Help the guys!

Enrique, ...

Enrique is still coming by to have his foot checked on a daily basis. It looks far better than it did a couple of days ago, but I guess it isn't healing like it should not having the possibility to keep his feet clean. He's 12, but looks like his 7 or 8.

Thank you Dave for the school supplies!

The guys that came by to ask for condoms a couple of days ago told me that the cops had taken them away half an hour later. They were being checked for glue jars, but they took the condoms, as well as a small bottle of Eye drops that I had gotten for Marvincito's swollen eyes. I wonder what the meaning of that was...

School supplies...

In the meanwhile, the school year is well on it's way. But still i meet several children struggling to get the notebooks and pens they need. I took Diego Manuel to Gonper, the Nicaraguan Staples, to buy a couple of plastic document folders and some pens and things. To save pennies, he was planning to buy heavy paper to make his folders himself. But with the rainy season lurking around the corner, and the plastic version being very affordable, I told him it would be best to get those, and then some, to keep the documents he has in his house dry. Remember when the roof on his house blew off last September during a rain storm!

Anyway... the two boys who were in line right in front of us bought some essential school stuff as well. They were $5 short and needed to return a couple of notebooks and some markers. They must have thought "who is that strange gringo that offers to pay those items for us!". They were very pleased though and said Muchisimas Gracias 5 times! Even when you don't know these students in person, the Chavalo fund comes in very handy!





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As one can expect after getting a lot of school supplies and other expenses, the Chavalo fund is kind of running low. If you have some $$ to spare, please consider making a donation.


Marvincito is doing a lot better. The Diclofenac to take away the swelling and ease the pain seems to do it's work. He brought by two of his buddies and told them that they could get free condoms here. An organization from Managua that gets their funds from Europe drops off several boxes every couple of months. It is good to know that gradually the older guys know that there is such a thing like protection. Not only for diseases, but also to avoid unwanted pregnancies, of course. Too often girls get pregnant. It is impossible to raise kids when you are living in the streets. And having the luck That Carlita had by finding a loving family that helps her out is such a small chance that one can't count on it.

Marvincito...

After Marvincito came by to pick up some money that he had saved here by carrying bags of rice on the market, one of his buddies hit him with a bat and took the $4 that he had taken out to go back to his family.
Marvincito told me that it was Ernesto who beat him up.
The bruises were so serious that he had to stay in the hospital for several days.
I hear that Ernesto was frustrated that his buddies got food on Saturday, and he doesn't, and that this is one of the reasons why he gets like this.
Another reason was that Marvincito didn't want to use (waste) his money on alcohol.
Well, it just shows why Ernest doesn't get on the list again.
One has to deserve to be on the Chavalos list.

Ana Maria

10 minutes after I published the previous blog, Ana Maria comes by for some attention.
Supposedly, Ernesto attacked her with a piece of glass.
It didn't look too bad, but I thought it was best to send her over to the hospital so that they could check if there was any glass left in the wound.

Saturday !!

First of all... thank you Elisabeth for your contribution to help out the Chavalos!

Several of the Chavalos came by today, as they usually do, to say thank you for the delicious food that Doña Esperanza prepared for them.
It is nice for them to have something to look forward too!

Little Enrique had stepped in some glass and had a nasty cut in his big tow.
Fortunately, he was wearing flip flops. Otherwise it would have been far worse.
Some Betadine and a band aid took care of that.
I told him to come by tomorrow, to see if it is not infected.
Living in the streets and not having a shower is not a good thing.
It's even worse when one is sick or wounded.

I talked to one of the kids that is going to school all week and takes computer classes on Saturday.
Every time he comes here, usually Saturday evening, he is so tired and has a bad head ache.
He really needs some Aspirin every week. I talked to him to find out if the extra classes on Saturday maybe weren't too much for him. What he told me was almost shocking to me, having been pampered all my young life by a caring mother.

He has to get up early in the morning to make his homework. While he is studying, he is cooking his own breakfast, usually rice, beans and platanos.
Then, he goes to school, and as soon as he gets back, he has to wash his uniform in a tub, dry it and iron it to look sharp the next day. He needs to go and buy stuff to cook his own food in the evening and then clean his room and his shoes.
Most of these things got done by my mother. This 16 year old boy does have a mother, but she is terribly ill and can not take care of her children. He actually has to take care of her!
Kids all over the world... if you read this, count your blessings next time you complain that you don't own the latest iPod touch or your mother ask you to do a chore!!

Super bowl...

I just had a nice talk with one of the local policemen.
He was telling me that times were hard for everybody. One would think that they make a nice income, but when he told me that it is around $100 a month, I was shocked. He also told me that he had bought a new toilet, and that he had to buy it on credit. And he is glad to have such a good job!

Anyway, walking down from the store, I saw a family that had cleaned out the closet and was selling their used clothes in the garage to make ends meet. Others walk around with a bathroom scale and ask one peso if people want to know their weight. I still always admire  the inventiveness of Nicaraguans to find a way to make some kind of income.

Also this morning, I met Oscar. One of the Chavalos that receives a hot meal every week.
His flip flops had given up and he nicely asked if he could have a new pair.

Orlando...

Just had a very nice conversation with Orlando from the Centro Jesus Amigos.
The sale of the handmade bracelets by the Chavalos has been going rather well, and I needed to order a new batch. Three dozen!

The children love it as they get credits towards new shoes or clothes.
While they are making bracelets, they are not sniffing glue or doing other stupidities.
And it gives them a feeling of doing something useful.
And they love the fact that their "jewelry" is being worn all over the world.
Maybe I might start selling them here on this blog. What do you think...!

It was nice to gossip a bit about the kids. Orlando told me that most of the kids who got shoes for Christmas still have them. That is good to hear.
Only one kid sold them... not to bad!
Also good to hear is that many of the Chavalos are going back to school! Wonderful!
A good incentive to ditch the glue and get ahead in life...

Just when I had handed Orlando a big jar of Ibuprofen (we have a nice supply now) to take to the Center, one of the children showed up for a couple of those pills! They are in high demand.

I'll see what I can do for the sale of the macramé bracelets... check back soon!

Back to school!!

Today was the big day for a lot of children. Back to school, after a big summer break!
Some schools had already started a week or so ago.
Today, carlito came by to ask for some help to get his things together for school.
And, as several people have been so kind to help out by bringing supplies or buying them here, or sending the funds to do so, it was with great pleasure that I was able to help him, and a bunch of others out.
And yes, some of you will recognize him... he is Marcos' youngest brother.
Someone of you might even recognize the nylon backpack that I still had in storage!
Nothing goes wasted here!
One of our guests even threw in a couple of bags of Famous Amos cookies to share with his buddies!

Back to school...

Everybody is nervous for their return to school. They have to look sharp in their white shirts and blue pants!
Having to wear a uniform is a good thing, as it hides the difference between the richer kids and the poorer kids.
For some poorer families, it is hard though to get the money together for the uniforms and school supplies.
One set of clothes must last them a whole year. Thanks to you, guys, we have been able to get together a lot of cuadernas (notebooks), pens and other supplies so that it will be a lot easier to get the uniforms.

In some schools, many kids don't wear one, especially in the poorer neighborhoods on the outskirts of town. As long as they get their notebooks and pens, they are OK to take the classes!
Knowing that many children wouldn't have been able to attend school without your support, but can do now, is a great feeling. So thank you all for being part of their future!

Diego Manuel would like to thank everybody who helped him out with the burial of his mother and the Novena memorial service yesterday. They also remembered the deaths of his father and his wife, only a year ago.
He and his daughter Alondra will be attending school from tomorrow, like thousands of other students.
That is probably a good thing, as it takes their minds of all the problems and sad moments.