Saturdays in the Plaza Principal

Every Saturday around 4:30 pm, a group of people goes to the Plaza Principal, the main plaza in the city. They unload tents, huge jugs filled with water, plastic baby baths, buckets, suitcases stuffed with clothing, soap and shampoo from their cars. They set up the supplies (usually with the help of several excited children), and mothers with their babies and small children form a surprisingly very organized line. Most of the mothers are cholitas, women with indigenous blood who dress in the traditional style, and generally speaking, the most economically disadvantaged group of people here. The missionaries who run the operation, along with any volunteers who decided to show up, get into their places. People sitting on benches, going for a walk, or feeding pigeons in the plaza watch and wonder what in the world is going on.

Once everything and everyone is ready, the absolute chaos begins! Mothers pass their babies (or small children up to about 3 years old) into one of the tents, where the volunteers bathe them and then wrap them in a towel. The babies are then passed into another tent, where more volunteers give them clean diapers (or underwear for the toddlers) and some new clothes. Then the babies are held outside the tent doorway until the mothers take them. While all this is going on, the older kids (too big to be bathed) stand outside, bent forward with their heads over buckets, as volunteers shampoo their hair and pour water over it. Afterward, they can go to the clothing tent and get a new shirt. The final station is the hair brushing area on a small step, where volunteers comb hair and put the girls' hair into ponytails or other hairstyles. And when enough volunteers come, sometimes they bring nail polish or other fun things to do with the kids. The whole event happens in about an hour- a very busy and totally crazy hour!

I've been to "baby washing" 3 times- once my first week here, and the past 2 Saturdays with Christy (Canadian girl who has been living with us for 2 weeks and will be here 1 more) and Maite. I've done hair and clothing, and both are a blast although super hectic! I really wish I had gone every Saturday since being here, but I plan on going for the rest of the time I have in Cochabamba (only 2 weeks!).

This is such a unique and important ministry that I'm so glad to have been a part of. The people who come to get their kids bathed are either homeless or very poor without water in their homes. They go to the plaza each Saturday, counting on the volunteers to be their with their tents and bathing equipment. It's so easy to tell that the mothers appreciate it a lot, and most of the kids seem to have a lot of fun.

Now for some photos (and a few more will be coming in the next couple days, I promise!):

The Plaza where it all takes place (baby washing is actually on the other side)

 

 

Setting up (Christy is in the yellow, talking to the lady who runs the whole thing with her husband in the blue shirt on the left); you can see the already-formed line of mothers going behind the yellow tent

Getting ready to go! Yellow tent is for washing, blue is for clothing

Getting the baby baths ready with warm water and soap

In the clothing tent- a super tiny baby, already diapered and waiting for some clothes!