Its something you can't quite comprehend until you are there experiencing it, and when you do its a shock to the system. Good or bad? Both.
True Gratitude is something that seems to be becoming rarer these days- how much meaning is there behind 'Thanks' to the person serving you a coffee, or the person placing food in front of you at home? We all have gratitude for those things, but here the gratidue is different.The thanks of the people I've met on the streets this week is something inspiring. They have little or nothing, nothing physically at least. Gratitude and love though, they have in abundance. They have families, street families, not by blood but love. They look out for each other, cry for each other and work for each other. Even us, the street team, they look out for us.
Today on the streets, a man didn't recognise the team, he started to get boisterous towards Duncan telling us to leave. What happened? The group of people who live on the centre parting of 5th Avenue, that Mi Arca work with, threatened to hurt him if he hurt us. US! They are grateful for the love Mi Arca show them and so protect us. That's an amazing feeling.
Unfortunately, most of those on the streets have found a love for solvents also. They inhale the vapour of pure liquid alcohol to take away the pain of street living. They become intoxicated, unable to recognise cards of the same colour, compilate words and make sense of what's happening around them.
On 5th avenue today, I watched one boy become intoxicated within 30minutes, not able to look straight or make sense of anything. All I could see was pain in his eyes until he fell in to a disturbed sleep from the solvent. He's around 12-14. His prospects of making it to 16-18 are rare- solvents and streets are all he knows, and all he will probably ever know. That's a bad shock- a sad, heart breaking shock. I cant put in to words on a blog what I felt, its something I'll never forget.
The Terminal. A bustling mini-city in the city, a huge market selling pants to potatoes, Califlowers to chairs. Everything you need is probably there- being sold from brick buildings, tin shacks, wooden shacks. Walk through the main market area and there is something interesting on every corner. A huge proportion of trade in Guatemala city goes through 'La Terminal.' Lots of trade means lots of people, lots of people means people need somewhere to sleep...
...'The Grandmother'is the head lady of a HUGE family. She has something like 20 grandchildren, and her grandchildren have children. Some are as young as 16 with toddlers. They sell tomatoes and egg shells with confetti to make a living. They have a wooden stall probably the size 3×3m, where they probably sleep 10-15 people above. These kids are high risk, teenage pregnancy, low incomes and unstable living conditions. Mi Arca and the street team try to work with these families to give the kids an education or mentoring. To help expand their horizons beyond tomatoes.
Its hard to imagine where exactly money goes to when you donate. Here I can see where. A local event near amersham for SKD raised around £150. That money is now being used to buy much needed textbooks for a school that is in La Terminal. Children attended school in the morning, learning to read, write and do basic maths. Its run by volunteers, so money raised by charities to buy resources is as valuable as silver for a silversmith. Actually, more valuable. So valuable, you can't put a price on it. To name one area. Mentoring programmes, familial support, schooling support are just a few other areas where money makes a difference.
I could write so much about the project Mi Arca here, but I have an idea. Follow Mi Arca on Fb, look at their website, go to the Street Kids Direct website. All the information you need is there- even a page to donate to help make a difference :) I promise you it will. I've seen first hand what it can do!!
Thanks for reading- enjoy that cup of coffee, and remember as you drink it, what others may be grateful for today in La Terminal, in the City, in GoGuatemala, in 5th Avenue, and all over the world!
Great blog, Em, keep'em coming!
ReplyDeleteHope the bus to Honduras was ok - looking forward to more updates from there.
Lots of love, Dadxxxxx