In most places you visit in Mexico, there are children on the street selling gum or other goodies. This is one of the most haunting images one takes home.
These children are usually around three to six years of age, they are apparently working to survive. There seems to be a great divide between the "haves" and the "have nots" in Mexico.
However, I must remember 18 years ago when I first came to Mexico, I was in Mexico City writting a marketing manual. The company who had contracted me had their offices right downtown a block or so from the US Embasy. As I think about it, I thought, I had seen some poverty. But as I sat in the plush office building, in a corner office - glass floor to ceiling on two sides, I wittnessed something that has stuck in my mind every sense that day and motivated me to Create The Homeless Children's Network To Help The Homeless Children Of Mexico.
I looked over across the street one morning and saw a group of children inside a vacent lot, which was enclosed by corrogated roofing materal. Upon closer inspection I saw children taking a bath under a garden hose type thing. The next day they were gone. Then a week later they were back. I really paid attention this time. There seem to be six or eight, there was a fire going (to me it was really cold), but they had to be freezing. They were washing cloths, such as they were, as well as bathing themselves. They ranged from 2 or 3 years of age to, maybe 15 or so. I asked one of the executives about it and was told. There are groups of homeless kids like that all over Mexico City, the Police won't let them stay in that lot or they will build a shack, so the Police keep them moving, but they returned to this lot once a week to take a bath and wash their cloths.
I like to remember a quote from one of my many books on Mexico.
To paraphrase: "Poverty is more widespread in Mexico than
unhappiness." You certainly do see people enjoying themselves.
It is easy to watch, in most cities or villages, you can sit on a bench on
the Plaza and watch families from all walks of life bring their
children out on the town. Toddlers barely able to walk eye each
other across the square. Families come out in full force, the Mexican people are warm, friendly and simply do with what they have! That is, the ones you see. The children with no familys are like outcast, inless they have some gum or something to sell, you do not see them. It is these Children that the HCN works with. The homeless abanded children, where life or help for that matter, seems hopeless. The Homeless Children's Network can touch these children, put some hope in their lives, because of You and others like you; our Sponsors Who Support HCN and Our Outreach Programs.
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