The experience of a Swedish volunteer at Preda

The experience of a Swedish volunteer at Preda

Intern’s /volunteer Weekly report 2 Elinor

16-20 Nov 2015

MONDAY 16 The week started with a study day. I got to read some cases of the girls. When I did this I felt that it was really important for making my experience at the girls home more meaningful. To read their cases gave me a dee respect for them. It made me so sad and angry so it was hard to go on reading them, but I did it anyway, although I felt like crying. I guess we have to learn how to relate to the stories we hear at Preda. We can’t cry every time we hear something that we think is absolutely terrible. Because then we would cry many times during these weeks. But I think it is important that we don’t become indifferent to heavy stories because we have heard them many times. It is for me the reaction to the stories that makes me ambitious to really work and to do something about these problems.

Tuesday I went to the home for girls. We played games outside and we drew pictures and watched TV. To be around children is really fun and I learn a lot, but It is also hard, because the children really notice details about you. I really get to learn that it is important to be yourself and that is what is the most appreciated. It is Really good practice for me and for all of us. It is a really important quality for a social worker to be yourself. There will be a lot of people that will come to us that are feeling unsafe. Then we have to be safe ourselves to make that person feel welcomed.

This Wednesday I got a bit of fever and my throat was hurting a lot so I had to stay at Preda main to rest.

This Thursday I went back to the home for girls. I visited the younger children at their school and got to see that environment. I really appreciated to get more of the full picture of their lives. I was happy to see the children study in their class rooms and playing in the yard

Later that day I got to attend the primal therapy. (Ed. called emotional Expression or release therapy) After seeing the children in school playing with each other I sometimes forget what they have been through. Then it was really hard to see all the anger and sadness they have inside. To see these sweet girls be so angry and sad makes me feel that life is so unfair. That everything has happened to them and nothing to me. They are carrying so much that they are not showing to us. I’m glad that they are letting it out in the primal therapy. It feels really important to not diminish what they have been through and the primal helps them not to.

Friday was a study day and I searched for articles that would give more ideas for my study-aim. I discovered in which areas there are more research and in which there are less. So I am on my way!

Interns/ volunteer’s Weekly report Elinor 3

23-28/11 2015

This Monday we went to Manila for the hearing of Brian and to visit some detention centers and also from one detention center collect two boys to take back with us to Preda

To visit the detention centers was very meaningful for me. I got more of the full picture now what the boys are coming from that stays at the boys home. It was a strange experience to see children behind bars. I was surprised to see that many of them seemed so happy although they were behind bars. (Ed. happy because of the visit and gifts and hope of rescue?) It was hard for me to imagine what it could be like to spend my life in that room where the children was living, sharing bed with three of four persons, not having any activities or any freedom and having a guard that is watching what I’m doing. Those boys must be so strong. I was glad to take two boys with us to Preda home for boys.

Tuesday was a study day where a realized I wanted to write about trafficking. I wanted to study a problem on a society level instead of a problem on a psychological individual level. I want to study structures in society that is causing the problems we see at Preda.

On Wednesday I went to the boys home. The best part of this day was to se the new boys Jesus and Eugene that we rescued in Manilla and see them hang out at the boys home. They greeted me with a big hug and they seemed happy! One of the boys was in a big need of affection and is was so nice to see him hugging the volunteers and playing and laughing. The other boy were missing his mother and brother he said, so he was a bit sad. But that is also natural.

Thursday and Friday we spent in the mountains with the Aeta-people. A memory of a lifetime for me. This was a really unique experience and so good to have done. The Aeta-people seems to have a really happy community. Very simple living and close to nature. It is good to see that this kind of living is also working and think about how we are living at home and what we demand for a good life. This maybe made me lower my demands a bit.

This Saturday we attended the sports day at the home for boys. A really happy sweaty day with a lot of fun. It was a good way to connect with the children to do sports together. It was also a lot of music and dancing. Great ways to connect.
That was all for this week!

Elinor