Baca Ortiz

I have an intense dislike of being bored. Thus, as the lab work has slowed during our current planning/contacting/equipment acquiring phase, I’ve sought out new opportunities. These include tutoring a good friend in English and volunteering at the local state-run children’s hospital, which is just a 15-minute walk from my house.

I’d actually approached Hospital Baca Ortiz (HBO) about volunteering before but didn’t get a favorable response. I wandered around, directed from one person to another, until a lady finally told me I had to write a letter to the hospital’s director stating my reasons for wanting to volunteer. Why the heck would the director care why a gringo wanted to volunteer? I felt like the request was an easy way to get me out of her face; so, I didn’t write it and started looking for another way in.

Karla’s extended family is large, at least 30+ people in Quito alone, and they probably know a good 50% of the city’s residents. OK, a slight exaggeration, but they know a lot of people. I talked to Karla about my desire to volunteer in HBO, “Oh, I know someone in the Volunteer Lady’s organization there, I’ll give them a call for you.” – Great!

My first day I met Karla’s friend Laura and then got introduced to a bunch of other ladies who give their time as part of the “Damas Voluntarias” (Volunteer Ladies). The organization is unlike anything I have encountered in the states. They coordinate student volunteers like myself (who give out diapers/stickers/drawing supplies to hospitalized kids and play with them), have meal vouchers for poor/out of province parents staying with their kids, help parents locate resources (pharmacies, transport, anything really), run a free-clothing bank for those who don’t have a change of clothes, and provide general information. HBO is recognized throughout Ecuador as the top children’s hospital (age 0-12) for those with minimal resources and thus many patients arrive from every province, often over a days travel away. As medical emergencies rarely give time to prepare they often arrive with the clothes on their backs, a little cash, and not much else. In this context the services the Damas provide are vital indeed.

When I go in weekday mornings I help with the standard diaper/sticker/paper/crayons dispersal but it doesn’t leave too much time to spend with any particular kids. Thus, my favorite times have come to be afternoons and weekends – no other volunteers seem to come in but the kids are still there, lonely/bored/in pain. I’ll admit, it is hard to see kids suffering but the majority are getting better and if I can take their minds off the reality of their situations, get them to smile, maybe even laugh, I consider my investment a success.

I’ve just started taking in a few of Julian’s children’s books to read to the kids. I’ll pull up a chair in a room and roll the kids’ beds closer to me so they can see the pictures better and then launch in. It’s been a big hit! And, surprising to me, has been that the parents get into the stories just as much as the kids! Makes me think they never had anyone read to them in their childhood. I also play a drawing game where the child and I take turns drawing something and the other person has to guess what it is. Another highlight has been “Marco” my hand puppet cat.




(Me with Marco. Some kids like to talk and pet him while one young lad enjoyed playing catch with Marco!)


A recent idea I just tried out to great success is a special balloon that races around the room bumping off walls before heading in a new direction. The balloons also make a loud shrieking noise but no nurses have reprimanded me yet. The kids laugh and scream, then beg me to make it fly again.




(Balloon ready to go – this is in my house.)




(Flying balloon!)


I’ve also brought in my camera and let kids learn how to take pictures. They always like seeing pictures of themselves too. Some of the children I’ve spent time with follow:




(A big Marco fan with pictures we drew. I met this boy one day while giving out stickers in the room next to his – he pressed up against the glass dividing the rooms, gesturing wildly for me to come visit him next☺ He was all alone, no other kids in his room and the mom was gone. It is actually quite common that the parents have to leave (for food, to buy medicine, take a breather, etc. and the kids or babies get left alone.)




(A little boy I played the drawing game with. His parents were gone.)




(A man and his daughter – he really wanted a copy of the picture so I brought him one today.)




(A young boy who I hung out with and read a story to.)




(The cutest little girl – she liked playing with my camera☺.)


My time in HBO has been a blessing, sometimes I wonder who gets more out of it, the kids or me! I can go in whenever I have time (which has been a good deal lately) and make kids who are in pain or lonely stop crying, smile, maybe even laugh – you can’t beat that!

In other news, I’ve just decided to do a 15K. Dimas convinced me it is THE race to do in Quito, a classic that has been going on for 48 years. As I’ve lost the running shape I had for my 10K in the fall (more biking as of late) it will be a good challenge to get ready in the 34 days I have till the gun goes off.

Only a little over 2 months left, time sure is flying…

Hope you’re all well.