a special Feliz Navidad welcome. The atmosphere was immediately alive and festive. 

Our surprise guest, Blanca :)

One of the best moments happened then..I opened the gate and who was there? Blanca!!! Do you remember Blanca from my previous posts? The young girl who had grown up in an orphanage, who presented as childlike and had shared on my last visit that she had miscarried? Well she wasn't alone this time. She arrived with a newborn baby, only a few weeks old! OMG! I was so happy to see her but honestly scared to see her with a baby, especially when she told me that she had been kicked out of her boss' house where she and the baby had been living. Thankfully it had just happened the day before but still, she had spent the night on the street with the baby (who was so cute and I'm happy to say healthy looking as you can see below). The father hadn't been involved since she had given birth and so Blanca was on her own. And she looked worried. So we all fawned over the baby and she seemed happy to be back. She was definitely going to get a special gift bag!

The santa pinata was hanging from the tree outside and we eventually all went out to knock it down. There was a young boy who the adults graciously let go first. Before long there was mad swinging, crazy commotion and it was down. 

I was still stressed, just wanting everything to go well. It got worse when the food didn't arrive as usual. I was so worried...we waited and waited and then finally someone called. Thank the Lord there had just been a driver issue, and the driver finally made it better late than never. We served the ponche, the excellent as usual Panza Verde dinner, and tortillas bought from our usual lady sitting in front of the chicken restaurant. After they received their special dessert which was a real hit. People didn't even have room for the cake (which says a lot). The music was playing and there was even some spontaneous dancing by Angel and Maria which was so cute :) 

Maria all dolled up and sitting elegantly :)

Serving ponche

Chef Patricio and his molletes

And then it was time to hand out gift bags! The week before I had given my two favourite boys from Quiche their gift bags as they were going home the next day and were going to miss the party. They were sooooo happy, you don't even know!!! I don't think they had ever received a gift like that..and they dipped right into their chocolate immediately. It was heartwarming..

My Quiche boys getting their gift bags

Clearly happy with her gifts!

I started with the children and women, and it became a mob. I had grown men on top of me asking if they were going to get something too. What does that say!? It was exactly as I thought..this was a big deal! I watched the Honduran girls slowly pull out and examine every item in their bag, and Maria who I think had got all dolled up for the party, just hold on to hers tightly. Unfortunately some of my special people weren't there, like Papa Nacho, Neftaly and Victor, but I left theirs with Alex and Thelma to give to them when they did come. 

Thelma and a couple other of our boys

The party didn't go as long as I thought it would; but then again the homeless have long days and so bed comes early. As usual a few people helped clean up, then everyone pulled out their mats and laid down to go to sleep. It helped with the goodbyes which were going to happen that night. I was leaving the next day so I had to run off and finish packing. So I made my rounds saying adios to everyone with special words and hugs being shared. 

Me and my peeps :)

One final Karuna donation was funds for "tamales" which are traditionally eaten at Xmas and New Years in Guatemala. If you've never had one, they look like a small burrito made of cornmeal, at times with meat inside and wrapped in a banana leaf. The shelter was going to be open on New Years Eve but there was going to be no meal as the project was closed. Well there is nothing worse than opening the shelter and not being able to feed people, especially on New Years Eve  which is such a special family night there. So we funded tamales for everyone that night.   

So all in all folks, between the bathroom renovation, the shower fix, the new blankets, miscellaneous supplies for the shelter, the addition of coffee for Wednesdays, the monthly birthday cakes, New Years tamales and most of all, El Gran Convivio, I would say that the Karuna donations were a great success!! To those who donated, I hope you agree..Please know how much your support was appreciated by me, and more importantly, by some really needy and lovely people. I do have some funds remaining which I plan to hold on to until the next visit (which is already planned) so stay tuned  :)

Oh and last thing..have you liked my Facebook page "It's All About Karuna" yet? Please do for more stories and updates about the shelter in Guatemala, other messages about compassion, as well as my adventures around the world!