NOTES FROM DUNC'S FEBRUARY 2008 TRIP
Returning ‘home’ to the UK after three weeks in Central America is a process of coming to terms with how life can feel so local here and how life can feel so fragile over there. A myriad of emotions will now impact me every day on all levels as I look over the photos and video footage – each one unlocking a special memory, a difficult meeting, a personal frustration, an amazing achievement or a life that has been touched and changed through the support of many.
I am currently sitting at home listening to four hours of my video diary. The BBC contacted me before I left and asked me to take out a camera and record how I spent each day and on my return they would transform it into a programme called ‘My Life’. Two things come to mind as I view the video footage: firstly how hard it is to speak into a video camera every day and secondly how much one can achieve in one day in Central America. When the programme comes out, or should I say ‘if’ as I can’t believe the BBC could make something of my ramblings, I will let you know.
STREET WORK
Obviously the work on the streets is incredibly rewarding and despite the dangers it can be immensely comforting for me and Brenda – my Guatemalan friend who volunteers as a street worker when I visit - as well as for the children. As we wandered the city streets we continued to come across young men and women, most in their early twenties, whom we had known for over 15 years. An old friend called Zanahoria (photo), a nickname given to him from the moment he began to live on the streets, seemed trilled to see me and I asked him if he wouldn’t mind us taking out the camera and filming. His enthusiasm surprised me as most kids and young people on the street have a vowed dislike of video cameras. Not only did he not mind the camera he took the opportunity to express his gratitude for my friendship and for the support of those trying to help the kids on the street.
We walked a little further up the road, which was full of life, music, road-side stalls, beggars and potholes. It was hard to hear yourself speak as the slow passing of busses calling for passengers and the revving of their engines left you desperate to turn the corner into a dark alley and enjoy a bit of quiet. Turning down one such alley led us to a group of street children and adults, probably about 25 in all, sitting on piles of stained mattresses and flattened cardboard. It was evident, as I sat down, that the pavement opposite – where I was now seated – was the toilet! I knew most for the adults and some of the children but there were some new kids who were younger and already hooked on solvents. We spent a few minutes saying hello and explaining who we were. Having had contact with the older ones for many years gave us instant credibility with the younger ones but there was still suspicion and distance.
It only took a few minutes before I was asked if I had brought the botoquin – the first aid kit – and could I help a six year old boy called Elvis (photo left of Oscar & Elvis) with a large gash in his head after been hit by a car and then, once I had sorted that out, could I attend to two lads with very bad ulcers on their feet. After taking care of them, cleaning, dressing and attention giving, I took out the now famous ‘Uno’ cards and began to teach the younger kids how to play while the older guys took delight in the fact they knew how the game was played and could we just get one with it. Despite their tough exterior, necessary for street existence, the kids giggled, sang, sniffed and threw themselves into the game with the single aim of beating me. It is sometimes hard not to be affected both emotionally and physically by the kids sniffing solvents right by your side. I knew that any more time seated on the pavement would result in a rather large headache, but it felt like a good price to pay. WATCH VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH OSCAR »
As the afternoon sun began to drift behind the nearby chocolate factory I became aware that a group of kids were approaching with two large cake boxes and a carry bag containing four large bottles of Coke. My initial thoughts were that they had just robbed the local bakery but the boxes were from a very high-class cake shop further down the main road so maybe they had ‘acquired them’ from there! The boy carrying the cakes said ‘we have all chipped in and bought you two cakes to celebrate you being here with us and also because we missed you birthday’. My birthday was in July so they had really missed it as it was now mid-February! Their generosity and kindness was overwhelming, so much so I did not know how to react and only later did their love touch me deeply. We cut up the cakes and distributed them among the crowd of dirty hands. It was delicious and, if I had been greedy, I would have asked for more. The street work is where I feel at home and where I always try and spend the maximum amount of time.
A few days later Tom Clare and Casper Harratt (photo - Caper on the streets) arrived in Guatemala from the UK. I have known Tom and Casper for about 20 years and have seen them grow into amazing people with a heart to serve the poor. Herbert accompanied me to the airport to collect them and then returned to the office with their luggage while I took them to meet Brenda and some of the street children. It was a very hard transition for them to make from the UK to some of the roughest places in Guatemala City, but they coped well. As evening came upon us and the streets got dark I could see that it was time to take them for dinner and give them a break from their new world. WATCH SHORT VIDEO CLIP OF CASPER & TOM »
Tom and Casper will be in Guatemala till the middle of March and will then travel to Honduras to work with two of the projects we are supporting for two months. They have a blog on our website and are also sending out a regular news letter. If you are interested please do ask me and I will add you to their list as their reports are both fascinating and moving and well worth the read.
FARM PROJECT
The new farm is going extremely well and is in the early stages of seeing the first crop come to the surface and grow. We now have the largest single potato field in Guatemala, not bad for our first year! One year ago we had nothing but an idea and now we have nearly 100 acres of prime farm land growing potatoes and sweet corn. The investors are keen to expand and we are currently looking at the purchase of a 500 acre farm nearby. Since 10% of all the profits will go towards the projects we support, next year considerable money should be released into the coffers, and many lives will be changed as a result.
The British Ambassador is very keen on the project and invited Herbert and I to breakfast at the residence – an incredibly luxurious house in Guatemala City – to discuss the progress and to meet a very wealthy businessman who has an interest in the business model. Unfortunately the businessman was stuck at Dallas airport and so could not attend the meeting but this will be re-scheduled for my next trip towards the end of July.
‘HIGH RISK’ KIDS
When I am in Guatemala I also work with some very poor families and help support them and their children as well as support a work done by an English couple Richard and Chris Rice. I can’t help but be touched by the lives of an amazing group of very poor people in Guatemala City and humbled as they share so openly their lives and there meagre possessions. In one of the central zones of Guatemala City twenty families had come together from the countryside many years ago and had set-up a small community. Most of the families were now good friends of mine and offered to put me up should I ever be short of somewhere to stay.
I was invited to visit Jose Miguel, a young boy of eight, who had been severely burned in a domestic accident recently. Most children in Guatemala grow up washing or showering with cold water and for two days during my trip I had to experience this also – a sobering wake up at 6am! Jose had always wanted to see what it was like to shower with hot water and so filled a large pan with water and heated it on a stove. When it was boiling he tried to lift it off but instead managed to pull it down over his front. His burns were severe and he was in a lot of pain. We managed to encourage him somewhat and try and help him see that he could get through this and that we would visit him as much as possible before I left for Honduras.
My dream, for this group of families to start with, is to offer an alternative to their housing situation. Most live in cramped conditions and have made shacks from bits of wood and sheets of tin. They have to pay rent for the space they occupy and share a toilet with a number of other families. It is not ideal and so the desire to think through alternatives began last year. My thought was to explore how possible it would be to provide simple, safe and clean accommodation for the families to rent at the same price they are currently paying but to give them the opportunity of buying a percentage or all of the house, should they wish to, as time went by. This would mean they could slowly become home owners and buy into a cooperative housing scheme that will offer a dignified alternative to their current situation.