Remembering Sandra.
A couple days ago Julie and I received notice that the girl we have sponsored for the past five years will be returning to family members. Sandra has been living at the El Canyon/Puente de Amistad (Bridge of Friendship) orphanage for the past 5+ years. Julie and I have tried to visit her every month, or as often as time permitted, beginning a few weeks after her admittance into the orphanage. After hearing the news, Julie and I ran down to see her one last time at the orphanage.
(Sandra at 8 years old.)
I remember the first time we met Sandra at El Canyon. She had only been there for a few days when we came down with a dental team to provide some free dentistry. I dropped the group off at the orphanage just outside of Managua and had to run into Managua to do some errands. When I returned just after mid-day, the group was well into cleanings and checking the kids mouths. Sandra had been the first to get looked at and the dentist said she did really well for never having seen a dentist before.
Once I arrived back at the orphanage I saw this little eight year old girl who quickly came up to me and held my hand for the next hour or so. Wherever I went with her she would follow along side. Julie was busy helping the team while I got to make friends with Sandra.
Shortly after our trip to El Canyon, Julie and I discussed being Padrinos, or sponsors for her. We agreed and since then we have made regular visits, bought her cloths, took her for weekends and holidays, and basically played surrogate parents.
Sandra came from an area in Managua called Callejon de los Muertos, meaning, Alley of the Dead. This is a place considered one of the most dangerous areas in Managua. Drug dealing and prostitution run rampant. And many are found dead due to drug related activities. It was in this area that Sandra was found unattended. She had been living with a grandmother and, when her grandmother passed away, she continued without anyone to care for her care until a teacher noticed her and reported her to the child protective services. At
the time her father was a drug dealer and her mother had run away. Sandra was alone.
(Sandra's favorite place when visiting our house. Asleep on the couch until bedtime. )
Being placed in an orphanage is never a happy moment for a child. They are placed in an institution with dozens of kids. There is already an established pecking order and the new kids always has to find there place. If living on the streets is hard, adjusting to a new home where you know nobody is equally difficult. But Orphanages do provide a structure, three meals a day, and eventually they become like a big family. At El Canyon, there are usually around 40 kids there at any time. Some come and go while others seem to become fixtures, knowing the chores and taking on responsibilities. This was Sandra. Having been there for over five years, she had tenure.
Sandra is behind on her classes. She started late and has had difficulty catching up. But she is smart. She still has an innocence about her that makes her fun to be around. Like many kids, she is very self aware and has low self esteem. Especially now that she has become a teenager.
(Sandra at the beach. Ten years old)
I remember Julie and I taking her to the beach before we constructed the cabin. She used to love to chase the little sand crabs, dig holes in the sand, and swim in the water. She was fearless in the surf. Although she couldn't swim, she would go out as far as she could to jump into the waves. We have a fairly strong side current and the water can carry you out to a ripe current, but she would be having too much fun to understand or even care. I always had to stay at her side to make sure she was safe.
( Sandra with Julie. She is about 12 years old here)
Sandra is returning to family members; an Aunt and her father, who lives with his sister and as many as 6 other uncles in the home. We don't know the conditions yet but we know they are not great. Yet the government has been proactively trying to take children out of protection centers, or orphanages as we like to call them, and reunite them with family members. Almost any family member will do as long as the receiving family agrees. Sometimes these situations work out. But more often then not, the children's quality of life diminishes greatly. Since food is scarce for most Nicaraguan families, one more mouth to feed is not received too well. Also, a young girl like Sandra who has entered her teenage years is at high risk of molestation and abuse. In addition, barrio life can mean little protection or concern for the child. They are often times free to roam the streets and get into trouble. Or things go the other way and the child becomes a house
keeper/servant for the host family.
Whatever happens to Sandra is and always has been out of our hands. We can only pray for her and hope that God will take care of her. We hope that we can continue a dialog with her through her family, to encourage her and let her know she is still loved by us. And boy do we. Sandra Mercedes Rosales Orosco.
(Left - This was taken in early May 2009)
(Sandra at 8 years old.)
I remember the first time we met Sandra at El Canyon. She had only been there for a few days when we came down with a dental team to provide some free dentistry. I dropped the group off at the orphanage just outside of Managua and had to run into Managua to do some errands. When I returned just after mid-day, the group was well into cleanings and checking the kids mouths. Sandra had been the first to get looked at and the dentist said she did really well for never having seen a dentist before.
Once I arrived back at the orphanage I saw this little eight year old girl who quickly came up to me and held my hand for the next hour or so. Wherever I went with her she would follow along side. Julie was busy helping the team while I got to make friends with Sandra.
(Learning to knit)
Shortly after our trip to El Canyon, Julie and I discussed being Padrinos, or sponsors for her. We agreed and since then we have made regular visits, bought her cloths, took her for weekends and holidays, and basically played surrogate parents.
Sandra came from an area in Managua called Callejon de los Muertos, meaning, Alley of the Dead. This is a place considered one of the most dangerous areas in Managua. Drug dealing and prostitution run rampant. And many are found dead due to drug related activities. It was in this area that Sandra was found unattended. She had been living with a grandmother and, when her grandmother passed away, she continued without anyone to care for her care until a teacher noticed her and reported her to the child protective services. At
the time her father was a drug dealer and her mother had run away. Sandra was alone.(Sandra's favorite place when visiting our house. Asleep on the couch until bedtime. )
Being placed in an orphanage is never a happy moment for a child. They are placed in an institution with dozens of kids. There is already an established pecking order and the new kids always has to find there place. If living on the streets is hard, adjusting to a new home where you know nobody is equally difficult. But Orphanages do provide a structure, three meals a day, and eventually they become like a big family. At El Canyon, there are usually around 40 kids there at any time. Some come and go while others seem to become fixtures, knowing the chores and taking on responsibilities. This was Sandra. Having been there for over five years, she had tenure.
Sandra is behind on her classes. She started late and has had difficulty catching up. But she is smart. She still has an innocence about her that makes her fun to be around. Like many kids, she is very self aware and has low self esteem. Especially now that she has become a teenager.
(Sandra at the beach. Ten years old)
I remember Julie and I taking her to the beach before we constructed the cabin. She used to love to chase the little sand crabs, dig holes in the sand, and swim in the water. She was fearless in the surf. Although she couldn't swim, she would go out as far as she could to jump into the waves. We have a fairly strong side current and the water can carry you out to a ripe current, but she would be having too much fun to understand or even care. I always had to stay at her side to make sure she was safe.
( Sandra with Julie. She is about 12 years old here)
Sandra is returning to family members; an Aunt and her father, who lives with his sister and as many as 6 other uncles in the home. We don't know the conditions yet but we know they are not great. Yet the government has been proactively trying to take children out of protection centers, or orphanages as we like to call them, and reunite them with family members. Almost any family member will do as long as the receiving family agrees. Sometimes these situations work out. But more often then not, the children's quality of life diminishes greatly. Since food is scarce for most Nicaraguan families, one more mouth to feed is not received too well. Also, a young girl like Sandra who has entered her teenage years is at high risk of molestation and abuse. In addition, barrio life can mean little protection or concern for the child. They are often times free to roam the streets and get into trouble. Or things go the other way and the child becomes a house
keeper/servant for the host family.
(Here she is at our house ironing her school uniform. )
Whatever happens to Sandra is and always has been out of our hands. We can only pray for her and hope that God will take care of her. We hope that we can continue a dialog with her through her family, to encourage her and let her know she is still loved by us. And boy do we. Sandra Mercedes Rosales Orosco.
(Left - This was taken in early May 2009)
(Right - This was taken during our last visit. She is 13 years old)
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