Summer Camp Service in Rafey

This week we dedicate our mornings to facilitating a summer camp for the kids of the community of Rafey, here in Santiago. Thanks to Accion Callejera, the local NGO overseeing the program, we are able to give over 40 deserving kids an amazing summer camp experience that many of us have had the privilege of experiencing growing up!

The summer camp is a part of Accion Callejera's prevention program; working in underprivileged communities, they focus on promoting the rights of children in every aspect of their life. The main focus is ensuring that the children of the community of Rafey understand the importance of an education, which they focus on in the before and after school programming of Accion Callejera's local Homework Room.

This year's theme for the camp is, "los buenos tratos dejan huellas," which, roughly translated, means "good deeds leave a mark." Along with Accion Callejera, our goal for our week in Rafey is to encourage leaving a positive mark on every person we encounter in life. Kindness goes a long way and speaks volumes, and our actions can directly affect those around us. We really want this to be a fun space where the kids feel welcomed and are free to be kids!

Though running a summer camp for kids who speak a completely different language than we do can be challenging and tiring, it is most definitely rewarding! Knowing the difficult backgrounds that many of the local kids come from, and the harsh realities of poverty that many of them face each and every day, it makes the experience that much more meaningful and impactful.

I think this week will leave an equally lasting positive impact on both the kids of Rafey, as well as our own kids! I am so proud of their dedication to these deserving kids; it's amazing seeing them grow as leaders each and every day.