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Spring Break is a normally a time for sun bathing and beach volley ball. But for a group of Consumer Sciences and Retailing (CSR) students, that
was not the case. From March 8, 2008 to March 15, 2008, students from CSR and other majors partnered together with Ambassadors for Children (a non-for-profit organization) and traveled to San Salvador, El Salvador. Prior to leaving for this trip, the students held numerous fundraisers to raise money for needed items on the trip. They also provided over two hundred hygiene and educational kits for distribution at the six sites visited during the trip.
Upon arriving in El Salvador, the students had a packed agenda. On the first day of the trip, the students traveled to Generacion Movil. There they were able to feed approximately one hundred and twenty five children. On the second day in El Salvador, the students traveled to Kiwanis Village. There they were able to turn a dirt courtyard, into a beautiful child play ground. The children were playing on the new playground equipment, before the day was over. During the third day in El Salvador, all of the students traveled to Comunidad El Espino. At this school, Purdue students were able to provide over two hundred and fifty fluoride treatments, and completely remodel a section of the school to create their new cafeteria.
For some of the students, the fourth day was the most rewarding. This is the day that Purdue, along with AFC, traveled to the Ludoteca Bloom Hospital. At this children’s hospital, all of the students dressed up as clowns or other characters, and passed out gifts to sick children. Some of the children were extremely sick, especially those that we visited in the Oncology wards. The children loved the gifts and the funny ways that we were dressed. Purdue students were really able to light up the whole hospital that day.
On the last day of our stay in El Salvador, the Purdue students had a very busy day. They were able to travel to both Hogar del Nino, and Hogar de la Nina. These are a boy’s and girl’s orphanage in the San Salvador area. At both of these orphanages, the students were able to distribute hygiene kits (a bar of soap, a wash cloth, a large package of toothpaste, a toothbrush, and band-aids) and educational kits (a spiral notebook, 10 ink pens, 10 pencils, a pencil sharpener, a large eraser and a rule with metric measurements) that they had provided and assembled. This was really a great way to end the week for the whole group.
At the end of the trip, the Purdue students that traveled to El Salvador had much in which to take pride. They had served 805 children all over El Salvador. They had worked 612 hours helping needy children, during the week. They had helped to raise and donated over $4,500 in monetary funds, and they had donated $10,500 worth of supplies to help the needy children in El Salvador. While the Purdue students did not take the normal college Spring Break trip, they will tell you that the memories made and the lives touched, during the 2008 El Salvador trip, changed their perspectives forever.
Authors: Emily Hooker (2008 El Salvador student traveler) and Dr. Thelma Snuggs (Instructor for 2008 El Salvador trip)
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