Deporte Y Vida, the grassroots youth center I´m working at, is one of the most amazing things I´ve seen in my short life, despite the abismal conditions. While there is no running water, a lice epidemic, and stray dogs with diseases everywhere, the children´s faces don´t show a bit of despair. These kids come from families who live on less than a dollar a day for a family of four and are more cheerful and happy than any child I´ve ever seen. Let me walk you through an average day:
I arrive around 8:30 in the morning and am greeted with shouts of "Jota Be" and many hugs and kisses. I start off helping with their homework and teaching conversational english. I try to spend as much time with the little girls durring this time because I spend so much time with boys later in the day. I have one little girl who won´t let me out of her sight, Leyola. She has a open sore under her eye lid and her hair is infested with lice but she is the sweetest kid ever. After we finish with classroom work it´s time to head outside to play. I push the girls on the tire swing and help them cross the monkey bars. Around 10:00 the older boys finish their homework and come out to play futbol on the cement pad in the middle of the compound. Their ages range from 10-15. A Peruvian soccer teacher in his 20´s, Eduardo, is present and he organizes the game and acts as the referee. The three best players pick teams and we run "suicides" to see which two teams will play first. The first two teams play for approx 20 minutes and then the losing team switches with the team waiting to play. These kids eat, sleep, and breath futbol. At noon the older kids have to go to school so I walk up to where the pre-school age kids are. All I do with these kids is show them a little affection. Their faces light up when you play with them and they want to show you everything. At around 12:30 the driver comes and picks me up and I have to say "Hasta Manana"
I´ve only spent two days with these boys and girls and I´m already falling in love with them. Hope is in every one of their young eyes and being able to encourage them to pursue school and a better life is absolutely amazing. If one of these kids suceeds and moves out of this shanty town and becomes even a middle-class citizen, I will feel like I contributed to a better world.
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3 comments:
Wow whcried when I read this! You're an amazing child yourself. God at an experince for you! I Bless you and tell the little children your Mama says Ole. Maybe if you have an address I can send you some lice shampoo? (for the kids)That must be a horriable feeling to have bugs crawling in your head. I am so proud of you and so is your family! Love Mommy
JB,
you are amazing. We really enjoy reading your blog. I experienced similar things when I first went to Oaxaca over 30 years ago. Let those kids know that having less children when they get older will mean a better life for everyone. Love, Aunt T* and Uncle Mike
Hey JB,
AWSOME, Your doing such a good thing that most of us will never get a chance to do. It makes me feel as if we should all try to touch someone's life to make a difference.
Take Care,
Jim Brunk
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