Gooooooooooooooollllaaazzooooo!!!!!!!

Over the course of 5 or 6 weeks there was a football competition for street children organised by leaders of a children’s home for children coming off the street. At Viva I work with a guy called Joe *name changed due to privacy reasons* with two groups of street children. One group live under a busy main road in a drainage ditch. The other live near a river under waterproof sheets that have been tied up between trees. We visit each group once a week. At the moment here in Bolivia it is winter. In the daytime the weather is easily like our summer however in the mornings and throughout the night it gets very cold. Today I learned that 18 people died last night simply due to the cold. It is sad that just a couple more blankets each may have saved each of these persons’ lives. Please pray for those sleeping on the streets at night across Bolivia this winter.

About 6 teams of street children entered the competition as well as the groups Joe and I visit. With the money you kindly contributed we were able to buy the two teams football kits – one Barcelona, and the other of course Liverpool. Team photos are attached in this email. Photos of the games are on my facebook.

Games were played Wednesday mornings. Immense fun was had all round, of course by the boys enjoying taking part and the girls cheering and screaming their teams on. You wouldn’t believe some of the skill on show. No Peter Crouch’s or Emile Heskey’s. No ‘kick and run’ tactics as England were labelled as adopting at the World Cup by Franz Beckenbauer. It was all Kaka, all Messi with an “it’s my ball and I’m going to score” approach.

The evening after the final round of games everyone was invited to the awards evening held at the children’s home that put on the competition. There was a party before the prizes were given out with music, food and a raffle. As well as to have fun this was a great opportunity for the street children to see the home, the children living at the home whose lives and opportunities had improved, to see the school nearby and to talk to some of the leaders of the home. For a child to come off living on the street into a home or to go back to their family it has to be their decision. All these children know the opportunity is there – for a home, a bed, 3 meals a day, an education. They just have to ask. However the pressure to remain on the street is a big one. To make the decision would be seen by your peers as to be pulling out of your gang of mates on the street and leaving them. Given the liberty street living children have the lure of education and living under rules and leadership is not a strong one. However we continue to pray and hope the lure of a loving community will turn their hearts and that the motivation to learn and provide a future will come.