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Just Hanging Out at the Orphanage
Introduction:
This summer I signed up with a
volunteer abroad program called United For Service. The destination that I
chose for my volunteer work was Mexico to work with children between the ages
5-17 at an orphanage in Tepoztlan, Morelos. The volunteer trip lasted for 10
days, from June 28 to July 8, 2013. On the first day, I missed my flight by not
coming early enough that morning so I couldn't leave with the rest of the group
which was 5 other people. Therefore I went and scheduled something for the next
morning for the same time, 6:20 am. There was a connecting flight in
Dallas/Forth Worth Airport in Texas. I got to Mexico City at around 5:00 pm and
there was a cabby waiting for me who is staffed by the Tashirat orphanage. The
time from Mexico City to Tepoztlán was a 2 hour drive. I arrived at Tashirat at
7:30 pm where I had the rest of the group waiting for me. I introduced myself
and met the rest of the staff at Tashirat. Most of the staff were American, and
have been working here for at least 7 or more years.
About Tashirat and UFS:
The Tashirat Cosmic Learning
Center and Ashram was founded by Artimia Arian in 1994. It was originally
started as a popular yoga retreat center 20 years ago within the region of
Mexico City and Cuernavaca. Tashirat was teaching the community and guests
fundamental tools to strengthen balance oneself physically, emotionally,
mentally, and spiritually to connect yourself to your Inner Teacher. It was
Tashirat's strong belief to be guided and having the extraordinary passion in
helping others. Therefore it was decided in 2003 that since their helping
others, why not take the ashram even further by turning it into an
orphanage/yoga center. Tashirat aids the neediest sectors of society, children;
who need someone to look after them. Many of these children have no parents or
they come from broken homes, or abusive ones. They are either abandoned or
neglected. They are treated here with high nutritious foods, given proper
medical and dental care, education, counseling, and often see a psychologist.
They also go on vacation and trips to the city once in a while. On Sunday's
some of the children go out into town where they participate in local sport
teams, like futbal. In 2008, Tashirat expanded their services by opening the
Ixaya School for the impoverished children of Santo Domingo and Tepoztlan,
Mexico. Tashirat not only is a orphanage and yoga center but they also offer
retreats for volunteer groups and for individual persons. In 2012, the United
For Service nonprofit volunteer program contacted Tashirat becoming one of
their partners in volunteering at Tashirat. The first group went in December
2012, my group was the second group. The night that I have arrived, I sat down
with the group and we went over the activities and work to be done for the
period we will be there. After our introductory meeting from the head staff, we
went out into town with the teenagers and experienced the lively town of
Tepoztlan pretty often and we also went hiking. One day we also went to Cuernavaca, the capital of Morelos, where we visited Hernán Cortés's mansion. The organization that I worked
for is United for Service, who
provided the assistance for me to go out there with a selected individuals who
also signed up for a retreat service through them help the orphanage out. They
started in 2007 and since then, they provide services for individuals
interested in volunteering in social services work around the globe. Aside from
Mexico, they also go on volunteer services twice a year to India and Morocco.
About My Experience:
My time at Tashirat was a very
memorable experience. I have learned so much from my short time being at
Tashirat. The entire campus of Tashirat runs on solar power and rain water. The
amatista had solar panels on its roof. The organization uses very little
electricity and tries it's best to conserve energy and water. The receptionist office did have flush toilets but the guest houses had a type of compost toilets called Lovable Loo that uses saw dust to cover the odor which is than used as fertilizer. I've never used one of these before and it didn't take much time getting used to. They can be indoors, but our rooms had the in an out house which was a little too tight. They grow their
own plants; cilantro, avocados, and tomatoes. The rest of their produce comes
from local farmers who drop off a big delivery every 2 weeks that lasts them a
month. The organization also serves nothing but vegetarian meals; therefore the
children and the guests eat vegetarian as well. From my 10 days there, I
believe I lost 5 pounds from eating vegetarian. We also worked a lot around the
orphanage such as organizing the library, orphanage renovation projects, and
greenhouse planting activities. Most of the children here were under 12-13
years old. However, there were about 4-5 kids there who were in their late
teens that I have developed a strong relationship with. The staff were generous
and especially the children, very respected. As a sociologist, activist for
human rights and education, I felt privileged to travel to Mexico with UFS
helping orphan children and learning about their living situation. Instead of
learning about poverty through a book, I gained first experience from the front
lines. I learned about their touching stores, what brought them to the
orphanage, the education they receive, the relationship they built and the love
they acquired at Tashirat. I was intrigued by the orphanage; how they ran on
rain water, and how they used half of its energy source by solar energy. The
children here at the orphanage were well taken care of with food,
medical/dental, clothing, love, and care. Children come to Tashirat (sometimes
with real siblings) with very little. Tashirat is all they have, it's their
family. I thank UFS for giving me the opportunity by going to this orphanage
and helping the less fortunate out with the best of my abilities. Just being
there with the children and showing them love means a lot to them. Moreover, I
like to thank Tashirat for welcoming us in with open arms and taking good care
of us. I created a bond with the children there that will last a lifetime, and
an endless memory. Giving charity is an act of generosity, but I wanted to do
more than that by donating my time to Tashirat and helping the orphanage. That
was truly a present for me itself. The friendliness and helpful staff at
Tashirat and UFS gives me the motivation to return. I'm confident to say that
this was not my last time visiting Tashirat. They have gained a new lifetime
committed partner.
To learn more about Tashirat and United For Service you can do so by going onto their website and also generous donations are always appreciated. You can also plan a trip to Tashirat by making a reservation with them in the link below.
Tashirat
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