New Babies

Earlier this year we formed a nursery for babies who would be cared for in the garbage dump if they were not safely in our nursery. We began with the younger brother and sister of some AFE students: Daniel and Yoli. In the couple of months since they started with the nursery, they have changed right before our eyes. They wear clean clothes, clean diapers, and have washed hair. There is a new sparkle in their eyes. They are loved and cared for by many of the capable, loving staff at AFE while their parents work in the garbage dump.

We knew that once we started, God would bring the right babies into our nursery. It did not take long for God to act. We have tripled in size and now have 6 beautiful babies. The 4 new babies are – Angel (11) months, Scarlet (5 years), Carlos (1 year), and Abigail (5 months).
I am amazed at how vulnerable these children are to the environment. I am so grateful we have a place of safety and security for them. Due to 4 new babies, we have had to hire a new full-time staff member for the nursery. Now Johanna and Claudio work full-time in the nursery although you can always catch some other staff members cuddling with the babies or praying for them. It is hard for the teachers to resist the cute babies

Please pray for these new babies. Pray they would never know the garbage dump. Pray they would be loved and know God’s plan for their lives. Thanks to so many who have helped make this dream come true.

Bringing Peace to the Paz Family

A year ago Washington Cathedral raised money to “finish” the nursery – the structure was up, but we still needed interior elements such as flooring, windows, etc. For a year the room was used miscellaneously, as we had no money to staff the nursery. Finally, our dream of caring for babies in soft, comfortable beds instead of cardboard boxes in the dump came into fruition thanks to some help from Orphan Outreach and Street Kids Direct.

Last week we checked in our first two babies: a brother and sister of a family involved with AFE. The “Paz” family is deeply entrenched in garbage dump life. Both parents work in the garbage; so does each of their children when they leave AFE’s doors: except for these two new inductees to the nursery.

Lilobeth is two years old and though she hasn’t “worked” in the dump, she has spent all of her life there, beside her mother, learning the trade by observation. She bears the ramifications of this life. Her toddler skin is already leathery from overexpose to the sun, and her hair looks like dirty straw pulled into a pony tail. But now is in AFE’s nursery during the day, lovingly cared for by Johanna, who has young children of her own.

Daniel, her brother, is three months old, and the nursery opened at an opportune time for him. His mother took a “maternity leave” of three months when he was born, and was about to go back to work in the dump when she instead decided to put he and Lilobeth in the nursery. Daniel’s skin has a healthy glow, and his smile is easy. He is the eighth child of the “Paz” family and the first to grow up outside of the dump. “Paz” means peace. Daniel will be the first to crawl on tiled floors, sleep in clean blankets…with the sound of twinkling mobile instead of garbage trucks.

Thank you to all of those who helped bring peace to the children of the Paz family. Our prayer is that little Daniel will be the first in the Paz family to never know the garbage dump. The cycle of working in the garbage dump ends with Daniel.

The Need for Nursery

This week, I saw some things that I have had trouble getting out of my head. Since I spent so much time in the garbage dump, I have noticed things I had not notice when I would come up twice a year. One of the issues that stands out is the surprising number of small children who just hang out up in the garbage dump. These are newborn babies to about 4 years old. They are not old enough to work but they don’t really have any place to go. The parents just take them up to the garbage dump with them.

Last week I met David, a 3 year old boy who was with his mom and dad. Little David was sitting in a old sombrero and covered in dirt. He had young parents who were collecting paper products. They would come and check in with David every 10 to 15 minutes. Next to David was another family babysitting a 6 month old baby. It was a baby girl named Juliet. Her mother is 16 year old Carla, a girl who used to come to AFE but is no longer attending. Carla’s Grandmother is in her 30’s and was watching the 6 month old baby full time. Juliet was covered in black soot from all the smoke in the air. I asked her why she doesn’t bring her to our nursery but the baby is still breast feeding. The same is true of two other babies I met. Then I asked if once the baby had been weaned, if she would bring her to the nursery but she did not give me an answer.

Although Washington Cathedral has provided for a nursery, we still do not have the staff to run the nursery. We need the funds to pay a salary and the right worker. Then we need to persuade some of the mothers of the value of keeping their children in a safe and sanitary location. Many of the mothers do not understand why they would need to take their babies to a nursery if they could just stay with them. Please keep these issues in your prayers as we seek the right solution.