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.
Each Casa Hogar site continues in its struggle to raise the bare minimum needed to care for every child and maintain each location. With forty percent of donations in-kind, the other sixty percent must be raised by the Madres. This is no easy task. In addition, the doors of the Casas Hogares are always open – meaning that they do not and will not turn away any girl who is in need of shelter. With donations down 65 percent at one site in 2007, 2008 weighs heavily on their minds. Each Casa Hogar house has an annual budget of approximately $100,000 – going toward shelter, maintenance, food, education, clothing, counseling, and with not a penny to spare.
Enough is as Good as a Feast
Three siblings, new to Casa Hogar Sollano, unable to get enough to eat – were starving both physically and psychologically. Their mother, widowed and with three other children, two sons and an infant, and living deep within the campo, or countryside, could no longer care for them. Deciding to keep her sons and baby, she turned over her three daughters to Casa Hogar. Not able to fill all of their mouths, she made a choice; she had to choose which children to keep and those to turn away. This story is not uncommon. Horribly malnourished, with extended stomachs and in need of medical attention, the sisters arrived with an insatiable hunger. “All they wanted to do was eat,” says Madre Lupita. “They would have one full meal after another, and still they would ask for more. They would eat until they made themselves physically sick.”
When I visited a week later, the siblings were playing and laughing with the other girls. Their woolen caps were noticeably absent, their hair growing in healthy and clean, their limbs, still thin but fuller, were wrapped around waists and shoulders of their new friends and sisters, hugging and embracing a family that had thus far, been elusive. They were whispering to one another, giggling, telling secrets. Gone were the bloated bellies and the constant begging for food. Their new request and one they ask often is “may we please go to school?” They have never been – but are on their way.
Painted Houses
In another room bathed in light, a volunteer laden with watercolors, brushes and paper, is leading an art class filled with eager students. Clustered around low tables, tiny hands clutching brushes dabbed in bright primary tints, are furiously painting. Absorbed in the creative process, a dizzying swirl of strokes and splashy colors are worked across blank sheets. Within minutes, there is a gallery of miniature masterpieces. And as with all young artists, they are beaming with pride as they hold up their creations for all to see. Madre Lupita smiles broadly and admires each painting with an enthusiastic, “muy bonita, muy hermoso!”
I look down upon the table covered with art supplies and see one painting getting its finishing touches, a small hand applying a final dab of yellow. It stands out from all the rest. It stands out not because of its seeming simplicity, but for its depth of meaning, its symbols of hope. It is a child’s painting I have seen many times before, across many years and continents. It is a common theme, for small children, and what we all long for; on the sheet of paper is a brightly painted house beneath the smiling face of a brilliant sun. A home bathed in light. La Casa debajo el Sol.
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