With the money that guests and visitors of this page have donated I have bought chinelas for virtually everybody who needed them.
Unfortunately some of the kids loose them the first day or night.
Sometimes they leave them at the shore when they go bathing in the lake in the morning.
When they come out of the water somebody has taken them away.
Others loose them sleeping in the streets at night. A passer by who needs some just takes them off and walks away while the boys are sleeping! After a week they get a new pair, in the hope they will last longer this time!
Fliki still has to come by daily to have his wounds from the "Torro incident" taken care off!
The horn penetrated quite deeply in his leg. Every day we clean out the wound and put a new dressing on. Those 'first aid' classes I got come in handy here!
And every now and then, I have to send somebody to the hospital. As was the case today with Manuel. He felt very weak, when he ate he vomited. He has kidney failure from sniffing too much glue. His brain has been eaten away by the stuff. Sometimes he doesn't even know where he is. He went to the Japanese hospital now for an IV. $1 gets him there and back by taxi.
He's 16.
It was like this that I had to send Jose Angel to the same hospital a while ago.
The day that he had a big piece of glass in his hand.
(see: Sunday, August 17, 2008)
Today Alexander dropped by.
He's 15. Is on glue, like a lot of the chavalos are.
And lives in the streets.
We had a long talk today. He would like to go to Nueva Segovia, up North.
That is where his family (aunt) lives with his baby sister.
He hasn't seen his sister in almost 5 years, so I'm sure she must have grown!
But before he goes he would like to get rid of a fungus a lot of street kids have.
It makes the skin lighter, but it is quite easy to get rid of it.
The locals call it 'Snake Skin'.
It takes 10 weeks of taking pills. ($18) and the use of Selsun Blue. (Can I say that here!)
Which they don't sell here in Nicaragua (not that I know of anyway.)
Furthermore he would like some fitting pants ($8)!
A new T-shirt ($2!) and some socks and underwear ($0.50 each) which he hasn't worn in years.
Click on the picture to see what the feet of a fifteen year old boy look like after living in the streets for a while! Check out his nails while you're at it!
He's actually a very nice guy. One makes you wonder why his parent(s) threw him out on the streets. I'll ask him next time he comes by.
A little while ago some of the kids came by the hotel at night in a panic. They told me that Marvin was dieing further down in the street. I rushed over with the pick up truck, and there he was. Two of his buddies were holding him. He was ice cold and didn't react to calling his name or touching him. We took him to the hospital where they gave him an IV drip and some shots. He is very well now. Actually, he is being sponsored by a guy from Palm Springs. He lives in his own room in 'La Sabaneta'. The landlady makes his bed, gives him bread with butter and coffee in the morning. He can shower and do his laundry there. And all this for only $20 a month!!!
The bike the same guy bought is safe inside the house, and takes him to college every week night at 6:00 pm. He takes Jose Angel on the cross bar of his bike. Marvin is 22, but is like a father to many of the younger kids. He's been on the streets for years before he found this nice room, so he understands well the dangers and needs of the younger ones. I only hear nice things about him.
Jose Angel just tells me that the center to which the kids go to from Monday to Friday will be closed until Wednesday. This Sunday it is the "Dia de la Patria". This means 4 days of no food, no showers, no help there. They gave him 4 pills to last untill Wednesday: 'cromatonbic ferro', for the cyste in his scrotum. (Anybody knows what these pills do?) Next week the cyste will be removed, but he's already nervous now!
If any of you would like to help out Alexander with his venture, or if you have a left over of Selsun blue or want to help the kids in general... All help is always very appreciated!
send what you can spare with Paypal to: parfaitmail@yahoo.com
Or make a monthly donation of a couple of dollars.
(Use "Chavalos Granada" as a description)
If you'd like to make a donation by check or money order... send an email to the address above to ask for the details.
Shirts and stuff can be sent to:
Jan Van den broeck
Apartado 68
Granada - Nicaragua
Thanks plenty!!
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