Hogar El Alba

Every student on this trip was excited for this day the most. The touring, going out with friends, and experiencing a newculture is amazing, but there is nothing better than helping those in need. Throughout the school year, we planned and fundraised for an orphanage in Argentina known as Hogar El Alba. Due to teamwork and motivation, we were able to raise the most money any Bryant Sophomore International Experience program has ever raised. In addition to the money, we brought board games and backpacks for the kids.

We started our visit off with a furry welcome from a couple of dogs at the front of the Orphanage. The dogs’ continuous smile was a sign that today was going to be a day full of smiles. After discussing the plan for the day, we immediately went to work. Various groups completed assignments tasks such as painting kitchens, bathrooms, windows, and a mural for their gymnasium. The gritty work in the blazing heat was all worth it to help those kids improve their living conditions.

After completing the labor part of our visit, it was now time to meet all of the kids. Whether you were fluent in Spanish or could just say “Hola”, we all were able to create a relationship with the kids. All of us hung out with the kids, played basketball, soccer, and even had water fights. Almost everyone there went swimming for pool time at 3:00 to end the day.

We wrapped the day off with Hogar El Alba inviting us to their “snack time”. We ate and talked to the kids one last time. While having all of the kids and staff around, we presented our gift to them. The group who raised the most money in the class had the honor of presenting them our check worth over $4000. We concluded our day with an emotional goodbye to all the kids we had just made connections with.

Overall, we are all so grateful for the positions we are in and we are blessed to be provided the opportunity to help those in need and help make a positive impact in our world. We hope to continue to help these kids in the years after if future SIE programs travel back to Hogar El Alba.

Adios!

– JP Landry