Buckner brings hope to boys in ‘cages of gold’_110104

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Posted: 10/29/04

A psychologist in Guatemala City describes the children's homes in her area as "cages of gold," where basic needs are met, but children have neither freedom nor family. (Felicia Fuller Photos)

Buckner brings hope to boys in 'cages of gold'

By Felicia Fuller

Buckner News Service

GUATEMALA CITY, Guate-mala–Their stories are heartbreaking. A boy suffers severe hip displacement from repeated sexual abuse by an older sibling. Brothers coerced by their mother to beg for money in bars are abducted by two criminals, assaulted and dumped in a cemetery. Children are forced to drop out of grammar school to help support their family.

These troubling accounts only tap the surface of the abuse and abandonment endured by youngsters who found refuge at a boys' home in Guatemala City.

“Some suffer serious emotional problems,” says psychologist Elizabeth Morales, who counsels the children regularly. “Sixty percent have been sexually violated. The scars are deep, but they can overcome.”

The home currently houses 39 boys from 13 to 18 years old, although occasionally age restrictions are bypassed if no other viable alternatives are available for a child in need of shelter. Referrals usually come from the courts, but some children admit themselves voluntarily because they have nowhere else to go.

“These institutions are like cages of gold,” Morales explains. “They have the necessary things to live and survive, but they don't have freedom and the love of a family.”

Psychologist Elizabeth Morales offers comfort and counsel to a boy at a child care home in Guatemala City.

That's where Buckner Baptist Benevolences steps in. Organization officials first visited the government-run home in January to meet director Brenda Seikavezza and discuss how the ministry could augment care.

Mission teams have ministered to the boys and delivered humanitarian aid in the form of food, shoes, clothing and furnishings. Donations have provided for new plumbing and bathroom facilities, and plans are under way to construct designated space for workshops and vocational training so the boys can find lucrative employment upon leaving.

“Buckner represents hope to us–a better quality of life for the boys,” says Seikavezza, who's been on the orphanage staff six years.

"They've given us material that the therapists have been able to use for special projects with the kids. The activities have been very creative, and the kids are happy with them."

Morales and an occupational therapist work closely with the children to help them overcome personal issues related to abuse and abandonment.

Group sessions are held on a rotating schedule according to room assignment. Individual sessions also are available as needed.

“Buckner has been a big support to us,” Morales says. “The children feel more affectionate to us now because of the Buck-ner family and the teams they bring.”

Buckner also has contributed educational materials for the children. Most of the boys attend classes on site, while others have scholarships to private high schools. Mentally challenged residents take special education courses at the home. An after-school program offers tutoring assistance in reading, writing and arithmetic.

Despite the programs and people, Seikavezza says a critical void remains–positive male mentorship.

“The only man on staff is the special education instructor,” she said. “We would like to have at least three men here, so they could be models for the boys.”

Jesus, 15, says although he lacks a male model, he's resolved to rise above his circumstances. He and his brother, Jorge, were panhandling in a bar when two con-men lured them with promises of food and shelter.

“We were tired of living on the streets with our family, so we went with them,” he says.

After assaulting the brothers in a hotel room then dumping them in a cemetery, the men returned wielding machetes and forced the boys to accompany them on a heist.

They later were arrested, and the boys were sent to an orphanage in Xela, where they lived five years before coming to Eliza Martinez.

“We like it here,” Jesus says. “We go to school, and we have people who care about us.”

Brothers Jesse and Pablo share that sentiment. Forced to work during grammar school, they received little formal education until they came to the orphanage four years ago.

“I want to get my master's degree in computers, and the people here are encouraging me,” says Jesse, 16.

“I feel more love here than with my own family. I've had two auditions with the judge where I could have gone with them, but I chose to stay here.”

Seikavezza says that while she and her staff do all they can with the resources provided by the government and Buckner, what the children need most is a family.

“Because they're mostly older kids, there haven't been many offers for them,” she says. “They're good kids; they just need direction.”

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