Over the past year or so of teaching I have come across many different people and have had many opportunities to speak to and learn from the people we serve here in Buenos Aires. This week was no different as we started a new semester of carpentry classes in the shantytowns.
Today, I had the opportunity to share a little of my journey in life with one of my classes that is composed of entirely youth. As I was speaking to them sharing a little of the hope I have for them and asking what their dreams are, one of the kids (Alan, 12 years old) put words to what I have been seeing over the past two years through my studies and experience of the neighborhoods. I asked Alan if he had the opportunity to go to study in the University of Buenos Aires, what would he study, and he told me that that would never happen because he is from Fatima, one of the shantytowns. I asked why and he continued to say, "people like me, we don't go to university because we have to work and therefore have no time or money for such things". By this he was telling me indirectly that he wasn't good enough nor could he afford the time wasted or the money spent to better his condition. I was also told that it is unusual for the kids of these "barrios" to even finish high school and that many drop out in middle school to work with their families or take care of their siblings. Many are just left to their own devises raised on the streets.
Though this wasn't news to me, his answer impacted me. I had never heard it from someone's mouth that was directly affected by this way of thinking. To see this type of mindset instilled in a child so young was for me, offensive. His words just sunk in deep and reinforced my desire to break this cycle or mentality of poverty. But where to start? How do you change this type of pervading cultural mindset? The scary thing is part of what he said is true, these kids are not sufficiently prepared academically to handle college as well as they are a needed commodity for the future survival of their families. Who else will help carry the workload or watch the younger kids so that their parents can work to put food on the table? There is no one else. Their roles are type casted and they have no choices. Our resolve is to help create a holistic ministry that truly speaks into the entire human condition including this cyclical mentality of poverty. Something must be done.
