May 2004-06-21
Dear Friends
Time has been flying by and I am already packing. I will be leaving Guatemala on May 27th.
I will be traveling throughout June, to go to job interviews and therefore will be in LA from May 27th to May 31st, New York ( June 1st to 5th), Geneva ( June 7th to 12th), Paris (June 13th to 19th), a week at my Parents’place in Auvergne, and back to LA on June 28th. I hope that I will be able to see many of you during this trip!!
But let me give you the latest news since the end of March.
First of all, Thank you to many of you, for your generosity with the Water Filter project. Those who had participated are going to receive a separate email with photos, BUT just to let you know, we have been able to help 600 families!! (instead of 500). THAT IS FANTASTIC!! Thank you.
Many of you, still, have been asking how to help the children from Guatemala. After reflection and getting advice, I have decided to create the Alix Donation Fund (in memory of my late sister). You will all receive another detailed email about it, but this fund, under my direct supervision, will be collecting donations for Children and poor mothers from Guatemala. This money will be used for a targeted action, around the time of Christmas, and I will personally keep you posted.
Remember!!, that through your help this year, we were able to give:
A Christmas party and presents to 110 Streets Kids (Casa Alianza)
350 Christmas presents to the sick children from the Roosevelt Hospital of Guatemala City
1 year scholarship for a 12 years old girl
600 Water filters to give purified water to extremely poor families.
NOT BAD!!!
Thank you in advance for your help and together we are going to break the chain of poverty, and make a difference.
News from the kids:
Even though I have stopped working with Casa Alianza, I am still in touch with them and also with some of the kids who went back to the street. They managed to find me and I take that as a wonderful proof of trust and confidence.
The great news is about Daniel, the blind kid. After finding him in Guatemala City, I convinced him to move to Antigua, which is smaller and safer. With the help of Patrick Atkinson from the God’s Child project, we found a job and a place for Daniel to live. You cannot imagine his happiness. One of my Friends, generously, gave him a guitar, which is one of the rare pleasures this blind kid still has. Again, he was overwhelmed with joy and gratefulness.
Benjamin, Eddy and Mauricio are still in the program of Casa Alianza, but Conradino and Jaime left. Again very frustating and sad.
I have found Jaime, back in the street, doing drugs again (after 2 years with Casa Alianza). He is a great kid, but the only thing I was able to do was to spend time with him, to treat him to lunch and give him the feeling that I am considering him as an adult!!
I also finaly found Victor, who left before Christmas. He went for three months to jail for stealing Q20 ($3). Again, nothing more than my friendship and a lunch, as any other kind of help will go directly to drugs!
Through the hermano Jesus (Religious Brother from the order of the Marist), who is taking care of the spiritual aspect of Casa Alianza, I will be able to keep in touch with the kids within the program, as well as those who left.
At least I will get some news and maybe, will be able to help.
With the Water Filter project and through the God’s Child project, I was able to discover another image of extreme poverty. After the distribution of the filters, I went several times to spontanouisly visit some of the families who had received them. In the slums around Guatemala City and Antigua, I have seen “houses”where families up to 10 people are living in the same room. Even after my 10 months experience “in the Street”, I was not ready to see so much need!
Nevertheless, these families with nothing, will always welcome you with joy and warmness. They force your respect by their dignity and education. This is one of the reasons I want, with your support, to continue helping them.
Other highlight of April, was Semana Sancta (Holy Week), which is extremely important in Guatemala, but espacially in Antigua.
More than a half million visitors, from Wenesday to Easter day walk through the city, praying in the churches, and above all, watching the penitent processions coming through the streets. The penitents (around 50) are carrying a huge platform surmounted by a life size statue of Christ with the Cross. It is so heavy that the penitents have to change every 15 min, and the procession goes for 12 hours! The streets are decorated by amazing Alfombras (Carpets), made from flowers, fruits and colored sawdust. For the Guatemalan, it is a form of penitence to offer hours of work, in order to make these temporary works of art, which are going to be destroyed in a minute by the penitent procession, stepping on it. The whole city smells of burning incense and resonnates the music of funeral bands (very much like the Godfather...the movie!). This is the typical way in Guatemala to celebrate Easter.
I had the joy of welcoming both my parents for 2 weeks and with them, I discovered new part of the country. The natural water pools of Chemuc Shanpey, with turquoise water so transparent, where the forest was reflecting. The caves of Candelaria, with 30 km of corridors and under-ground rivers. Back to Tikal, which is so impressive every time, and so on and so on.
At the risk of repeating myself, Guatemala is an amazingly beautiful country, where you find any kind of vegetation, climate, relief and tradition. Colorful flowers match the colorful mayas’clothing, with a background of a thousand shades of green from the luxurious vegetation.
Whoever wants to travel in Guatemala, please makes sure to contact me.
Sadly comes the time to say good bye to the people I have met during this year. I had a great talk with Padre Richard (The rapper priest I mentioned in a previous message), before he flew to Chicago for a big concert!
I will not be able to mention everybody, but each of them had made my time in Guatemala very special and anonymously, this email is dedicated to all of them as a testimony of my respect and my gratitude.
Once again, from the monastery, where I am doing my last retreat, I want to thank all of you and I am looking forward to hearing from you, or even better, to seeing you very soon, if possible.
Sincerely Yours
Ghislain d’Humieres
PS: Together with the coming up email about the donation fund, you will find a web link with a lot of photos from my time in Guatemala. I hope that you will enjoy them.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Friday, March 26, 2004
Newsletter From Guatemala, March 2004
March 2004-04-06
Dear Friends,
It is already 6 weeks since my last newsletter. Thank you to many of you for your kind and supportive replies. I felt surrounded by your friendship and that is great.
Thank you again for those who are helping me with the water Filter project. I still need some donations in order to reach the amount of money sufficient to give a filter to 500 families. Do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to help!
February has been extremely intense. I was working in the streets 3 or 4 times a week, keeping the Wenesday and Friday afternoon, which are the days of Spiritual activities, with the kids of level II.
As usual, some good and some bad news. Benjamin, who has an amazing memory for geography, passed to level III, and studies very seriously at school. But Daniel, who is nearly blind, and has been with Casa Alianza for several years, left without any explanation. Again, a very frustating experience, as I had spent a lot of time talking and teaching him. He lost his parents and has only two brothers, who are not able to help him. It took me a month to find out where he was, and I will be trying next week, to see him and find what may be done to help him. But the toughest is that they all are very proud and often refuse to be helped!
For St. Valentine’s day, Casa Alianza organised “the Friendship’s race”, with all the boys and girls, including the educators and volunteers. A very friendly moment, with different categories based on age. For the first time in my life, I found myself in the Senior group (35 to 50). Tough reality of life...I am not so young anymore. I nevertheless managed to win the silver (fake) medal!
We had another 15 year old birthday party for Heidi, which was similar to the one I described in my first email. It has the importance of a “debutante” ball in Guatemala. Starting with a Mass, followed by Speeches, lunch, cake and a lot of dancing. It was great fun.
On the “Street” side, we worked a lot on the Zona 6 and 1 (around the market, the bus terminal and some prostitution areas). In one of the abandoned gas stations, we met a young 16 year old mother with a 2 year old baby, in a condition of extremely poor hygiene, on the point of being expelled by a private militia. We interfered and negotiated for her to stay one more day. When we went to pick her up the day after, she was gone! Instead, the place was occupied by 3 kids (around 12 years old) who , after a lot of talking, came with us. Two days after, 2 of them were already back to the street!
One morning, I received an urgent call from Oscar ( Street’s educator) who told me that 4 girls from the program had not come back the night before. One of them, was the lovely Marie Sol, 11 years old, usually very quiet and nice. We had only one day to find them, in order to be able to reintegrate them in the program. We went around the whole city, asking other homeless, and after 5 hours, we found them in the Parque Central. It then took 2 hours to convince them to come back with us. They are ultra sensitive, and a simple argument or disagreement could make them leave Casa Alianza, preferring to be in the street!
It surprises me sometimes how “ prima dona” these kids can be, when they have nothing else, and receive a lot from us. But it takes a lot of patience and understanding to realise that they never received attention or love, and that they often react on first impression.
We also help another group of educators, with the “mobile school”, which consists of a nice minivan containing all pedagogical possibilities and large boards, in order to teach kids in the streets. We went with them several times to the most dangerous Zone of Guatemala City (zona 18), in the colonia (district) Lemon. These are some of my best and brightest memories of all.
When we arrived in the central square of the colonia, between 50 to 70 kids, from 2 to 14 years old, joined us from everywhere, with huge smiles and laughing eyes. We separated them into groups, and each of us started teaching alphabetisation, mathematics, ect... After 45 minutes, we played with them, then we set up the puppet theater, in order to performe a small play about hygiene or an education program. We usualy finished with a distribution of juices and cookies.
The amount of joy and smiles make you feel that all this work is worthwhile. I miss them already.
I could continue for a long time telling you about my experiences with the children of Guatemala, but I will keep some stories for each of you, when I next see you face to face.
I miss them also, because, as I mentioned in my previous email, I decided to stop my volunteer job with the kids. After 7 months, I realized that I was completly occupied, with no time for myself. I will therefore devote more time to the water filter project, in order to finish it before the end of May, and keep some time for myself to think about my future.
I will be looking for a job in the Art world, of course, in the USA or Europe, but also will look into posibilities of professional fund raising or management positions in International N.G.O.s or private foundations.
I am spending a little bit of time to discover this amazing and beautiful country. Last week, I was in Rio Dulce, which is the carabean part of Guatemala. Completly different from the rest, with wild forests of Mangrove trees, rivers and swamps and beautiful white sand beaches. The population is an interesting mixt of maya culture and black creole. Not far from there, next to lake Izabal, I swan in the most enchanting hot water waterfall, surrounded by lush vegetation. The way I imagine the Garden of Eden!
I will try to travel a little bit more and will keep you posted by end of May for where I will be going next.
Once again, an amazing experience, which opened my heart and my mind about the reality of the world. Wonderfully nice and warm people, extremely diverse culture and civilisation. I fell in love with Guatemala, which will stay for ever in my heart, and I hope that I will be able to visit it regurlarly.
Thank you again all, for your moral and financial support. You have made my time in Guatemala helping the kids possible!!!
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely Yours,
Ghislain
Dear Friends,
It is already 6 weeks since my last newsletter. Thank you to many of you for your kind and supportive replies. I felt surrounded by your friendship and that is great.
Thank you again for those who are helping me with the water Filter project. I still need some donations in order to reach the amount of money sufficient to give a filter to 500 families. Do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to help!
February has been extremely intense. I was working in the streets 3 or 4 times a week, keeping the Wenesday and Friday afternoon, which are the days of Spiritual activities, with the kids of level II.
As usual, some good and some bad news. Benjamin, who has an amazing memory for geography, passed to level III, and studies very seriously at school. But Daniel, who is nearly blind, and has been with Casa Alianza for several years, left without any explanation. Again, a very frustating experience, as I had spent a lot of time talking and teaching him. He lost his parents and has only two brothers, who are not able to help him. It took me a month to find out where he was, and I will be trying next week, to see him and find what may be done to help him. But the toughest is that they all are very proud and often refuse to be helped!
For St. Valentine’s day, Casa Alianza organised “the Friendship’s race”, with all the boys and girls, including the educators and volunteers. A very friendly moment, with different categories based on age. For the first time in my life, I found myself in the Senior group (35 to 50). Tough reality of life...I am not so young anymore. I nevertheless managed to win the silver (fake) medal!
We had another 15 year old birthday party for Heidi, which was similar to the one I described in my first email. It has the importance of a “debutante” ball in Guatemala. Starting with a Mass, followed by Speeches, lunch, cake and a lot of dancing. It was great fun.
On the “Street” side, we worked a lot on the Zona 6 and 1 (around the market, the bus terminal and some prostitution areas). In one of the abandoned gas stations, we met a young 16 year old mother with a 2 year old baby, in a condition of extremely poor hygiene, on the point of being expelled by a private militia. We interfered and negotiated for her to stay one more day. When we went to pick her up the day after, she was gone! Instead, the place was occupied by 3 kids (around 12 years old) who , after a lot of talking, came with us. Two days after, 2 of them were already back to the street!
One morning, I received an urgent call from Oscar ( Street’s educator) who told me that 4 girls from the program had not come back the night before. One of them, was the lovely Marie Sol, 11 years old, usually very quiet and nice. We had only one day to find them, in order to be able to reintegrate them in the program. We went around the whole city, asking other homeless, and after 5 hours, we found them in the Parque Central. It then took 2 hours to convince them to come back with us. They are ultra sensitive, and a simple argument or disagreement could make them leave Casa Alianza, preferring to be in the street!
It surprises me sometimes how “ prima dona” these kids can be, when they have nothing else, and receive a lot from us. But it takes a lot of patience and understanding to realise that they never received attention or love, and that they often react on first impression.
We also help another group of educators, with the “mobile school”, which consists of a nice minivan containing all pedagogical possibilities and large boards, in order to teach kids in the streets. We went with them several times to the most dangerous Zone of Guatemala City (zona 18), in the colonia (district) Lemon. These are some of my best and brightest memories of all.
When we arrived in the central square of the colonia, between 50 to 70 kids, from 2 to 14 years old, joined us from everywhere, with huge smiles and laughing eyes. We separated them into groups, and each of us started teaching alphabetisation, mathematics, ect... After 45 minutes, we played with them, then we set up the puppet theater, in order to performe a small play about hygiene or an education program. We usualy finished with a distribution of juices and cookies.
The amount of joy and smiles make you feel that all this work is worthwhile. I miss them already.
I could continue for a long time telling you about my experiences with the children of Guatemala, but I will keep some stories for each of you, when I next see you face to face.
I miss them also, because, as I mentioned in my previous email, I decided to stop my volunteer job with the kids. After 7 months, I realized that I was completly occupied, with no time for myself. I will therefore devote more time to the water filter project, in order to finish it before the end of May, and keep some time for myself to think about my future.
I will be looking for a job in the Art world, of course, in the USA or Europe, but also will look into posibilities of professional fund raising or management positions in International N.G.O.s or private foundations.
I am spending a little bit of time to discover this amazing and beautiful country. Last week, I was in Rio Dulce, which is the carabean part of Guatemala. Completly different from the rest, with wild forests of Mangrove trees, rivers and swamps and beautiful white sand beaches. The population is an interesting mixt of maya culture and black creole. Not far from there, next to lake Izabal, I swan in the most enchanting hot water waterfall, surrounded by lush vegetation. The way I imagine the Garden of Eden!
I will try to travel a little bit more and will keep you posted by end of May for where I will be going next.
Once again, an amazing experience, which opened my heart and my mind about the reality of the world. Wonderfully nice and warm people, extremely diverse culture and civilisation. I fell in love with Guatemala, which will stay for ever in my heart, and I hope that I will be able to visit it regurlarly.
Thank you again all, for your moral and financial support. You have made my time in Guatemala helping the kids possible!!!
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely Yours,
Ghislain
Monday, January 26, 2004
Newsletter From Guatemala, January 2004
Dear Friends,
First of all, may I wish you all (and late) a very Happy New Year, which will bring you all the happiness you may deserve.
Then, May I thank all those who had responded to my Christmas’call, in order to help some of the different projects, I have been involved in Guatemala.
A particular and grateful thank you, to my ex-colleagues from Christie’s again. I hope you enjoyed the email and the photos.
Another thank you, to those who had participated to the Water filter project, which consist in buying water filter and give them to the poorest families in Guatemala. You will be receiving soon a Thank you email with Photos. You are giving a chance to a family to have pure water for several years, and save baby and children’s life (reduction of illness due to bacteria).
This is my on-going project until my departure (May 2004). We had already collected $6,500 and I am hoping to reach $10,000, which means 500 filters. Do not hesitate to participate. Send me back an email and up to the country where you live (tax deductible for US residents), I will give you information for sending your donation. It is a great cause, and I personally supervise it. THANK YOU very much in advance.
But enough about fund raising and let me give you some news about the last two months, which have been very busy.
I am still working with the children from the level 2. I have to get use to kids’ departure without explanation, and sometime, they showed up, back to the house, 1 or 2 weeks later, in terrible physical condition, dirty and smelly, under drugs and asking for help. I admired the opened-mind and kindness of the educators, who welcomed them with patience and understanding.
I never had any news from Selvin, but before Christmas, I received a call from Victor, who finally found a job and seems to do fine. On Christmas’day, I met Mardoguedo, in the street, in terrible condition and completely “stone”. He nevertheless recognized me. We went for a quick snack and I gave him food for the next two days….at least, he is still alive.
I have also been working in the street on a more regular base (twice a week), and it is the same, perpetual vision of poverty, drug, sex and violence. But, at least, we are welcomed with a smile and a happy face. They know that we will be giving clothes and first aids treatment. Last week, we had a tough day, as we entered a “squat” which we are visiting regularly, disgusting and smelly beyond believes. Five kids were there (usually there are around 20), three of them with the face completely hurt and still bleeding. We asked what did happen and it seems that another gang of kids, came the same morning, tried to rape one of the girls. The three boys tried to defend her and were severely beaten up. We took them, as well of the girl (who had been raped) to Medecin Sans Frontieres. Sorry to be so crude, but that is a daily kind of event, we have to deal with.
I am amazed, how the children keep on living and find the energy to still smile and laugh!
For Christmas, with he financial help of my friends from Christie’s, the five other volunteers and myself had organized a “Christmas ‘fiesta”. Thank to their generosity, we were able to buy a lot of electrical decorations, some huge cakes and a Watch for each kid! It could seem superficial, but they already received from Casa Alianza, food and clothes, BUT they would never dreamed to receive a present like this. It is a prove that we consider them as adult. They were so happy.
We did 2 parties, separately for the girls and the boys (as they lives in different premises). With the girls, we had a lot of singing and dancing. For many of them, it was their first piece of costume jewellery.
For the boys, it was also a very nice and happy time. I brought them another surprise, in the persona of Father Richard (34years old priest from Panama) who I have met two months ago in Antigua. Above the fact of being a priest who had grown up in the street, he is an international star as a rap singer! He has the groove and a great voice and he sings about drugs, street children, hope, family etc. Then he helped us to distribute the presents.
I had the pleasure to organize another Christmas’action (Thanks again to Christie’s generosity), as we had some money left over. Through the God’s Child project, run by Patrick Arkinson, we were able to distribute 300 Christmas’ presents to the kids, sick from AIDS and cancer, from the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City. You should have seen the smile and happiness of these kids. Many of them came from the centre of the country and never received a toy (doll, car, ball etc.)
That is it for Christmas.
Few weeks before Christmas, I went with some friends to Lake Atitlan. It is one of the most beautiful and amazing landscapes I have ever seen. It is a very clear and clean lake, surrounded by volcanoes, with small villages, only reachable by boat. The local people are very sweet and welcoming. Supposedly, Saint Exupery wrote a part of “The Little Prince” there. It was a real break from the dirty and polluted streets of the capital.
Christmas’ eve, I went back to Antigua and saw an amazing show. The whole city is bursting in Fire at midnight, between fireworks, firecrackers and boom fire. It was an explosion of laugh, joy, light and of course, music, as every occasion is good for dancing! I was certainly not the last one to join the crowd!
It was a very special and unique atmosphere and a lot of fun.
For New Year, I went back to LA, in order to check on my apartment, take care of technical issues (bank, doctor, etc.), see friends and I came back, to Antigua, beginning of January.
I took the opportunity of being in the States, to approach and consult some friends and contacts about another project I am getting involved with. Related to the water filter, which had stayed a very local action, I am trying to help the inventor and Mrs Wilson (who has been supporting the production and distribution of these filters), to put together a proposal in order to built an International Centre for Safe Water (improving the production, centralizing it, quality control with the supervision of MIT) and above all, a training centre for local or international persona who care to learn and promote this invention. This means cheap access to pure water in many countries around the world, which could save million of lives. It is a fabulous project and with my previous experience, I am trying to help them to put together a very professional proposal and sending it to potential donors.
If any of you have suggestion, DO Not Hesitate.
I will keep you posted on this long-term project too.
Back to the boys’ community, I saw with sadness that the house of level 2 burned to ground on January 1st. Thank to God, it was during lunch time, and none of the kids has been hurt. But they lost all their personal belongings, which mean a lot to them. The building being insured, it will be renovated, but that will take 8 months! During this period, they are “piled” into a smaller house and we tried to make it as comfortable as possible.
The second sad news was the departure of Jaime Tecu, director of the boys’ house, who will be working for Unicef. It was a wonderful and charismatic 27 years old man, married with two kids. I felt honoured to have had the opportunity to work with him.
As several of you knows, I had some serious doubts about Casa Alianza in Guatemala. The way it is managed and a lot of internal politics in the administration, are very frustrating issues. But I guess, it is the same anywhere. I will be thinking about it, during February, but I will maybe leave them next month and devote more time to the Water Filter Project and to some other projects with poor families, helping them in fund raising and controlling of activities.
Otherwise, I manage to save a little bit of time, and had the pleasure to start watercolour lessons and develop my skills in “Latino fever” dance (salsa, merengue and punta).
The cultural life is quite small, but I had the chance to go to a photo exhibition, of a wonderful young artist, Andreas Asturias, who uses his skills to protest against injustice and poverty. Each photo is a composition with models and local background, protesting against hunger, poverty, prostitution, corruption, gang, etc…but in such artistic way, that they are real work of art!
I also went to an opening, showing modern design furniture made from Mangrove trees (unique, as this tree is protected…. they have the only worldwide license). Extremely stylish and creative…my heart of Furniture specialist was jumping!
As you could see, I have a quite active and busy life. I will nevertheless try to take it easy in March, as I realize that my sabbatical will be ending in May, and I need to take some time for me. I will be starting looking for a job (ideally for September 2004), primarily in the USA or in Europe, in antique furniture, jewellery or maybe humanitarian fund raising and management.
I am blessed to encountered wonderful people; to learn a new language, discover a new culture and way of life, in a beautiful country. I am learning to prioritise and “relativise”. I am relearning how to live and enjoy simple things. But certainly, this experience in Guatemala will have a great impact on me.
Thank you all again for your support, morale and financial. It is always great to receive news from you.
As usual, I am writing to you from the Monastery, where I am doing another retreat in silence. Still very cold but peaceful and beautiful.
I will keep you all in my thought and I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Amities
Ghislain
First of all, may I wish you all (and late) a very Happy New Year, which will bring you all the happiness you may deserve.
Then, May I thank all those who had responded to my Christmas’call, in order to help some of the different projects, I have been involved in Guatemala.
A particular and grateful thank you, to my ex-colleagues from Christie’s again. I hope you enjoyed the email and the photos.
Another thank you, to those who had participated to the Water filter project, which consist in buying water filter and give them to the poorest families in Guatemala. You will be receiving soon a Thank you email with Photos. You are giving a chance to a family to have pure water for several years, and save baby and children’s life (reduction of illness due to bacteria).
This is my on-going project until my departure (May 2004). We had already collected $6,500 and I am hoping to reach $10,000, which means 500 filters. Do not hesitate to participate. Send me back an email and up to the country where you live (tax deductible for US residents), I will give you information for sending your donation. It is a great cause, and I personally supervise it. THANK YOU very much in advance.
But enough about fund raising and let me give you some news about the last two months, which have been very busy.
I am still working with the children from the level 2. I have to get use to kids’ departure without explanation, and sometime, they showed up, back to the house, 1 or 2 weeks later, in terrible physical condition, dirty and smelly, under drugs and asking for help. I admired the opened-mind and kindness of the educators, who welcomed them with patience and understanding.
I never had any news from Selvin, but before Christmas, I received a call from Victor, who finally found a job and seems to do fine. On Christmas’day, I met Mardoguedo, in the street, in terrible condition and completely “stone”. He nevertheless recognized me. We went for a quick snack and I gave him food for the next two days….at least, he is still alive.
I have also been working in the street on a more regular base (twice a week), and it is the same, perpetual vision of poverty, drug, sex and violence. But, at least, we are welcomed with a smile and a happy face. They know that we will be giving clothes and first aids treatment. Last week, we had a tough day, as we entered a “squat” which we are visiting regularly, disgusting and smelly beyond believes. Five kids were there (usually there are around 20), three of them with the face completely hurt and still bleeding. We asked what did happen and it seems that another gang of kids, came the same morning, tried to rape one of the girls. The three boys tried to defend her and were severely beaten up. We took them, as well of the girl (who had been raped) to Medecin Sans Frontieres. Sorry to be so crude, but that is a daily kind of event, we have to deal with.
I am amazed, how the children keep on living and find the energy to still smile and laugh!
For Christmas, with he financial help of my friends from Christie’s, the five other volunteers and myself had organized a “Christmas ‘fiesta”. Thank to their generosity, we were able to buy a lot of electrical decorations, some huge cakes and a Watch for each kid! It could seem superficial, but they already received from Casa Alianza, food and clothes, BUT they would never dreamed to receive a present like this. It is a prove that we consider them as adult. They were so happy.
We did 2 parties, separately for the girls and the boys (as they lives in different premises). With the girls, we had a lot of singing and dancing. For many of them, it was their first piece of costume jewellery.
For the boys, it was also a very nice and happy time. I brought them another surprise, in the persona of Father Richard (34years old priest from Panama) who I have met two months ago in Antigua. Above the fact of being a priest who had grown up in the street, he is an international star as a rap singer! He has the groove and a great voice and he sings about drugs, street children, hope, family etc. Then he helped us to distribute the presents.
I had the pleasure to organize another Christmas’action (Thanks again to Christie’s generosity), as we had some money left over. Through the God’s Child project, run by Patrick Arkinson, we were able to distribute 300 Christmas’ presents to the kids, sick from AIDS and cancer, from the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City. You should have seen the smile and happiness of these kids. Many of them came from the centre of the country and never received a toy (doll, car, ball etc.)
That is it for Christmas.
Few weeks before Christmas, I went with some friends to Lake Atitlan. It is one of the most beautiful and amazing landscapes I have ever seen. It is a very clear and clean lake, surrounded by volcanoes, with small villages, only reachable by boat. The local people are very sweet and welcoming. Supposedly, Saint Exupery wrote a part of “The Little Prince” there. It was a real break from the dirty and polluted streets of the capital.
Christmas’ eve, I went back to Antigua and saw an amazing show. The whole city is bursting in Fire at midnight, between fireworks, firecrackers and boom fire. It was an explosion of laugh, joy, light and of course, music, as every occasion is good for dancing! I was certainly not the last one to join the crowd!
It was a very special and unique atmosphere and a lot of fun.
For New Year, I went back to LA, in order to check on my apartment, take care of technical issues (bank, doctor, etc.), see friends and I came back, to Antigua, beginning of January.
I took the opportunity of being in the States, to approach and consult some friends and contacts about another project I am getting involved with. Related to the water filter, which had stayed a very local action, I am trying to help the inventor and Mrs Wilson (who has been supporting the production and distribution of these filters), to put together a proposal in order to built an International Centre for Safe Water (improving the production, centralizing it, quality control with the supervision of MIT) and above all, a training centre for local or international persona who care to learn and promote this invention. This means cheap access to pure water in many countries around the world, which could save million of lives. It is a fabulous project and with my previous experience, I am trying to help them to put together a very professional proposal and sending it to potential donors.
If any of you have suggestion, DO Not Hesitate.
I will keep you posted on this long-term project too.
Back to the boys’ community, I saw with sadness that the house of level 2 burned to ground on January 1st. Thank to God, it was during lunch time, and none of the kids has been hurt. But they lost all their personal belongings, which mean a lot to them. The building being insured, it will be renovated, but that will take 8 months! During this period, they are “piled” into a smaller house and we tried to make it as comfortable as possible.
The second sad news was the departure of Jaime Tecu, director of the boys’ house, who will be working for Unicef. It was a wonderful and charismatic 27 years old man, married with two kids. I felt honoured to have had the opportunity to work with him.
As several of you knows, I had some serious doubts about Casa Alianza in Guatemala. The way it is managed and a lot of internal politics in the administration, are very frustrating issues. But I guess, it is the same anywhere. I will be thinking about it, during February, but I will maybe leave them next month and devote more time to the Water Filter Project and to some other projects with poor families, helping them in fund raising and controlling of activities.
Otherwise, I manage to save a little bit of time, and had the pleasure to start watercolour lessons and develop my skills in “Latino fever” dance (salsa, merengue and punta).
The cultural life is quite small, but I had the chance to go to a photo exhibition, of a wonderful young artist, Andreas Asturias, who uses his skills to protest against injustice and poverty. Each photo is a composition with models and local background, protesting against hunger, poverty, prostitution, corruption, gang, etc…but in such artistic way, that they are real work of art!
I also went to an opening, showing modern design furniture made from Mangrove trees (unique, as this tree is protected…. they have the only worldwide license). Extremely stylish and creative…my heart of Furniture specialist was jumping!
As you could see, I have a quite active and busy life. I will nevertheless try to take it easy in March, as I realize that my sabbatical will be ending in May, and I need to take some time for me. I will be starting looking for a job (ideally for September 2004), primarily in the USA or in Europe, in antique furniture, jewellery or maybe humanitarian fund raising and management.
I am blessed to encountered wonderful people; to learn a new language, discover a new culture and way of life, in a beautiful country. I am learning to prioritise and “relativise”. I am relearning how to live and enjoy simple things. But certainly, this experience in Guatemala will have a great impact on me.
Thank you all again for your support, morale and financial. It is always great to receive news from you.
As usual, I am writing to you from the Monastery, where I am doing another retreat in silence. Still very cold but peaceful and beautiful.
I will keep you all in my thought and I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Amities
Ghislain
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Newsletter From Guatemala, November 2003
Dear Friend
First of all, may I thank you all for your wonderful moral support to my “adventure”, and as promised, please find some more news about my life in Guatemala.
Many of you ask me how they could help. In the second part of this email, I will tell you about different projects where you could get involved.
Thank you very much in advance for your attention and for your kindness.
The month of October has been mostly devoted to work with the children in the level 2. The number is approximately between 25 and 30, up to some of them who decided to go back to the street, or some who succeed to reach level 3 (see my previous email). Even if the educators advised me to not getting attached to the children, I cannot help it and, it could be quite painful when they decide to leave the house and go back to hell. It is very difficult for many of them, who have been living in the street for several years, to get use again to live within a community, and follow “house rules “with its duties. They have to relearn values like respect, honesty, friendship and work.
The teaching part has been a little bit disappointing as I realized that they have very little capacity of concentration. Instead of teaching group, I work with 2 or 3 of them of the same level, if they are willing to do so. Nevertheless some of them are extremely smart, like Conradino who is able to describe his surrounding in English (after 2 months learning with me) and dreams to work in the USA. I could see some of you smiling, thinking about these kids who are going to speak English with a French accent, …but it is better than nothing!
With the help of an American‘s friend of mine from my Spanish school (where I carry on taking classes 4 hours a week), we have started to organize Basket ball and Base ball teams. They love it and I am running behind the ball, more than ever!
It is vital to keep them busy, otherwise they are starting to think to much about the street, the drugs or their life and several of them are close to depression and we had some tentative of suicide. I realized that the most important part of my duty is to be available to talk with any of them who fell the need. But they have their pride, and it request a lot of diplomacy to gain their confidence and manage to help them.
Nevertheless, I cannot help thinking that the work of Casa Alianza (being great) is sometime not sufficient. The problem of the Street‘s children should be taken far ahead, with a serious help to the poorest families. If they received some help (hygiene, food, money, psychological support etc), which could make the house’s surrounding better, less children will be in the street. Most of the issues came from the Father or Step Father, without a job, who starts drinking and abuses the children…who preferred to live in the Street instead of “Hell Home”. It is the case of Selvin, whose Parents divorced when he was 5 years old, and the “friend of his mother didn’t like him. He left at age 6 and has been in the street and on the road until age 16. He tried twice to enter the USA, crossed Mexico by foot and bus, came back to Guatemala, and joined a gang where violence and drugs are daily bread. He started drugs at 6 years old from glue and marijuana to cocaine. He entered Casa Alianza and was doing very well even if he was very quiet. Sadly, after a fight last week, he went back to the streets. I am very sad, as he was a great kid. Every time I am going with the street team, I hope I will see him, but so far, no luck….
Guatemala is a country with quite a lot of Humanitarian organizations. Even if several are badly run or corrupted!, I was able , during my free time, to discover some fascinating projects and extremely devoted persons, who are giving their life for the poorest.
For example, the Franciscan monks of Antigua are running the Hospital del Hermano Pedro, where they are taking care with very little funding, to 250 handicaps persons (from 1 month old to 90 years old). Several of these children are found in trash bean or on the pavement in front of the hospital, as the family don’t have the money to take care of them. But what is amazing, is the atmosphere of this hospital where the nurses are kind and happy, where the patients are well treated and smiling, where everything works with second hand material but extremely clean. Donations are necessary and will be extremely well used, as there is no help to handicap people from the Government, and this place is one of the only hope they could received ( I will give you later the web page address).
Let me also tell you about another amazing foundation, organized by an ex- Casa Alianza educator, Patrick Atkinson, who started in 1991, the God’s Child project. The God’s Child Project, known in Spanish as La Asociacion Nuestros Ahijados, which is an ecumenical, non-political charity that cares for and educates 2,583 orphaned and abandoned boys and girls. It also provides medical attention, nutrition, clothing and development services to 8,500 homeless people across the nation of Guatemala. Based in the United States (501 © 3 charity), the project has only 3 part-time employees, those efforts are complimented by several hundred volunteers around the world who help out collecting clothing, medical supplies and tutoring and mentoring high-risk US children. I was really impressed by the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the continuation in their country, of their work in Guatemala. Even more impressive, is that there are just 27 Guatemalan employees (19 of whom are graduates of the program itself….meaning poor kids who decided to help those who are poorest).
Finally, I would like to speak about the Ecofiltro, which is a locally produced invention, tested and certified by MIT, which the Association Guatelmalteca for the family, tries to promote and give away to the poorest family. This water filter, at a very low cost, allowed a family to “clean” 2 litters of the dirtiest water per hours, and after study, reduce the illness of kids below 5 years old by 50%. These families cannot afford to buy purified water and the infantile mortality is quite high. This project has been running for more than 15 years, but so far stayed on a rather small scale. The dream will be to be able to build a factory to produce them, in order to reduce the cost and be able to give the filter away (or minimal cost). Every human being has the right of pure water and it should be the base of any humanitarian project as LIFE depends from Water.
YOU COULD SEE WHERE I AM GOING!!!
As many of you offer to help me in my Humanitarian mission, I would like to give you several options where I would be extremely grateful of your financial support and help. Some of you will receive another email, more targeted as I try to make it easy for your participation.
For example, whose of you who are living in the USA, will be receiving an email of project which are taxes deductible (501 (c), or my friends from Christie’s another email for a donation in order to make Christmas more special for the Casa Alianza Children.
In any case, please look at these different projects and let me know which one speaks to you. Before sending money, make sure to reply to me as I will PERSONALLY make sure that the money will go to the right place. Your help could be done as a Christmas present OR could be done later (beginning of 2004), as help is always needed. But I will rather supervised your gift before my departure (May 2004). Thank you.
. Asociacion obras socials del Hermano Pedro: This is the Hospital for handicap persons which I mentioned earlier.
They definitely need help. (Look on: www.obrashermanopedro.org ) Payment could be made in Switzerland, Italy and USA.
.A more personal project: using my usual “network” ability, I would like to raise money to buy Water filters ($ 20!!!) and give them to the families helped by the God’s child project. You could be sure that your help (giving pure water) will go the poorest and more needing families. THAT WILL BE MY ON-GOING PROJECT UNTIL MAY 2004.
. You could give Christmas’ presents:
(Through the God’s Child Project) To the children with cancer and AIDS in the Roosevelt hospital in Guatemala City
To the 65 returning refugee children (COAIDDES Mayan Rights Project)
To the 65 physically, intellectually challenged boys and girls of the Hermano Pedro School for Special students
. You could give (for $ 140) a “healthy” hard floor to cover the mud soil of the poorest house, in order to reduce the risk of contamination, bacteria and death of children. (Through the God’s child Project)
. Finally, you could become a God Mother or God Father of one of the kids, and with little money, make a huge difference for many of them (See www.godschild.org ).
ONCE AGAIN, SORRY FOR THIS QUITE LONG EMAIL. Thank you in advance for your help and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
Thank you for your Friendship and support, which are incredibly helpful to me throughout this time living with the people in the need.
Once again, I am leaving for the Benedictine Monastery, where I am taking some time off, in order to relax and think a little bit. Beautiful place, lost in the middle of the mountains BUT very cold.
Sincerely Yours
Ghislain
First of all, may I thank you all for your wonderful moral support to my “adventure”, and as promised, please find some more news about my life in Guatemala.
Many of you ask me how they could help. In the second part of this email, I will tell you about different projects where you could get involved.
Thank you very much in advance for your attention and for your kindness.
The month of October has been mostly devoted to work with the children in the level 2. The number is approximately between 25 and 30, up to some of them who decided to go back to the street, or some who succeed to reach level 3 (see my previous email). Even if the educators advised me to not getting attached to the children, I cannot help it and, it could be quite painful when they decide to leave the house and go back to hell. It is very difficult for many of them, who have been living in the street for several years, to get use again to live within a community, and follow “house rules “with its duties. They have to relearn values like respect, honesty, friendship and work.
The teaching part has been a little bit disappointing as I realized that they have very little capacity of concentration. Instead of teaching group, I work with 2 or 3 of them of the same level, if they are willing to do so. Nevertheless some of them are extremely smart, like Conradino who is able to describe his surrounding in English (after 2 months learning with me) and dreams to work in the USA. I could see some of you smiling, thinking about these kids who are going to speak English with a French accent, …but it is better than nothing!
With the help of an American‘s friend of mine from my Spanish school (where I carry on taking classes 4 hours a week), we have started to organize Basket ball and Base ball teams. They love it and I am running behind the ball, more than ever!
It is vital to keep them busy, otherwise they are starting to think to much about the street, the drugs or their life and several of them are close to depression and we had some tentative of suicide. I realized that the most important part of my duty is to be available to talk with any of them who fell the need. But they have their pride, and it request a lot of diplomacy to gain their confidence and manage to help them.
Nevertheless, I cannot help thinking that the work of Casa Alianza (being great) is sometime not sufficient. The problem of the Street‘s children should be taken far ahead, with a serious help to the poorest families. If they received some help (hygiene, food, money, psychological support etc), which could make the house’s surrounding better, less children will be in the street. Most of the issues came from the Father or Step Father, without a job, who starts drinking and abuses the children…who preferred to live in the Street instead of “Hell Home”. It is the case of Selvin, whose Parents divorced when he was 5 years old, and the “friend of his mother didn’t like him. He left at age 6 and has been in the street and on the road until age 16. He tried twice to enter the USA, crossed Mexico by foot and bus, came back to Guatemala, and joined a gang where violence and drugs are daily bread. He started drugs at 6 years old from glue and marijuana to cocaine. He entered Casa Alianza and was doing very well even if he was very quiet. Sadly, after a fight last week, he went back to the streets. I am very sad, as he was a great kid. Every time I am going with the street team, I hope I will see him, but so far, no luck….
Guatemala is a country with quite a lot of Humanitarian organizations. Even if several are badly run or corrupted!, I was able , during my free time, to discover some fascinating projects and extremely devoted persons, who are giving their life for the poorest.
For example, the Franciscan monks of Antigua are running the Hospital del Hermano Pedro, where they are taking care with very little funding, to 250 handicaps persons (from 1 month old to 90 years old). Several of these children are found in trash bean or on the pavement in front of the hospital, as the family don’t have the money to take care of them. But what is amazing, is the atmosphere of this hospital where the nurses are kind and happy, where the patients are well treated and smiling, where everything works with second hand material but extremely clean. Donations are necessary and will be extremely well used, as there is no help to handicap people from the Government, and this place is one of the only hope they could received ( I will give you later the web page address).
Let me also tell you about another amazing foundation, organized by an ex- Casa Alianza educator, Patrick Atkinson, who started in 1991, the God’s Child project. The God’s Child Project, known in Spanish as La Asociacion Nuestros Ahijados, which is an ecumenical, non-political charity that cares for and educates 2,583 orphaned and abandoned boys and girls. It also provides medical attention, nutrition, clothing and development services to 8,500 homeless people across the nation of Guatemala. Based in the United States (501 © 3 charity), the project has only 3 part-time employees, those efforts are complimented by several hundred volunteers around the world who help out collecting clothing, medical supplies and tutoring and mentoring high-risk US children. I was really impressed by the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the continuation in their country, of their work in Guatemala. Even more impressive, is that there are just 27 Guatemalan employees (19 of whom are graduates of the program itself….meaning poor kids who decided to help those who are poorest).
Finally, I would like to speak about the Ecofiltro, which is a locally produced invention, tested and certified by MIT, which the Association Guatelmalteca for the family, tries to promote and give away to the poorest family. This water filter, at a very low cost, allowed a family to “clean” 2 litters of the dirtiest water per hours, and after study, reduce the illness of kids below 5 years old by 50%. These families cannot afford to buy purified water and the infantile mortality is quite high. This project has been running for more than 15 years, but so far stayed on a rather small scale. The dream will be to be able to build a factory to produce them, in order to reduce the cost and be able to give the filter away (or minimal cost). Every human being has the right of pure water and it should be the base of any humanitarian project as LIFE depends from Water.
YOU COULD SEE WHERE I AM GOING!!!
As many of you offer to help me in my Humanitarian mission, I would like to give you several options where I would be extremely grateful of your financial support and help. Some of you will receive another email, more targeted as I try to make it easy for your participation.
For example, whose of you who are living in the USA, will be receiving an email of project which are taxes deductible (501 (c), or my friends from Christie’s another email for a donation in order to make Christmas more special for the Casa Alianza Children.
In any case, please look at these different projects and let me know which one speaks to you. Before sending money, make sure to reply to me as I will PERSONALLY make sure that the money will go to the right place. Your help could be done as a Christmas present OR could be done later (beginning of 2004), as help is always needed. But I will rather supervised your gift before my departure (May 2004). Thank you.
. Asociacion obras socials del Hermano Pedro: This is the Hospital for handicap persons which I mentioned earlier.
They definitely need help. (Look on: www.obrashermanopedro.org ) Payment could be made in Switzerland, Italy and USA.
.A more personal project: using my usual “network” ability, I would like to raise money to buy Water filters ($ 20!!!) and give them to the families helped by the God’s child project. You could be sure that your help (giving pure water) will go the poorest and more needing families. THAT WILL BE MY ON-GOING PROJECT UNTIL MAY 2004.
. You could give Christmas’ presents:
(Through the God’s Child Project) To the children with cancer and AIDS in the Roosevelt hospital in Guatemala City
To the 65 returning refugee children (COAIDDES Mayan Rights Project)
To the 65 physically, intellectually challenged boys and girls of the Hermano Pedro School for Special students
. You could give (for $ 140) a “healthy” hard floor to cover the mud soil of the poorest house, in order to reduce the risk of contamination, bacteria and death of children. (Through the God’s child Project)
. Finally, you could become a God Mother or God Father of one of the kids, and with little money, make a huge difference for many of them (See www.godschild.org ).
ONCE AGAIN, SORRY FOR THIS QUITE LONG EMAIL. Thank you in advance for your help and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.
Thank you for your Friendship and support, which are incredibly helpful to me throughout this time living with the people in the need.
Once again, I am leaving for the Benedictine Monastery, where I am taking some time off, in order to relax and think a little bit. Beautiful place, lost in the middle of the mountains BUT very cold.
Sincerely Yours
Ghislain
Friday, September 26, 2003
Newsletter From Guatemala, September 2003
Dear Friend
As promised, and with some delay, please find following some news about my « adventure » in Guatemala and my experience with the Street’s children.
I arrived at the end of August and settled down in the beautiful city of Antigua Guatemala (former colonial capital) where all the Spanish schools are.
I went on the very intense program, as I was supposed to speak in ten days, starting my job with Casa Alianza beginning of September.
Result: far from perfect but I manage to make myself understood (or I hope so!).
Antigua is an 18e Century city with numerous churches, with an extremely elaborated outside decoration, contrasting with the very simple inside decoration. Everything is red, yellow, blue or green, and the vegetation is extremely lush (luxuriant) with flowers everywhere. It is a quite lovely introduction to the country, but as I was going to realize a week later, it is sadly only a vitrine, as poverty is not so far.
I started with Casa Alianza on September 1st. Casa Alianza is a non profit organisation which is taking care of Street Children between 10 to 18 years old, doing drugs or prostitutions. It is an age considered as difficult, and the organisation is trying to convince the kids to come to one of the houses, where they could receive food, health and psychological support, accommodation and more.
There are two houses (one for the boys (85) and one for the girls (50)), and each of them have 4 levels.
Level 1 (nivel de diagnostico) is for the kids coming directly from the street. They have to be able to stay in level 1 for one month, learning to live in community, respecting each other, with no drugs, sex or violence of any kind. Many of them cannot manage this radical change of live, and steal anything and go back to the street. Some have been trying for more than 2 years before being able to go up. The rules are pretty simple, but it is extremely hard for a kid who has been alone in the streets for many years, fighting for his survivance and life every day, stealing money for food or drugs, to adapt to the basics rules of live in community, which will bring him to readapt to life in society.
Level 2 (nivel de autoafirmation) is for approximately 4 to 5 months, and it is the level where the kids (or adolescents) carry on learning the life in community. They realise and agreed to change their life. They have activities like sports, schools, talks etc….It is the level where I work for the moment. I am working as a volunteer, helping in all the activities, the educator in charge. I am slowly taking over the teaching part, which is more in my competence, and I give classes of English, History and Geo and a little bit of computer. But these classes are really basic, as many of them don’t know how to write or even read (at 15 or 16 years olds). So we do alphabetisation, basic math and so on…Nevertheless several of them are extremely bright and willing to learn…
The rest of the time, we do a lot of sport, which make me running like crazy and I realise that I am not a kid anymore!!! Anyway, c’est la vie! I will come back extremely fit and knowing the rules of soccer (which I hate, BUT it is a national sport, so I was obliged to make the best of it!!)
Level 3 &4 ( nivel de consolidacion) are for the kids who accepted the rules of living in community and work to reintegrate society. Casa Alianza give them the possibility to live in the house, and working or studying meanwhile, outside of the house. It give them the possibility to earn some money for later (which Casa Alianza put in an account in the bank), or to study in high school (if they have the capacity), and to be able to have a home to come back every night, with a group of friend, without going back to drugs and gangs).
In the girl’s house, there is one more level, which is the “young girl-mother”. Casa Alianza gives the possibility for below 18 years old pregnant girls, to come to live in the house, in order to give birth in decent condition, and to stay for one year with the baby.
Casa Alianza is a surrogate of Covenant House, and they have houses in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador and Mexico.
I hope I am not boring you to death, but the most difficult part is coming now. There is a team of Street educator, who are going in the most difficult, poor and dangerous part of the city, in order to find the children and talk to them. I had the opportunity to join this team several time, and when my Spanish will be better, I should be part of this team on a more regular base.
It is quite tough, and one is able to touch the total misery of poverty, children abuse, drugs and prostitution. It is certainly not the monopoly of Guatemala City, as this situation should be existing in any major capitals of the world, but it is the one I am confronted with.
The children are in the street for different reason: one, of course, by being orphans, but many of them (most of them, should I say) are in the Street because Home is an hell (Drunk parents, forced prostitution, children sexually abused by parents or Step parents etc…), Usually, they find in the street a gang which will take care of them and protect them, against organised robbery, drugs traffic or murder). They are in group (girls and boys between 10 to 18) and they moved around the poorest district of the city to find drugs (solvent), avoid the police or private security group ( which chase them like rat and do not hesitate to shoot at them), or to find some potential victims of robbery.
We went in extremely poor and dirty houses in ruins, where group of kids with infected wounds, where sniffing or drinking solvent, waiting to be “out” in order to forget.
You try to talk and you only face empty eyes, or even worse, eyes with no hope. In the evening shift, the kids were more aggressive and difficult to speak with.
I am amazed by the work and devotion of some of these street educators, who know most of the kids and every week try to talk to them, bring them some medicament, some respect by talking to them like normal human being. I feel honoured to have the possibility to work with them.
I could start telling you the story of each of them, which could be depressing and sad, but I am not trying to make you feeling pity. I will nevertheless, in each of my monthly email, tell you a story of one or two of them, living in the community, when I will have been able to listen to their story. They are quite prude, and first, you need to gain their confidence.
That is it for the first month. I am writing to you from a Benedictine Monastery where I am taking some time off, in order to relax and think a little bit. Beautiful place, lost in the middle of the mountains.
THIS EMAIL IS QUITE LONG AND I HOPE IT DID NOT BOTHER YOU.
In order to not impose on your time, I WILL ONLY SEND THE FOLLOWING MONTLY EMAIL, TO THE PERSONN WHO REPLY TO THIS ONE AND ARE INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE.
Thank you again for your time and your friendship.
Thank you to many of you for your moral support to me while I was making the decision to give up my job and to go working with children.
Sincerely Yours
Ghislain
As promised, and with some delay, please find following some news about my « adventure » in Guatemala and my experience with the Street’s children.
I arrived at the end of August and settled down in the beautiful city of Antigua Guatemala (former colonial capital) where all the Spanish schools are.
I went on the very intense program, as I was supposed to speak in ten days, starting my job with Casa Alianza beginning of September.
Result: far from perfect but I manage to make myself understood (or I hope so!).
Antigua is an 18e Century city with numerous churches, with an extremely elaborated outside decoration, contrasting with the very simple inside decoration. Everything is red, yellow, blue or green, and the vegetation is extremely lush (luxuriant) with flowers everywhere. It is a quite lovely introduction to the country, but as I was going to realize a week later, it is sadly only a vitrine, as poverty is not so far.
I started with Casa Alianza on September 1st. Casa Alianza is a non profit organisation which is taking care of Street Children between 10 to 18 years old, doing drugs or prostitutions. It is an age considered as difficult, and the organisation is trying to convince the kids to come to one of the houses, where they could receive food, health and psychological support, accommodation and more.
There are two houses (one for the boys (85) and one for the girls (50)), and each of them have 4 levels.
Level 1 (nivel de diagnostico) is for the kids coming directly from the street. They have to be able to stay in level 1 for one month, learning to live in community, respecting each other, with no drugs, sex or violence of any kind. Many of them cannot manage this radical change of live, and steal anything and go back to the street. Some have been trying for more than 2 years before being able to go up. The rules are pretty simple, but it is extremely hard for a kid who has been alone in the streets for many years, fighting for his survivance and life every day, stealing money for food or drugs, to adapt to the basics rules of live in community, which will bring him to readapt to life in society.
Level 2 (nivel de autoafirmation) is for approximately 4 to 5 months, and it is the level where the kids (or adolescents) carry on learning the life in community. They realise and agreed to change their life. They have activities like sports, schools, talks etc….It is the level where I work for the moment. I am working as a volunteer, helping in all the activities, the educator in charge. I am slowly taking over the teaching part, which is more in my competence, and I give classes of English, History and Geo and a little bit of computer. But these classes are really basic, as many of them don’t know how to write or even read (at 15 or 16 years olds). So we do alphabetisation, basic math and so on…Nevertheless several of them are extremely bright and willing to learn…
The rest of the time, we do a lot of sport, which make me running like crazy and I realise that I am not a kid anymore!!! Anyway, c’est la vie! I will come back extremely fit and knowing the rules of soccer (which I hate, BUT it is a national sport, so I was obliged to make the best of it!!)
Level 3 &4 ( nivel de consolidacion) are for the kids who accepted the rules of living in community and work to reintegrate society. Casa Alianza give them the possibility to live in the house, and working or studying meanwhile, outside of the house. It give them the possibility to earn some money for later (which Casa Alianza put in an account in the bank), or to study in high school (if they have the capacity), and to be able to have a home to come back every night, with a group of friend, without going back to drugs and gangs).
In the girl’s house, there is one more level, which is the “young girl-mother”. Casa Alianza gives the possibility for below 18 years old pregnant girls, to come to live in the house, in order to give birth in decent condition, and to stay for one year with the baby.
Casa Alianza is a surrogate of Covenant House, and they have houses in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador and Mexico.
I hope I am not boring you to death, but the most difficult part is coming now. There is a team of Street educator, who are going in the most difficult, poor and dangerous part of the city, in order to find the children and talk to them. I had the opportunity to join this team several time, and when my Spanish will be better, I should be part of this team on a more regular base.
It is quite tough, and one is able to touch the total misery of poverty, children abuse, drugs and prostitution. It is certainly not the monopoly of Guatemala City, as this situation should be existing in any major capitals of the world, but it is the one I am confronted with.
The children are in the street for different reason: one, of course, by being orphans, but many of them (most of them, should I say) are in the Street because Home is an hell (Drunk parents, forced prostitution, children sexually abused by parents or Step parents etc…), Usually, they find in the street a gang which will take care of them and protect them, against organised robbery, drugs traffic or murder). They are in group (girls and boys between 10 to 18) and they moved around the poorest district of the city to find drugs (solvent), avoid the police or private security group ( which chase them like rat and do not hesitate to shoot at them), or to find some potential victims of robbery.
We went in extremely poor and dirty houses in ruins, where group of kids with infected wounds, where sniffing or drinking solvent, waiting to be “out” in order to forget.
You try to talk and you only face empty eyes, or even worse, eyes with no hope. In the evening shift, the kids were more aggressive and difficult to speak with.
I am amazed by the work and devotion of some of these street educators, who know most of the kids and every week try to talk to them, bring them some medicament, some respect by talking to them like normal human being. I feel honoured to have the possibility to work with them.
I could start telling you the story of each of them, which could be depressing and sad, but I am not trying to make you feeling pity. I will nevertheless, in each of my monthly email, tell you a story of one or two of them, living in the community, when I will have been able to listen to their story. They are quite prude, and first, you need to gain their confidence.
That is it for the first month. I am writing to you from a Benedictine Monastery where I am taking some time off, in order to relax and think a little bit. Beautiful place, lost in the middle of the mountains.
THIS EMAIL IS QUITE LONG AND I HOPE IT DID NOT BOTHER YOU.
In order to not impose on your time, I WILL ONLY SEND THE FOLLOWING MONTLY EMAIL, TO THE PERSONN WHO REPLY TO THIS ONE AND ARE INTERESTED TO KNOW MORE.
Thank you again for your time and your friendship.
Thank you to many of you for your moral support to me while I was making the decision to give up my job and to go working with children.
Sincerely Yours
Ghislain
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
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