~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It is not difficult to feel carefree, to lose oneself to the intoxication and dictates of the sun; to lose track of the other stories that aren’t always in focus through the diffused light. It is easy to forget that there are always shadows – even in a vacation paradise such as San Miguel. There is no idyllic place, no escaping reality. This, like most spots on earth, is a place of extreme wealth and crippling poverty. Buried beneath every inch of trodden earth are dark stories to tell. There a small shadows in hidden corners, cowering against cold stone. Part of the hope perhaps lies in the telling, the exposing of hardship. In the sharing and lending of hands and hearts, maybe second chances and promising futures can eclipse the dark past of only nightmares.
But nightmares do not have to last a lifetime. And while these stories are not always pretty or easy to tell, and old wounds may heal but forever leave permanent scars, for today, the 20 girls of Casa Hogar Sollano and the 32 girls of Casa Hogar Santa Julia have found a family.
They are the lucky ones.
Casa Hogar Don Bosco A.C. was founded in 1959 in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, where boys and girls were cared for in a previously unoccupied home at Sollano 14 and 16. The house was founded because the city had no institution to care for abandoned and unprotected minors, and families in desperation were known to have thrown children into rivers because they had no means to care for them.
In response, the San Juan Bosco refuge was born. In 1978 Casa Hogar Mexiquito was founded for boys, the Sollano site designated for girls. In 2001, a second Casa Hogar Don Bosco A.C. was registered in the neighborhood of Santa Julia, and the younger girls were moved to this facility. The older girls continue to live at Sollano 14.
The Casas Hogares receive no funding from the Mexican Catholic Church or the Mexican Government.*
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
With the help of Robin Loving-Rowland, a Community Liaison for the Casas Hogares, I was able to visit both the refuges of Sollano and Santa Julia, meet the girls who now call these places home, and two of the Madres, Madre Lupita of Sollano, and Madre Chuy as she is know to the children of Santa Julia. With the patience of Loving-Rowland acting as my translator and guide, and the gracious embrace and openness of the Madres, I was able to get a strong sense of what these safe houses offer, a glimpse into the lives of the children, both the stark reality of their wounds, and the heroic efforts being made to provide a hopeful future for every child.
Fractured to Found
From fractured or disintegrated family units, to found, these children with once battered bodies and wounded hearts are now part of an extended family of sisters - from toddlers to teens - and under the maternal care of the Madres of Casa Hogar. Whether their dark stories and pasts are shared amongst one another, or kept tucked away until the time is right, the common bond and sisterhood of these girls is palpable.
The overwhelming energy that resonates within the centuries-old stone walls and arched courtyards of Sollano, or in the flowering gardens and partially renovated living spaces of Santa Julia, is the power of healing and hope. In the form of healthy, functioning “households,” a familial structure has been firmly built on unconditional love, acceptance, nurturing, and education based in a multi-cultural and multi-religious setting. And while these homes are still in great need; Sollano, some 300 years old has no heat, and until two and a half years ago, Santa Julia had no running water or electricity, little by little, strides are being made to provide these children an even safer, healthier environment. This is often the first stability of home and family these girls have ever known.
Shadow and Light
Children with bloated bellies and severely malnourished, are fed and given medical care. Clutching Barbie dolls, tiny girls sporting not balloon hats but tucked in woolen caps to warm shaved heads once lice-ridden, are on their way to recovery – and smiling. Those who had never known the opportunity of education, are going to school – and learning. Little girls once abused and neglected are held, comforted and afforded individual counseling. Children, forgotten and tossed away – now nurtured by a team of dedicated Madres caring for each child as their own flesh and blood. And for one little girl, who when asked by Loving-Rowland how she was doing that day, felt safe and secure enough to offer a reflective “just so-so.” For a child whose memory of her final moments with her mother is being thrown under a bus by the very arms that once carried her, maybe “so-so” is the most that can be expected, and a small step toward the path of recovery.
The Casas Hogares offer an environment that is rich not only in unconditional love, but academic studies and workshops, emotional support through group and one-on-one psychological counseling, creative arts, and life skills courses to equip them with vital information and the confidence to make healthy choices once they leave the Casa Hogar system. While classes in catechism are given and a foundation of faith is laid before them, the Madres, in order to prepare each girl for the realities of a world outside their doors, have opened their minds and hearts to incorporate advanced life skills preparedness programs. Plans are in progress to implement these broader-based transition programs led by trained professionals, which will address specific needs as well as offer invaluable sex education, including information about all forms of birth control. The Madres have agreed that to ensure the best possible future for each girl, it is imperative to empower them with as much knowledge and education as they are able. And hopefully, with this increased awareness, self-esteem and realistic vision, coupled with the tools in which to cope and make sound decisions, they will be able to confront the myriad complexities of a modern world.
But as with any charity, especially those only supported by private donations, dollars are few and far between. With all major non-profits suffering the effects of volatile world economies, those who suffer the most are the smaller, lesser known charities. It is not a good time to be small and at the end of the receiving line.
