Story Info
Story Info
Mariette Hurter
La Paz, Bolivia
2014
Type of Wounded Place
Story & Experience
It was really hard for me initially. As an environmental “teacher” (currently developing the nature education program for children at La www.sendaverde.com, Bolivia) I always focus on getting kids to fall in love with Pachamama and although La Senda Verde is an animal refuge (orphanage for wild animals) I always try to concentrate on the positive… We take care of what we love… So this was really a different experience for me.
From the start I knew it would be the river in La Paz, Bolivia, running from the mountains through the city. Someone called it liquid typhoid fever the other day. It would not be possible to get into the river, which made it more difficult to create beauty. So at first this is what we tried….
Making a bird with our shadow… But Savián (10) said that it was not good enough and it was not “permanent”… But by then the awareness was already growing. Wayran (4) identified various sights that have been wounded. He went as far as the fire we made on Friday in the fireplace to celebrate the Solstice. We had to cut down trees to get that wood, he said. Savian started to ask questions about the state of the river. As he is an Unschooler, and does not attend normal school, he creates his own learning (self design). He wanted to know if he could do a project for the schools upstream to ask them not to pollute and take pictures to show them what it looks like downstream as a result of the pollution. I hope that he will take this project further. We finally came to a point where the children decided to use stones for their bird and make it on the wall next to the river.
RIO ACHUMANI, LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
I am not a city girl, and for me hearing the river at night is a bit of nature singing me to sleep. La Paz is very dry, and water is scarce. I would love to see this river alive again.Thank you for this amazing experience. Far more than just sculpting a bird!!! Or making a place beautiful. Love Mariette
Ps: In Greyton, South Africa I used to do Environmental Education for underprivileged schools. These kids came from shack environments, alcohol and drug abuse and family violence and once had a boy in grade 5 that could not read. With these camps we spoiled the children with nature and focused specifically on birds. As you said, birds are always present with a song and we hoped that hearing the song of the birds would remind them of the camp and how we valued every child for who they were and how they formed part of nature. You reminded me of this beautiful symbol. Thank you for what you are doing.
It was really hard for me initially. As an environmental “teacher” (currently developing the nature education program for children at La www.sendaverde.com, Bolivia) I always focus on getting kids to fall in love with Pachamama and although La Senda Verde is an animal refuge (orphanage for wild animals) I always try to concentrate on the positive… We take care of what we love… So this was really a different experience for me.
From the start I knew it would be the river in La Paz, Bolivia, running from the mountains through the city. Someone called it liquid typhoid fever the other day. It would not be possible to get into the river, which made it more difficult to create beauty. So at first this is what we tried….
Making a bird with our shadow… But Savián (10) said that it was not good enough and it was not “permanent”… But by then the awareness was already growing. Wayran (4) identified various sights that have been wounded. He went as far as the fire we made on Friday in the fireplace to celebrate the Solstice. We had to cut down trees to get that wood, he said. Savian started to ask questions about the state of the river. As he is an Unschooler, and does not attend normal school, he creates his own learning (self design). He wanted to know if he could do a project for the schools upstream to ask them not to pollute and take pictures to show them what it looks like downstream as a result of the pollution. I hope that he will take this project further. We finally came to a point where the children decided to use stones for their bird and make it on the wall next to the river.
RIO ACHUMANI, LA PAZ, BOLIVIA
I am not a city girl, and for me hearing the river at night is a bit of nature singing me to sleep. La Paz is very dry, and water is scarce. I would love to see this river alive again.Thank you for this amazing experience. Far more than just sculpting a bird!!! Or making a place beautiful. Love Mariette
Ps: In Greyton, South Africa I used to do Environmental Education for underprivileged schools. These kids came from shack environments, alcohol and drug abuse and family violence and once had a boy in grade 5 that could not read. With these camps we spoiled the children with nature and focused specifically on birds. As you said, birds are always present with a song and we hoped that hearing the song of the birds would remind them of the camp and how we valued every child for who they were and how they formed part of nature. You reminded me of this beautiful symbol. Thank you for what you are doing.
La Paz, Bolivia
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