“A little bit of good luck” _English

“A little bit of good luck”

Jesús is just one of the millions of children who live in poor neighbourhoods on the fringes of Latin America’s capital cities. It is customary for many rural families who have been impoverished due to overexploitation of the land or the loss of their homes to move to the cities in search of a better livelihood. Very often, however, life in the city does not offer them the advantages they had dreamed of. Adding to their problems, very often the family unit breaks down because the parents are unable to maintain close links with the children due to work commitments; many children grow up without the benefit of a close parental presence. The result is that the urban problems they experience turn out to to be worse than those they had encountered in the countryside.

For a variety of reasons, Jesús’ experience turned out to be more complicated than that of many of his young friends in the area of Asunción known as Bañado Tacumbú. The streets there become totally inundated when the waters of the nearby river begin to rise.Two years ago one of his brothers was murdered in prison and another brother is presently a druglord in Tacumbú prison, the country’s main penitentiary for adult male offenders. The family situation was made still worse by the fact that the parents split up. This marital breakdown contributed undoubtedly to the atmosphere of violence in which Jesús’ brothers grew up and which landed them in prison at an early age.

After the split from her husband, Jesús’ mum became blind as a result of an illness she contracted while working as a cook in an industrial establishment. Although she received  compensation from the company, the family continued to live in poverty (and still does) in a humble dwelling in the poverty-stricken Bañado. After some time, the father pleaded to be allowed return to the family home and the mother acceded to his request. Unfortunately, he began to sell drugs from his bedroom window which faces on to the street, and the mother did not realise what was happening due to her blindness.

One day Brother Carlos Fitzsimmons had a heated exchange with this man when he saw him selling drugs to one of the young 14-year-olds with whom he was working in rehabilitation and labour projects for young people who find themselves in physical or moral danger. Two days after this confrontation, the police arrested the man in the course of a house search.

With two male members of the family now in prison, and the added burden of having a murdered brother and a blind mother, Jesús’ future did not look at all promising. We who live and work here are left facing the problem of how to bring about a change in the lives of children who, like Jesús, live in the poorest neighbourhood in Asunción. When the Brothers first came to the Bañado, one of the initiatives they put in place was the organisation of recreational camps which would give children the experience of spending a few days sharing their difficult lives together under the guidance of young Christian leaders.

These Edmund Rice Camps offer the children a variety of activities aimed at helping them to develop their personality in a positive and holistic way. These include, for example, organised football matches, and sharing views on topics such as friendship in the context of a violent neighbourhood, Edmund Rice as a model, the avoidance of drugs, and sexual development. Swimming pool facilities are provided every day to the delight of the children, and they also engage in activities such as arts and crafts, proudly taking home the fruits of their labours. One of the activities the children enjoy most, in the best Latin American tradition, is music and song. The food, which is abundant and always prepared to everybody’s satisfaction, includes fruit, pasta, rice, and beef. Before each meal the organisers take turns to lead the children in prayer - which is probably a totally new experience for most of them.

But the really nice part, the heart of the Edmund Rice Camp, is the wonderful spirit of brotherhood the young leaders offer the children. Right from the start they do a great job in selecting the really needy ones – those whose parents earn a living by collecting objects for recycling, those who have family members in prison, and those who are shy or isolated or at risk. They guide the children in the various camp activities and are always at their side to encourage and give them love and affection. Their work and dedication is really in tune with the best Edmund Rice tradition.

This summer, 2010, 33 children between the ages of 12 and 15 along with 15 Christian leaders from the local parish accompanied Brother Carlos Fitzsimons and the aspirant Nimio Benítez on the 10th Edmund Rice Summer Camp. Obviously the selection of the children who are going to take part is a very important task. Financial constraints do not enable them to include all the children who would like to participate. In addition, past experience has taught that not all children who come from violent backgrounds are suitable for interaction with other childen in this setting where they are required to share food and recreational activities together.

When Brother Carlos suggested that Jesús might be allowed to take part in the Edmund Rice Camp, there were surprised looks on the faces of some people who honestly voiced their doubts about the advisability of the suggestion. But after some dialogue, they all agreed that Jesús  needed “a little bit of good luck” in his very precarious existence. The good news is that Jesús quickly dissipated all doubts and exceeded everybody’s expectations. This son of a blind woman and a druglord really made a success of things at the camp: he took part in games of football with a great sense of responsibility and interacted very well with the other children. On the last day, the whole group – the leaders and the other 32 children - celebrated his birthday, and he was awarded a prize for being the one who showed most progress during the four days of the summer camp.

When Brother Carlos visited him at the end of the four days, Jesús was ready and willing to return to school, to continue improving his skills in football - the sport he loves so much - and he was considering taking part in the parish Confirmation programme. Some of the camp leaders are catechists on this programme, and they would undoubtedly keep a caring eye out for a child who deserved “a little bit of good luck” in his life.

Carlos ‘Chuck’ Fitzsimmons cfc

Asunción, Paraguay

February 2010