We remember the first time we went to Rudi Boa community center. We crossed over the train tracks and drove slowly into the small entrance of the village and down a steep hill with the brakes fully pressed. The narrow road felt even smaller with families hanging out in front of their homes or shops that are lined up next to each other, and people walking or playing outside. After a few quick, sharp turns, the street opened up and there was the Rudi Boa center, sitting on top of a lake. The lake was completely covered in plastic bags and garbage, making it difficult to even see the water in the lake. We were shocked to see kids in the water searching for shells to sell on the streets. After seeing their living conditions, we looked for creative ways to get the kids involved in cleaning up the lake. However, we realized that things are more complicated and the problem is more then just the plastic bags in the lake.
Believing in the power of imagination, we came up with the idea of having them create their own peaceful, clean, village. We asked them to close their eyes and imagine what this village would look like and tell us the images that they see. It was such an awesome few minutes, with the kids shouting out their ideas and the translator explaining to us… Then we asked them to draw and color all of those things, cut them out and paste them on one big peace of paper. So, together they created one big peaceful village.
Love, Peace, and Strawberry ice-cream bubble tea...
-- Thank you Phana for translating and picking out the jai in Amanda’s hair while Setareh was going crazy with all of those kids!
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