09.Feb.2010 Three weeks at La Casa de Panchita

Diana Delle Chiaie es la tercera voluntaria de Colby College que nos acompañó en el mes de enero. Ella quiso compartir con nosotras la experiencia vivida durante tres semanas en La Casa de Panchita. ¡Gracias Diana, y buen viaje!

Volunteering at La Casa de Panchita is a rewarding experience. The dedication exhibited by the staff has created an organized and welcoming environment that serves as a refuge to many local domestic workers of all ages. During my three weeks at La Casa de Panchita, I was able to observe personal growth, increasing confidence, and a strong sense of community among the domestic workers I encountered. Most of my time was spent working with adolescent girls and women whose strong levels of leadership and empowerment appeared to be a direct result of the time they spent at the  organization. La Casa de Panchita provides a forum where they are free to express their ideas, thoughts, and opinions and each voice is respected and important. The positive experiences domestic workers have at La Casa de Panchita, be they in English and computer classes, cooking and dancing workshops, or just relaxing and communicating with one another often lead them to become promoters of the organization themselves.

This generous quality of wanting to give something back is what struck me most about the domestic workers I spent time with in Lima. I learned during an English lesson on prepositions that most of the women start work at 7 AM and finish at around 9 PM. Yet, they still possessed so much motivation to come and learn as much as possible in their time off and to encourage others to do the same so that all could improve their situations. In the classroom, the students all had very different levels of proficiency. The women who were more comfortable with the material patiently helped their shyer, less advanced neighbors in understanding the lesson, rather than becoming exasperated by the slow pace at which it proceeded.

I was equally impressed with the behavior of the adolescent girls. They demonstrated a mature and insightful level of understanding of their situation and were able to offer an in-depth analysis of the challenges they face on a daily basis and policy recommendations that would benefit all domestic workers in the future. Many of the adolescents also helped in facilitating projects for younger children in their communities at the Biblioteca (Library) or Ludoteca (Play and Learn Center), evidence of their commitment to not only improving their own situation, but also helping others in similar circumstances do the same.

La Casa de Panchita promotes an environment of respect and comfort. This atmosphere allows for the discussion of difficult topics, like abuse, and potential solutions. If necessary or desired, a psychiatrist is on hand to provide therapy. Despite the evident poverty of the population it serves and the limited resources of the organization, La Casa de Panchita is able to inspire hope that positive changes are possible. This hope, in turn, leads to the creation of passionate individuals dedicated to carrying out its mission of advocating for human and labor rights for domestic workers in the community.