My last night in Peru, I was having a family reunion before I returned to the US. We were all talking when Gregorio, a guy who currently lives in the streets, rang the bell.
We have seen Gregorio in both good and bad times. He is a very good hip hop dancer, so he has performed for us countless times. He used to live in a house with other guys that were around his age. This group worked in the morning and went to school in the afternoon. The other people living in the area did not like having a group of teenagers that had previously lived in the streets as neighbors, so they gathered signatures to close the house. Gregorio did not have any other place to go, so he ended up back in the streets.
I do not recall seeing Gregorio in such bad shape as I saw him that night. After taking a shower and getting clean clothes, he joined us for dinner. As the good friend that he is, he was involved in the conversation and we shared some laughs. In the quiet moments, we all could hear his quiet crying and could tell that he was trying to hide his tears.
Gregorio was desperate for affection. He had just had a nasty fight to protect himself and his friend from people who wanted to enslave them. Traffickers target people that are easy to convince that slavery is their only fate. So Gregorio had to visit us to remember that there is a family that will always receive him with tenderness.
Unjust circumstances put Ellie into juvenile hall. She promised that once she was free, she would defend other young women who could fall victim to unscrupulous people.
Don Crean visited Lima, Peru during the week of Easter and learned about the plight of street children. After we spoke with Lucy and Desiree, the Not For Sale representatives in Lima, they told us about Don’s remarkable reflection. One night, Don went with his group to the streets to celebrate a boy’s birthday. Once they surprised him with a cake, a bunch of children gathered around to sing and celebrate. During the gathering Don heard some of the kids stories. Don was shocked when he realized that these children had experienced so much violence at home and later in the streets. He also learned that in the streets, these children are exploited and later put in jail where they suffer torture. When they turn 18 years old they are released and their self-esteem is nonexistent, which makes them easy targets for exploitation and trafficking. The only prevention and after care house that many of the street children had, was shut down because the neighbors did not want to see them around. When Don went to visit the house, a neighbor across the street started screaming and saying that the children were drug addicts, thieves, and prostitutes. Don was overwhelmed.
