This past week Nicaragua has been celebrating Mother´s Day. It has been wonderful to have seen this day celebrated in the way it should be done, focusing far more on the spiritual side of things, and much less of the commercial emphasis that Mother´s Day has become in the UK.
At Casa Alianza Nicaragua we have two main residential homes. Our ´Hilton Homes´cares for up to 94 street kids, victims of abuse, violence and exploitation. Our other residential center, cares especially for teenage mothers and their babies and/or children. The girls have a similar profile of being abused, neglected and abandoned. The face the even worse burden of living in a country where machismo is the norm, and getting a teenage girl pregnant, beating her up, and then leaving her to fend for herself is far too common.
Nicaragua is also the poorest country in Latin America, and as such, a baby born to an impoverished mother of 14 or 15 years old, with a violent father, means that both mother and child are faced by an exceptionally difficult situation.
The Casa Alianza Nicaragua Home for Teenage Mothers gives these girls a hope that they might not otherwise be able to find. In the first place, the girls which choose to join us have access to food, a place to sleep, medical care, psychological support, education and support and constant love and understanding for both themselves and their baby. The mothers are also able to attend school and the formal education system while the babies are cared for by the other girls at the center, and members of staff. The mothers are also taught how to care for their babies, to provide the necessary hygiene, support and nurture that their child needs.
I have now been at Casa Alianza Nicaragua for nearly 9 months, and in that time, I have spent a fair bit of time at the Teenage Mum´s Home. It has been truly an honour to see these girls and their babies develop in a way we would hope for every mother and their children. They are learning fast how to care for their children, and themselves, and are no longer forced into a role of subordination that Nicaraguan society in general all too often dictates against women and girls.
In many parts of Managua, it is all too possible to see tiny, dirty kids under the baking sun, begging at the traffic lights. It is a tragic sight. We can´t reach every kid and every underage mother, but for the one´s we do get to, both them and their child can have a real opportunity of a life that every mother and their children deserve. During the process, there have been very hard moments, but as always, we keep working to do the very best we can, to offer the opportunities to as many as we can.
So in this entry, I pay a special tribute to the teenage mothers that I have had the honor to work with, and who have worked themselves so very hard to move their lives forward in a new direction, for themselves and their children.
I also pay tribute to all the young mothers who still face extraordinary difficulties, but as yet, have not come to know the protection and support they need. I sincerely pray that they will find the opportunity for them and their baby, that they might be able to lead a life of love, support and understading, be it through Casa Alianza, their family, or other organisations.
……………………..
On a personal note, I lost my own Mum 9 nearly years ago, when I was 16. It was a very, very tough experience to go through, and it is still with me today. But the experiences I gained, in particular that of doing what I can to really make the most of my life for myself and for other people, is, I believe, the main reason I am doing what I am doing right now, and the main motivator behind a great deal of my actions in the past 9 years.
So here on Nicaraguan Mother´s Day, I still give my thanks to Mum for making me the man I am today, and for all the strength she gave to me. But also to my Dad for always supporting me and fostering that strength for me, which has been the other vital reason I am here doing what I do today.
Happy Mother´s Day.
About Me
- Simon Walters
- My name is Simon Walters - I work for Casa Alianza Nicaragua. Casa Alianza Nicaragua is a non-profit NGO, working to protect, support and rehabilitate children living on streets, victims of abuse, violence, abandonment, commercial and sexual exploitation and human trafficking. I work as a specialist member of staff, coordinating healthy and sustainable activities for the kids in our protection, and on the international development side of things - working with all the Casa Alianza sites in Latin America. I hold a MA in International Law and Human Rights from the United Nations University for Peace, and a MA in History from the University of Edinburgh. I am very involved in the Model United Nations, and in 2009 served as the Founding Secretary General of Mostar International Model United Nations, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I also have experience in English teaching, coaching public speaking and debating, acting and radio presenting.
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Thursday 26 May 2011
13 Years of Supporting and Protecting Children and Teenagers
Yesterday we celebrated the 13th Anniversary of Casa Alianza Nicaragua.
For me personally, it is an honour and privilege to be working for this organisation, which really does quite incredible work to protect and support children and teenagers.
To give an example, I thought I would use this entry to share some of the successes of Casa Alianza Nicaragua in the year 2010.
800 children provided with support and basic medical care through the work of the Street Outreach team
An average of 70 children and adolescents cared for every month in our principle residential centre, (the Hilton Home)
42 mothers and 44 babies cared for in our Home for Teenage Mothers
5650 people trained on the subject of preventing human trafficking and caring for the victims, (judges, police, community leaders, journalists, school children etc.)
2680 people trained in ways to prevent and handle substance abuse problems, (students, police, community leaders, local organisations etc.)
116 adolescents provided with vocational training courses and/or reintegrated into the formal education system
15 mothers of residents at Casa Alianza Nicaragua provided vocational training courses
Being part of this organisation, doing such remarkable work, really is a wonderful experience. Every day, every member of staff here gives a 100% commitment to improve the lives of children and adolescents living on the streets, victims of violence, victims of substance abuse, victims of commercial and sexual exploitation and the victims of human trafficking.
We celebrated the day with the kids at our residential centres, kids living in the area and who benefit from our support, and kids who no longer live with us, but to whom we still provide regular support and assistance.
Doing this type of work can be tough and draining, but it is also exceptionally rewarding, and on a daily basis it is possible to see the difference being made.
Casa Alianza Nicaragua has completed 13 years of making a very real positive difference to the lives of children and adolescents in Nicaragua, long may it keep doing so!
Sunday 22 May 2011
Swimming with Gangs
Central America is famous for a number of things: volcanoes, civil wars, stunning natural beauty and conversely very high levels poverty.
Sadly, gangs is also something which has become ubiquitous to Central America. Most famous are the gangs which have spread across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the USA. There are two principle gangs known as the Mara 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha. These gangs are organised at the national level, have become involved in the drugs trafficking trade and are in part responsible for having made El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala the most violent three countries in the world that are not currently in conflict.
In Nicaragua, the Maras do not have a quite a presence, but gang membership among young people is certainly a major problem. Nicaragua, being the second poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean (Haiti taking the number 1 spot) has meant that there are a large number of gangs organised at the local, neighbourhood level, as above all, a meanns of getting by.
Managua, for example, is made up of many different barrios (neighbourhoods), and normally each of these barrios has at least one or two gangs, with the membership predominantly consisting of youths between 8and 24 years old. An alarming amount of kids who live in these barrios do not have the opportunity to complete primary education, and due to economic necessities economic needs, many are forced to focus on working to help support their family, rather than continuing with their education.
As such, living in poverty, working from a very young age, possibly abused in their own family, lack of education and lack of other sustainable opportunities means that gang membership becomes an attractive option.
Being a gang member in one of Managua’s barrios usually means a sense of community and pride. It also means access to alcohol and drugs, and a daily routine of playing football on the streets, promiscuous behaviour, and as a possible alternative to working, robbery.
Dealing with gangs such as these is obviously a very tricky business. You can lock up the gang members who commit robbery or worse crimes, you can make gang membership illegal, but unless you address real socio-economic needs which lead young people to join gangs, you will never be able to properly tackle the issue.
At Casa Alianza Nicaragua, one of our main policies is to provide alternatives, so that kids can make the choice, in this case, to make the choice between gang membership or a sustainable and healthy alternative with Casa Alianza.
As such, last Friday we headed into one of Managua’s most gang dominated barrios and headed out with around 30 gang members, between 11 and 19 years old, to a swimming pool and recreational centre. The idea was, to give them an alternative so that at least for the day, they were doing something different to their normal routine, and perhaps through this, might just begin to see the benefit of joining Casa Alianza’s residential centre, instead of being on the streets.
We provided the kids with transport, entrance to the park, lunch, refreshment and drinks, so that they would equally not have to worry for the day about where their food and drink is coming from.
The kids had a fantastic day. They played football, basketball and spent the entire morning enjoying the swimming pool. Rather like the volcano hike of a few weeks ago, once again it was possible to see these kids not as gang members but as normal teenagers. Normal teenagers going through very tough stages, but in reality desperate for a normal and healthy existence. By providing this day out, we were at least able to offer a healthy alternative for one day, so they can see, if they decide to join us at Casa Alianza, they will be given permanent access to this way of life
Gang membership and a life on the streets give kids a certain toughness which can be very hard to break through. On Friday at the swimming pool we made a break through, to be able to see these kids as normal adolescents who want to change. In the mean time we will keep doing what we can to provide these kids with alternatives, so that a life on the streets and being in gangs will no longer be a necessity, but an option, and one in which, if they choose not to be in the gangs, they know at Casa Alianza they can receive food, education, recreational activities and unconditional love, respect and understanding.
Sadly, gangs is also something which has become ubiquitous to Central America. Most famous are the gangs which have spread across El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the USA. There are two principle gangs known as the Mara 18 and the Mara Salvatrucha. These gangs are organised at the national level, have become involved in the drugs trafficking trade and are in part responsible for having made El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala the most violent three countries in the world that are not currently in conflict.
In Nicaragua, the Maras do not have a quite a presence, but gang membership among young people is certainly a major problem. Nicaragua, being the second poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean (Haiti taking the number 1 spot) has meant that there are a large number of gangs organised at the local, neighbourhood level, as above all, a meanns of getting by.
Managua, for example, is made up of many different barrios (neighbourhoods), and normally each of these barrios has at least one or two gangs, with the membership predominantly consisting of youths between 8and 24 years old. An alarming amount of kids who live in these barrios do not have the opportunity to complete primary education, and due to economic necessities economic needs, many are forced to focus on working to help support their family, rather than continuing with their education.
As such, living in poverty, working from a very young age, possibly abused in their own family, lack of education and lack of other sustainable opportunities means that gang membership becomes an attractive option.
Being a gang member in one of Managua’s barrios usually means a sense of community and pride. It also means access to alcohol and drugs, and a daily routine of playing football on the streets, promiscuous behaviour, and as a possible alternative to working, robbery.
Dealing with gangs such as these is obviously a very tricky business. You can lock up the gang members who commit robbery or worse crimes, you can make gang membership illegal, but unless you address real socio-economic needs which lead young people to join gangs, you will never be able to properly tackle the issue.
At Casa Alianza Nicaragua, one of our main policies is to provide alternatives, so that kids can make the choice, in this case, to make the choice between gang membership or a sustainable and healthy alternative with Casa Alianza.
As such, last Friday we headed into one of Managua’s most gang dominated barrios and headed out with around 30 gang members, between 11 and 19 years old, to a swimming pool and recreational centre. The idea was, to give them an alternative so that at least for the day, they were doing something different to their normal routine, and perhaps through this, might just begin to see the benefit of joining Casa Alianza’s residential centre, instead of being on the streets.
We provided the kids with transport, entrance to the park, lunch, refreshment and drinks, so that they would equally not have to worry for the day about where their food and drink is coming from.
The kids had a fantastic day. They played football, basketball and spent the entire morning enjoying the swimming pool. Rather like the volcano hike of a few weeks ago, once again it was possible to see these kids not as gang members but as normal teenagers. Normal teenagers going through very tough stages, but in reality desperate for a normal and healthy existence. By providing this day out, we were at least able to offer a healthy alternative for one day, so they can see, if they decide to join us at Casa Alianza, they will be given permanent access to this way of life
Gang membership and a life on the streets give kids a certain toughness which can be very hard to break through. On Friday at the swimming pool we made a break through, to be able to see these kids as normal adolescents who want to change. In the mean time we will keep doing what we can to provide these kids with alternatives, so that a life on the streets and being in gangs will no longer be a necessity, but an option, and one in which, if they choose not to be in the gangs, they know at Casa Alianza they can receive food, education, recreational activities and unconditional love, respect and understanding.
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