Backdated blogs (as promised): La Casita

15 de Octubre

"I skipped class again yesterday to visit the kids. They're getting a new roof over the patio in the playground! We went to the futbol cancha (soccer field) and made bracelets to give away on Mother's Day this Sunday. After lunch though, Lilian, Marisol, Daiana, and Julieta secluded themselves to the back room to pray immediately, all on their own, and again they broke themselves down into sobs! I was the only there with them so I stroked their backs and hair and held little Mauricio while he napped, trying to keep him quiet, but I really didn't know what more I could do for them. They seemed to do an amazing job of taking care of each other though. There was so much love between theses little girls that it just blew my mind. They were each praying for their own families, and struggles, and fears, as well as for eachother. But where one girl was crying, there were at least 2 more hugging and stroking her and making sure she was surrounded and supported. They took turns letting it all out. Even little Melina was supplying everybody with fresh tissue paper to wipe up the tears.

And they do that everyday! How can a kid of 13 years old have that much to cry about everyday? I couldn't functino with the weight of so much emotion! Karen, the Canadian volunteer, filled me in a little about some of the girl's situations. Two of the girls, sisters, are part of a family of 13 siblngs raised by a single mom. Their mother is dying of cancer. So not only are they facing the reality of becoming orphaned, but additionally, another sister of theirs committed suicide last year and now a brother claims that after their mother passes he plans to kill himself also. And for some reason all the siblings blame their mother's illness on the oldest daughter for causing her extra stress or something like that! How could a 14 year old deal with all that?? Feeling responsible of the deaths and degradation of her whole family? My biggest tragedy at 14 was having acne and no friends!


Also one of the girls stole some pesos out of Karen's purse for the second day in a row. Silvia talked to the kids and pointed out 4 or 5 of them who'd stolen from La Casita and its volunteers before She said we're a family here and we support and love each other and have to trust each other. The money reappeared. Apparently it was the first time they'd given anything back, so that's a good sign that they do care and despite the senses of desperation and opportunism that they've known since birth, we've taught them some integrity. The girl responsible and her 3 siblings sleep on the dirt floor and have no money at all, so I guess $20 pesos ($5 US dollars) has a much greater significance for her than to us volunteers. Still, I'm so very proud of the principles La Casita tries to instill.