Farm of the Child

Student Role

The ND students’ main role and responsibility is to enter fully into community life as a positive presence and witness to the love of Christ. Students provide two extra pairs of helping hands and are expected to maintain, protect, and build the mission of the Finca. More specifically, students are asked to cover many essential tasks and responsibilities of the long-term missioners so they are free to take their much needed vacations. ND students generally serve as substitute teachers. They provide instruction in Spanish and must be prepared to teach anything from kindergarten to 9th grade to special education, during any given week. At the same time, La Finca’s mission is slowly moving toward relying less on missioners in the school, and more in the homes. This signifies that students may, according to their ability, have the opportunity to engage in other areas of the Farm, such as working with house parents, doing larger projects with the maintenance staff (agriculture, gardening, painting, and many forms of manual labor), and technological and organizational support. Persons knowledgeable in computer hardware/systems and automotive mechanics would be invaluable. There is also an opportunity to help in the clinic for those students with some knowledge or study in the area of nursing or medicine. Students are also responsible for a wide array of other activities, such as supervising the children’s work and study hours, leading girl scouts, coaching soccer, tutoring, choir, spending as much time as possible with the children, and just stepping in and lending a hand wherever help is needed. In the volunteer house, students share the responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, helping with daily prayer (morning prayer and nightly community activities), and attending community meetings with the Farm staff and long term missioners. Students are expected to participate fully in the spiritual and communal life of the Farm and are encouraged to share their unique gifts and talents in service of the children and mission of the Farm.