Valentina:

For sure COFO has been an amazing experience I will never forget. Before doing COFO I was scared, scared of the problems the project could make me approach and the real world I was soon to discover. I only saw it like a project of long exhausting hours to get a final good grade. But, after my first visit I was shocked, not only for the children who lived there and their living conditions, but also for the people who took care of them. Chiara a young Italian girl, among many other volunteers. Who seemed to dedicate so much to these children, and treat them as if they were their own.  They seemed to owe her everything, but that made me realize, that is wasn’t for who owed what to whom, but of the help you could provide. After exhausting trips to Ñaña and long hours of play, we returned home with happy faces. It felt incredible to form a part of the community we are not used to be in. It was most of all satisfactory and pleasing, that three fourteen year old girls like us, can also make a difference. I will always remember this experience, and more than a project, see it as a memory I will always keep. 

Maria Gracia:

COFO has been in my mind since I entered Middle School. It always seemed to be the impossible and stressing project that I will have to do in 8th grade. Finally, the time came and we had to pick up courage and embrace ourselves in this project. As we got closer to the people in the Hogar, I started to understand them, specially the children. Little by little I begun to carry a baby, or talk with a girl my age. It was not easy since I have never been in their position and I didn’t know what they expected from me. They were also very shy and didn’t understand what we were doing in their house. Weeks of reflection came beyond my actions until I finally learned how to treat everyone of them. Today I can describe each of their personalities. Besides the wonderful room we have constructed for them, and the hard work of collecting funds I have learned to appreciate more everything I own. I will always think back to these memorable months I have spend cooperating with a community and it will inspire me to continue helping others. My commitment is very strong; I will not leave the children and I am willing to continue going. I have realized how important maternal love is and that I can even give some to these kids that carry this heavy trauma. This milestone experience has given all of us the opportunity to grow, expand our influence assisting the less fortunate and I thank the school for pushing us to alone interact and mature our soul.

Lottie:

Cofo really has taught me many things along the way. Things such as having compassion for others and the living conditions of most of the Peruvian societies. I still remember the first time we went to Granja Hogar Angelica de Osma, the kids stared at us not knowing who we were; because we were strangers. We weren’t confident of our abilities to entertain the kids and felt out of place. This was only at the beginning because at the end, we were the ones who were eager to visit the kids since seeing their smiles and receiving their hugs was amazing. But I have to recognize Cofo is a lot of hard work, even more than I expected. The many hours we put into this project have helped many kids have a prominent future. I am very proud of what we achieved and am sure the kids and staff of Granja Hogar are too. This was a whole new experience for us but we still managed to reach our goals. When something didn’t come out as planed, we had to find another way to still make it work. I will never forget what we did for those kids and Cofo has made me realize that we made a difference and can change our community if we all work together.