Rayito de la Luz

This week I started a new volunteer project. The location is called Rayito de la Luz (little ray of light). It's a day care center where kids stay from 7 am till 5 am Monday through Friday and are fed breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are 40 kids who come to Rayito, although most days there aren't that many there at one time because many go to school a few days a week. The kids here are very poor and really need us which is why we travel so far to get there. I wake up every morning at 6:30 so that I can walk 45 minutes to the bus stop, and then take 2 buses which usually takes another 45 minutes. Before my first day I didn't know if I would want to stay at a project where I had to travel so far and pay around $3 a day in bus fare. After meeting the kids and hearing their stories, the commute seems like nothing, I'm actually starting to enjoy it (with the help of my Ipod). Most of these kids don't have a father, and live with their mother and up to 6 or 7 other siblings. Many of the families have problems relating to drug and alcohol abuse and don't have any money for food or clothing for their children. The kids come in Monday mornings with dirty, ill fitted clothing, old shoes, empty bellies and a strong desire for attention and love.