Day to day, many of the working moms on our team leave their children who are under three years old in a daycare home called Wawa Wasi. What exactly is a Wawa Wasi? In Quechua, wawa wasi means ‘children’s homes’. In 1993 the Peruvian government created a program under this name that focuses on the development of underprivileged children aged 6-48 months.

In 2007 we became sponsors, adopting the program’s practice in the district of Chao, our neighboring district in Trujillo, Peru. Our Wawa Wasi Rayito de Sol opens its doors at 4 a.m. to receive 37 infants. We spoke to Rosa Bravo Uriarte, one of our enthusiastic Mother-Carers and coordinator who told us what it is like to work with little ones.

“Rayito de Sol was born as an alternative to support dysfunctional families who seeked a better quality of life for themselves and their children.” Rosa has been part of the Wawa Wasi team since the start. She began as a Mother-Carer and her primary job was to take care of the infants, giving them the appropriate food and stimulating their cognitive skills. “Even if you are an experienced nurse or teacher, you have to bring something special to this job. Taking care of a single child is difficult, imagine taking care of more than one.”

Rosa has an Elementary teaching degree and was teaching fifth and sixth graders when she was contacted to join our Camposol team. She recalls it was an amazing challenge and that the training and workshops she regularly received were essential for gaining more skills and experience.“Here I discovered my real vocation. I worked with two-year old kids for seven years and I enjoyed it so much that I applied to be a coordinator which is my current role.”

Most of the children who have joined the Wawa Wasi are raised by single mothers who work in the fields or in other areas. They often struggle economically and need support to grow professionally in order to cover their basic necessities.“Rayito de Sol gives these women a chance to work, knowing their children are safe and will receive three meals a day. But most of all knowing that their infants are treated with love and care by dedicated Mother-Carers,” says Rosa.

As Rosa guides us along the different playing spaces we get a glance at some cuddling Mother-Carers, a few kids singing and immersing in some physical activities. The small team that composes the Wawa Wasi is united and works towards the progress of their children.“We’ve watched these children grow and when they are ready to leave, we become very sentimental. It makes us very happy to see a positive change in every one of them. That’s our most important job, to work for them so they are better than us.”