Villa Maria del Triunfo

This is where I ended up working. Its another centre for street kids run by INABIF. They have an educational programme for them. I worked with Flor who runs the centre single handed. She is superb anbd has been great for me toi get to know. Yesterday we had twenty five kids in the place, aged from about 8 to 15. When I left she was all on her own with them. How she manages is a miracle. She needs help but the government has no money to pay for more help. They do their best.

Villa Maria del Triunfo is on the very outskirts of Lima, about thirty minutes from where I stay on the southside. Its what they call a barriados or asentamientos humanos or invasiones. Its what they call Favelas in Brazil. Slums built ilegally on the hillsides surrounding Lima, populated mostly by people from the countryside. Many who fled from Shining Path activities in fear of their lives, but most who came to flee poverty only to find worse. Lima is surrounded by these barriados. I will post some pictures tonorrow. But you can see photos on the web of similar stuff in brazil.

Yesterday Flor took me for a tour round the place. It was an experience that fairly got the old heart pumping away, but after a while I relaxed and all was well.

Flor talks to the street kids as we meet them and tells them about the centre and invites them along. Yesterday we spoke to two young boys selling flowers. I bought some off them. They have to do this to survive.

Its hard to describe the poverty and problems without going over the top, so I won't. Just leave it to your imagination. Its grim out here. In one of the these barriados there is a TB epidemic, the worst in the world I'm lead to believe. Treatment is hard because of drug and alcohol problems. They dont take their medicine because they prefer drugs or drink. Them the TB gets worse and needs more expensive drugs to treat it. And then the children and young people get it because it spreads so much.

Then there is the housing up in the hillside. No water or electricity and no roads. They use the little motos to get up there. You can see them shown as all romantic in various places on web or films. They are far from that.

The houses are not much more than cardboard. Two rooms and usually 3 or 4 children all in one room. You can imagine the problems that causes. Thirteen children are sexually abused every day. Don't ask where the figurw cane from but I did see it on a poster some place here.

But still these kids keep smiling, and Flor does her best. More tomorrow.