Carlos on the Streets of Managua

Its been a while since I wrote about any of the kids stories here on this blog.  As you can imagine, I have to be sure I am protecting their privacy, which is why I certainly can´t put any photos up here, and is also why I have been avoiding stories recently. 

But I thought it was time to share one of the stories, so that the reality faced by these kids is still a major part of this blog. 

Carlos is almost a bit of a celebrity here at Casa Alianza Nicaragua, as, in the 9 months I have been working here, he has arrived about 8 times, and each time he has managed to stay for a maximum of about 2 days, before leaving us to head back to the streets.

Carlos is 12 years old.  He lives all over Managua, in various locations across the city, always on the streets.  He can often be seen walking around in baggy, dirty clothing, carrying the little jar of glue stuffed under his nose.  He has learnt a certain charm which has enabled him to get by, picking up some dance moves and basic English to entertain people coming out of discos, or foreigners in the main touristy locations.  

He is a good kid, and despite his life on the streets, whenever he comes to Casa Alianza he is usually well behaved and fun to be around.  But, as I have explored in some of my previous entries, the addiction to glue is an immensely strong one, and it is his need to get back on the drugs that has always prevented Carlos from staying with us for longer periods of time and really receiving the support he needs. 

On Monday morning, as I got on my bus on my way to work, and to my surprise, I saw Carlos get on the bus at my same stop.  He was on his way to Casa Alianza, he had decided it was time to give it another go.  He arrived in bear feet, a pair of shorts,  a long baggy t-shirt, all filthy, uncut nails, and a full head of dirty hair covered in head lice.

Now, Wednesday afternoon, and Carlos is still with us.  We have provided him with clothing and shoes, a tooth brush, and treated his hair for head-lice.  He also been participating in a number of activities, and he was able to impress everyone using his dance skills in this morning's Caopiera class, a new activity we are currently trying out with the kids.

Dealing with a kid like Carlos is tough.  We want to help him and give him the support he needs.  So far, we have not succeeded in getting into the level we need.  Carlos is well awayre of the benefits of being with us, but addictions are incredibly powerful.  All of us are really hoping that this time he will stick around.  We are of course doing what we can to provide activities and sustainable options, so that Carlos will no longer see the street as one of his options.  It might be that once again we are not successful, but whatever happens we will keep trying.  We can only provide support in so far as a kid allows us to support them, and we hope that this time Carlos will stay and allow us to help him.