Guatemala City is typical of this beautiful land with so many contrasts. It's a sprawling city of over two million people. You'll find The Marriott, your friendly McDonald's, Pizza Hut, numerous familiar car dealerships and all the other accoutrements you'd expect in an average American city.
There are wide tree-lined boulevards, tall buildings, crowded crosswalks and smog. There are vendors at every stoplight selling beautiful flowers, home-grown fruits and vegetables plus everything you'd expect to see at your local flea market: hardware, cell phone jacks, tee-shirts, etc.
As you move away from the center of the city you see the patches of the utter poverty that plague the country. The prolonged civil war forced many to relocate from the country to the city. Slums consist of bamboo and cardboard shacks with corrugated tin roofs. There is little running water and even less sanitation. An average good salary is $10-12 / day. Subsistence is a way of life whether it's farming or manual labor. Owning a vehicle--no matter what it looks like--is a sign of status. Corruption is a part of everyday life. All banks and any business with an inventory have an armed guard.
The society consists of haves and have nots. There is no social safety net. No welfare program of any sort. Although there are "free" public schools, books and uniforms cost a month's salary and many children on the streets are illiterate.
The children that come into the orphanages are ordered from the court system. They are the refuse of society. With no financial help from the government, charitable organizations operate rescue centers. They offer hope where there was none, three meals a day, schooling, religious training and a chance at life.
The countryside can be even worse. Many areas have an even lower daily income. The children are recruited by their parents to sell craft and clothing items the parents make. Sometimes in both the country and the city they are recruited to beg, or worse. We have seen 10 year olds hauling around their younger siblings and begging off the tourists. The courts are overwhelmed with a need for suitable shelters for children, as they have no where to send street children or abused children who need a safe place to stay.
Written by Laura Wheeler, with help from the staff at Casa de Sion Orphanage in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Casa de Sion is one of two orphanages operated by Safe Homes for Children, a non-profit organization which supports upwards of 40 children in their two facilities at this time. Catch a glimpse inside Casa de Sion at http://www.safehomesforchildren.org/casa.html |
