Guatemala City Red Alert

Guatemala Red Alert is a City-wide project that does two main things:
a) Identifies and works with local projects helping street living, street working and 'high risk' children. Helping the local projects and people do what they do better and enabling them to work with more children.
b) Links or networks these existing local projects and people together with Churches, other organisations, civil society groups and Government (where possible).

The local Red Alert team, supported by Toybox and linked to Viva Latin America, are involved in many activities such as providing training to run projects better, improving care for children, improving facilitates for reaching more children and applications for grants to improve the work. In supporting and funding this work Toybox enables local people to develop, improve what they do and reach many more children thereby producing locally driven change by those who know best ... the people of Guatemala. Viva provide consultation which is necessary for the work and a link through their wider networks to other networks.

We went to Project Tabatha, which we visited last year. This project cares for children whose parents work the city rubbish dump for anything they can live on and in some cases live on the dump itself.

This is a desperate situation for children. We heard news of Chillis, who we met last year, who had lost her toes as rats had eaten them at night in her rubbish dump home. Chillis is now almost 2 years old but was not at the project the day we visited when we visited remains well cared for. We met another little girl whose family live on the dump who regularly attends this project. She looked well and was pretending to do the washing!

This project has clearly benefitted from the training and grants provided by Red Alert as there are more children cared for and they appear to have even better care. This was very encouraging as this project serves children from an horrendous environment …. Guatemala City rubbish tip!

As we left the project we drove along the main access street to it this area which is difficult to describe; the smell, the filth, the salvaging that is going on in this area to gain an income. Mattresses are stripped for their metal springs, cars bodies were laid around with very little left that resembles a car, heaps of plastic, twisted looking people many of whom were drunk or high on glue. At one point a very smart top of the range white BMW drove past us. Drugs are trafficked in this area …… Project Tabatha is well placed and it is a privilege for Toybox to serve these committed people working there. They declare huge gratitude to God for what they have and that they can keep going with their work. We so respect these people who strive in this harsh environment.

Near the vegetable and fruit market there is a ‘holding dump’ from which the rubbish is then transferred to the City Dump. We visited this and have to say were totally shocked by what we saw. There are 70-100 children living under plastic or small tin sheds. The smell is horrendous.

Alastair visited this place 4 years ago when 6 Children came off the street one very wet night. During the day the full desperateness of this place is so visible. The people are rummaging through the rubbish for food or anything they can salvage. Children bath in containers of stagnant water and play with bits of rubbish that they find.

We feel our words cannot describe this horrendous place sufficiently. We joined a Church who are visiting this place with support from Red Alert. Red Alert have managed to obtain permission from drug dealers and gangs for a Doctor, who is giving his time and medication for free, to treat approximately 30 families once a month. This allows Red Alert, the Church people, and the Doctor to begin building trust with the people on this dump.

At the same time children at risk of abuse or health-wise are identified. The Church wants to start a day centre at the dump for the children so they are not amongst the rubbish whilst the parents work. They want to teach the children, support them, help them with their health, give them life skills and help them spiritually. They are working hard to raise resources to deliver this. Red Alert is supporting them and guiding them in this and we pray that a day centre can start soon in this horrendous place.

The Government does have ‘homes of good will’. These do not live up to their name. Children who have escaped show signs of torture, maltreatment and tell horrible stories. From time to time children are ‘rounded up’ and taken to these Government ‘homes of good will’ …. this is a street child’s worse fear!!! When Toybox offers opportunities for supporters to take part in advocacy please do so. Please see the Toybox website for advocacy work.

We visited a new Projecto Stephen. This serves the children of a small town on the edge of Guatemala city called Satelite. This project started 3 months ago and so far has 23 children. Most of these children

come from single parent families and are either left at home to fend for themselves during the day or taken to work with their parent, often to a market stall, at best.  The project leader, Cindy, translated for Alastair on a previous trip which, as she visited different projects God inspired her to start this project. Early days, but we look forward to hearing news of it’s progress.

“Mi Especial Tresoro” project has twelve girls who have had the most horrendous experiences of abuse resulting in street living in most cases. In some instances court cases have resulted in the girls being taken from their parents. Two girls shared their experiences with us and we listened to their stories of abuse on every level on a scale difficult to imagine through tears.

The stunning part about these 2 girls was their expressions of forgiveness of their abusers, which they declared was because Jesus leads their lives now. They clearly still felt pain over the past, but we believe genuine forgiveness had occurred. One of them had met her abuser!! An absolutely incredible project that has grown from caring for 7 girls last year to 12 girls now. Training and grants from Red alert have been a contributor to this and it is good to see the grants put to such good use. This is just what Toybox hopes to see happen … local people with a passion supported to reach more children.

Red Alert told us many stories of children who have come off the street and are now being cared for. ‘Samuelito un reto para vivir’ is a project organised by a small Church in a very poor local community. This project now benefits from Red Alert support and is run by a young lady called Laura who is so committed to these children.

Through this work a child was identified as being at HIGH RISK. Pedro was a working child, humping bricks in a local foundry near his home. He told us last year that he didn’t go to school as he didn’t like it and anyway needed to work to help his family. He was so thin with arms like sticks and vertebrae sticking out of his back. At 10 years old he had a very enquiring mind and asked us lots of questions about England and wanted to know what it was like to go in an airplane. We talked for ages and he really struck a chord with us. Some you just cannot get off your mind and Pedro was one of those children that encapsulated for us one of the reasons why we care for the children of Latin America so much. So we did what we only could do back in England so far from Pedro’s situation; we prayed for him. That he would be protected from abuse, that he would be able somehow to go to school, that he wouldn’t have to work all day, that he would have enough to eat. Imagine our joy this year then when we heard that Pedro is in a safe home, going to school and can’t believe his ‘fat’ tummy! He got to the end of his tether eventually and told the people at the project that he was not happy with his life. His mother apparently was forcing him to work, even though she was not prepared to herself, and was giving him alchohol to numb his hunger pangs. Through the work at the Samuelito project he attended he received information about the good treatment that children should expect, and realised that his life was not as it should be. Please continue to pray for Pedro as, at the regular monthly visits his mother makes she tries to persuade him to come home as “the family need him”. He also needs prayer to help him catch up with his school work. He will be receiving extra help from the Educators who visit his home to help him and others like him, but it takes perseverance, especially when like most 11 year old boys he would rather be playing football than doing his lessons!

We visited a group of street children near the city dump. These were a sad group and a harsh reminder of the importance for Toybox to work on many levels, be it prevention, long term street children, advocacy in their countries and advocacy in the UK.

There were all ages in this group and some 22 year olds two of whom Alastair knows. Many thousands of children lives are changed by Toybox work. This was a hard reminder that not every child is successful. Alastair knew these two young men from his earlier trips to Guatemala (8 to 5 years ago). These two had reverted back to street life.

We spoke at length with the two young men about what had caused them to return to this life which was personal to them so will not write about this. Suffice to say the two boys asked us to pray for them and declared that they knew they needed to revitalise their faith, which they both acknowledged they had. They freely said that they wished to pray again for a change in their lives. Please pray for them …. It was very hard to leave them!!!

We left Guatemala with many mixed emotions. Easter day with Lauda was hard and uplifting, Pedro’s new life gives us hope for many other children in similar situations, Fundacion Castillo are brilliant and Red Alert we are delighted to see are having many, many successes …. Obviously some desperate situations and as ever walking away has been extremely difficult……

Alastair & Debbi

Guatemala - Fundacion Castillo de amor para la ninez (first project Toybox supported in Guatemala)

 The week before Easter was Holy week holiday in Guatemala and a number of children from Fundacion Castillo spent time with their families. We were picked up from our hotel and went to meet the children returning from their Holy week break. We met some of the parents who Fundacion Castillo are working with in the hope that these children will be fully reintegrated with their families. There was one girl, Aora (12) who I first met 4 years ago when she was selling sweets on an extremely busy crossroads when Fundacion Castillo were working with her family (mother and 4 siblings) at the time. The reason she was with the families whose children were being picked up was that her brother, Josua (9), was returning after Holy week to go back to the home he is in with Fundacion Castillo. Aora recognised Alastair, which was a surprise after 4 years. It was good to see her looking well and she immediately gave Debbie lots of hugs when she realised who she was.

Aola 3 years ago selling sweets among traffic at crossroads

The sad part of meeting Aora was that her mother said to Debbie ‘you can take her and have her as your daughter if you want’. Said in jest or otherwise this went pretty deep for us as Aora heard this and her expression was of extreme disappointment. Challenges frequently face us and here was one …. We knew that we could not take Aora …. We know that there are good people at Fundacion Castillo who are very caring and keep a watchful eye on, and are working in such situations. Josua, Aora’s brother, is with Fundacion Castillo so there is regular contact with the family. We have to walk away knowing that there are local people working with these children who know best and that it is these people Toybox seeks to support, trusting God that she will remain safe.

Fundacion Castillo has a 3 years target for re-integration of children with families. This is not prescriptive as what is right for the child comes first. It means that re-integration into family life with all that is involved in working with families for this to happen is a priority for Fundacion Castillo. We all understand that good family life is the best life for children, so working to achieve that is vitally important.

Fundacion Castillo helps a group of 20-30 year old adults with severe learning difficulties called La Fuerza los Fragiles (The Strength of the Weak). At first we wondered what this had to do with street children. We then realised that some of the skills used at this project were being transferred to Fundacion Castillo to help children there, especially those who are struggling with their school work. La Fuerza de los Fragiles were also making badges for children that Fundacion Castillo are working with preventatively. In fact the life of one young man with Downs Syndrome had completely changed because he was ‘helping children’ by threading strings into the badges. Whilst he was painfully slow he had found a purpose in his life which is significant for him, and as a result was now engaging in other positive activities at the project he attends, which he was previously refusing to do so. The children in the St Luis school who received these badges were given an explaination as to who had made the badges. The children listened quietly and took in just how their badges were made as they received them, and were also very attentive as they took part in the Leadership Training, which Fundacion Castillo was teaching them. The children clearly appreciated who had made their badges. Children’s capacity for empathy and understanding, despite their circumstances, is amazing. We saw the impact of this link between La Fuerza de los fragiles and Fundacion Castillo and quickly understood that this is an interesting partnership with mutual benefit to both parties which we were so pleased to see demonstrated.

St Luis

St Luis

Iglesia - Church in St Luis

We visited St Luis, a small suburb on the edge of Guatemala city where families migrating from the countryside had squatted initially. The government had to resolve this situation by buying the land from its owners and making it legally available to these people. St Luis is an extremely poor community of many thousands of people that has a ‘forgotten’ feeling to the place where research shows that a place like this is highly likely to give rise to street children. Fundacion Castillo works with two schools in St Luis and supports 2 Churches. We visited one Church which is now working with a group of former street working children, who Fundacion Castillo identified in Guatemala city, and their families. Fundacion Castillo supports this Church with this work.

We visited the terminal in Guatemala city. The Terminal is a combination of buses, taxis, market stall holders and an extremely poor community living around it. Fundacion Castillo work preventatively in

Terminal

this community where they know street children come from and are at risk. The community around the Terminal, which has a capacity for hundreds of buses, is built from salvaged materials, mainly tin and wood. This community is at high risk from fires.  Early that morning, before we arrived in the afternoon, a fire had broken out whilst most people were sleeping. 60 family’s homes were totally burnt out which had affected more than 350 to 400 children. 6 people were killed by the fire as they slept. It was a grim sight when we arrived with people picking over burnt out rubbish to salvage what they could and people not knowing how they would overcome this. There was no Government help, no insurance and much cash burnt as they were market traders and do not use banks. Some people only had the clothes they were wearing left. There

Terminal

was one family that Fundacion Castillo works with that was affected by the fire. The lady had a Tortilla making stall which just about had enough room for her and her 5 children to sleep in. Fundacion Castillo are helping her find alternative accommodation and will supply basic furniture and some clothes for the children. This was a desperate situation.

The reason we went to the Terminal was to have several activities with different groups of children preventatively. This we did and were happily greeted by the children who enthusiastically took part in the fun-filled activities; singing, life skills and some Biblical teaching. These activities, which took place in narrow alleys between the tin and wooden homes, felt very oppressive, but that atmosphere soon departed as the children became involved in the fun and games.

Elvis - 3rd generation of street living family - NO MORE

Fundacion Castillo has temporary accommodation for children who are in dangerous high risk situations, which we visited and met some children that Alastair knew from previous visits. Fundacion Castillo remains committed to seeing families reintegrated….. an amazing project.

Cristina

Alastair & Debbie

Guatemala - Easter day

Lisett age 11

On Easter day, before we started visiting Fundacion Castillo, the first Toybox project, and Red Alert, the citywide project, we spent the day with a former street child, Lisett, who Alastair first met when she first left the streets on his first visit to Guatemala. She has always been at Alastair’s side whenever he has visited and has always shown signs of developing into a young lady who helps others that were once like her. Lisett is now back with her family and found Alastair’s email address on the internet a couple of years ago. Initially this was a concern as Alastair immediately imagined potentially a full email inbox from many children. Lisett has respected Alastair’s request to keep his email confidential and every couple of months she has emailed news of what she is doing. As we have received these emails we realised that she was beginning her own ministry and have read with excitement, so seeing her at home and what she is doing is very special for us.

Outside Lisett's House

We went to Lisett’s home in an extremely poor community and spent time chatting with the family. She took us to her Church and half way through worship we were asked to have a chat with the Pastor. He gave Alastair 10 minutes notice when he asked if he would preach for an hour! Debbie helped though it was quite an experience at short notice! We had lunch with Lisett’s family and were given a wonderful present of a model ship 3 feet long which is beautiful. This will end up at home, eventually!!!

We visited some friends of Lisett’s in her community; one home was grandmother, mother, aunt and children (14 adults and children). One of the girls had a polio type physical condition and relied on her family and a wheel chair for her mobility. Access to her house was very difficult and the house had a leaking tin and plastic sheeting roof and a bare earth floor. The rain season is about to start at the beginning of May but we were told they had plenty of containers to catch the rain. Not an ideal situation for anyone…. Lisett is teaching her friend literacy and numeracy.

Lisett teaching numeracy and literacy

We then went back to Lisett’s Church where Sunday afternoons she teaches a group of adults literacy and numeracy too in the hope they will have a better chance of employment in the future.  We were able to join in which was interesting as the books Lisett was using were at primary school level. Lisett is now extending what she does for adults to children in her community and is a great example of a former street child whose life has completely changed and is now helping people who are like she once was .., she is well qualified to do so.

Lisett is asked by people in her community, who recognise the difference in her life, what has happened to change her. She tells them that she became a Christian and that God has been very good to her. She explains why her faith is important to her and how it has made a massive difference to her life. She speaks of being wild and unruly and doing terrible things associated with street life but knows that she is forgiven by God and recognises and knows that Jesus lives in her and leads her life. Lisett is a great example of a former street child whose life has completely changed and is now helping people who are like she once was. She is only 18 years old and has an amazing ministry ahead of her. We look forward to hearing how her future develops and will never forget a very, very special Easter day!

A very special Easter day