Some of you already know, but Jose Angel was taken to an institute in Managua.
It all started off rather innocent. A bunch of boys and girls were taken away by the police.
They had been playing at the playa and got involved in a dispute with a private guard of a Disco accross the street. That guard beat up a bunch of the boys. I've seen the bloody crusty skin.
Jose Angel wasn't even near when it all started. He happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...
They were distributed over several places. Jose Angel went to:
"Hogar de Acogida Temporal" (HAT) in Managua.
His older brother Eynar (he has his 21st birthday tomorrow on the 25th) and myself have been going back and forth to his college, the "Ministerio de la Familia", the HAT institute, ...
But in the school, there was nobody to sign a paper that Jose Angel is attending (and now loosing) classes.
In the Ministerio de La Familia, there is nobody available until next Tuesday (!).
That's how important kids are here.
Today I went with Eynar to the HAT to talk to the directora and the Coordinadora Tecnica.
Visiting the Center was a real eye opener.
Doña Esperanza, the Directora and Doña Kathy, the Coordinadora are the nicest people.
They run the HAT-center the best possible way they can.
But the things you see there are ever so sad!
You can't immagine the sorrow that Eynar and myself encountered there.
After we had a nice talk to the Directora and the Coordinadora, they showed us around the compound. My goodness...
We first walked to the little kids room.
A whole bunch of little LITTLE kids, between 2 years and 5 years old.
All abandoned by their parents, or from homes where they have been abused.
One can't immagine that they would harm or abandon these little angels.
They have no toys or coloring books, nothing...
Further down the compound were the sleeping quarters of the little kids.
Then, the bedrooms of the older kids. I think Jose Angel and a crack addict of about 17 were the oldest kids around.
Everything was in such bad shape, it's just too sad for words.
The ceiling tiles were all rotting and the night before one had fallen on one boys head while he was asleep.
They bathe with buckets and a plastic cup...
Jose Angel was complaining that bugs had been sucking his blood all night.
It had been chilly at night, and he didn't have a blanket or a sheet.
He's so depressed being there, locked up.
He told me he was 'desesperado' Desperate to get out. He even had made plans to escape.
I told him that didn't work. One girl escaped 4 times, and every time they brought her back.
It would only complicate things.
Gosh... how I wished I could help them out one way or another.
None of these kids deserve to be there.
But they are so lucky that the teachers of the center are such nice people.
One 14 year old girl has been living there since the center opened, 4 years ago.
The maximum period someone can stay there is 22 days (!)
But so many of these kids have no one else.
It would be great if the smallest ones would have some toys, dolls or maybe a little three wheeler bike.
The bigger kids would love to have some footballs, basketballs or something else that can keep them busy, I'm sure...
The directora told me they can not accept money under any circumstances.
But donations of objects are no problem.
If anybody feels for these poor kids and would like to help out...
You can't believe how happy it would make them.
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