Just by being there.......

For those of you who saw my last little update, you will know that I am currently off work after busting up my leg in the football tournament.  All is well, however, and the game of hopping around Managua on crutches trying to avoid the multiple potholes has become quite enjoyable!

So anyway, this update is, as promised, not to speak about life on crutches. 

Yesterday I went into Casa Alianza.  I was limited in terms of what I could do, but mainly I wanted to show to the kids that I  had no forgotten them, and that my absence was due to the cast on my leg and the two adjacent crutches.  It was in the first place a very humbling experience to be told by many of the kids that they miss having me about.  As I have said in a previous entry, a large proportion of my work involves simply hanging out and being there with the kids, and it is nice to see that doing this makes a difference and a presence. 

Secondly, my visit has reinforced the concept of trust in working with kids who come from such traumatic backgrounds.  Sadly these kids are used to people coming in and out of their lives on a frequent and abrupt basis, thus making healthy relations based around love and friendship far more difficult.  What so many of these kids need, therefore, is people like the members of staff at Casa Alianza, who are there for them, and are willing to show support and understanding even in difficult times, and just simply are willing to be there with them.  Even yesterday, by being there and not doing much, just mainly hopping around and spending time with the kids, can help a lot. 

So to conclude, I guess this is one of the weirdest things about making a difference, that sometimes doing a little does a lot.   To all of the members of staff who devote themselves to being with the kids, supporting and helping them, by  being there with them, they are making a remarkable difference.  For as long as I can, I hope to keep trying to doso as well.