27/03/2001
  Montevideo - URUGUAY
  S 34°52    W 56°03
  + 106

Yesterday, we worked until 2 am, and Theo cooked a night pasta. This morning, we wake up quite late... at last. But time is as usual very short, and we have two important meetings today.

Magda shows us the school where she's a teacher and talks about her great project for disabled children. Read the Anecdotes, watch the Video and choose what we should do.

The other important meeting was with the Uruguayan TV. We had thought we would go to a studio full of lights, microphones and technicians. We're in fact in a big white villa, full of objects and antiquities. "Studio was not very Nomad" says Pilar, the gorgeous presenter of Canal X, a famous show for young people.

After some Latin salutations, we sit in a big sofa and start to chat in front of the camera. Nicole films the cameraman, while he's filming her; two reports at the same time, one for Uruguay, the other for you.

The beginning is a bit shy because of a language problem. But it doesn't last very long: we speak Spanish, English, Italian and French. A very nomadic style for an interview ! Pilar's question are very clever and we still discuss after the camera is off. Then we watch together some videos about the trip and choose some extracts to show them on the air.

Unfortunately, the show will only be broadcasted on the 4th of April, and we'll be gone already. But for those who read this and live in Uruguay, don't miss Canal X on Canal 10 at this time !

Anyway, you can still watch the make off of the show.... by clicking on the picture !

We have an appointment at 10.30 am in the Institute where Magda teaches. Its name is ' Wings College' and it's a private elementary school.

A yellow school bus is parked in front of the grass of the little courtyard, full of multicolored games, swings and toboggans.

The bilingual Spanish-English school was created 4 years ago by two women, who want to open a new class every year. The children are now between 2 and 7 years old: Magda teaches for the 4 years old: "I really like it because they begin to really think, talk, and discover the real realities of the World. In these little classes, you can feel all the life, the enthusiasm and innocence of the children. With the years, preoccupations take the place of the enthusiasm." 

Magda talks about this and that: "In Uruguay, education is good, the analphabetism rate is very low. But there are not enough schools compared to the number of children: the schools are generally overloaded." 

Then Magda talks about her dream... she moves her hand and her eyes shine: create the first center for Cerebral Palsy in Uruguay.

Here, one child out of 1000 is born with a neurological disorder, as others will have it after an accident. This very serious problem affects the control of movements which appear in first years of life and it generally does not worsen over time. The disorders and disabilities, which are different in every case, are a challenge for the person, her family, the persons who take care of them, the doctors, the society in general. They lose the capacity of using their arms, or talking, eat alone, go alone in the bathroom... but are normally clever.

Unfortunately, the State of Uruguay isn't rich enough and Magda is now looking for money from American or European foundations.

She worked for 4 years in a similar center in Buenos Aires : "The equipments for this kind of center are very expensive" she says "but they allow children who suffer a lot to have a better life and also their families who desperately need some help."

Magda says also that the absolute altruism does not exist, there's always a material or physical exchange. She ends the conversation by saying that she's only a relay between the children and the project.

As you know, the Car@van interacted with various humanitarian and ecological initiatives across the World. Today, you're free to decide with your vote if the Community has to help the Center by a contribution. You choose, we act.

During the interview for TV, talking about the virtual and the real sides, Nicole says:

"I prefer to travel in the atoms than across the bytes !".

 

Universal Declaration of Children's Rights

All the Children have the right:

- to have a name, a nationality and a family

- to receive education

- to receive food, medical care and to live in a decent house

- to express their opinion freely and to be listened to

- to grow up in freedom and to ask for and receive information

- not to be discriminated

- to be protected from any physical abuse

- not to be a victim of labour exploitation

- to enjoy freedom of thought, conscience and religion

- to play, have adequate rest and to practice sports

- to participate in the cultural and artistic life of their community

 

We meet more and more people in Montevideo every day and more and more doors are opened for the Car@van.

Tomorrow, we'll enter into exclusive places.

See you on Chat at 10.00 pm GMT

See you !

The Team 

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