My Three Little Angels

Throughout my life I have been volunteering and participating in different social projects where I got to see how many people in this country are suffering. All throughout my life I had gone through moments of sadness that turned into a sheer and unbreakable desire to help others and change the world. Yet, it was not until tonight that I ever felt completely devastated and utterly impotent because for the past few days I got to meet the sweetest and most beautiful three girls in this planet. 

During this week I had been working as a translator for a social project run by a group of Canadians called “Rio del Cambio.” They work with a local community called Citalapa located in the outskirts of Managua by providing as much social help to the community as possible such as housing and education, and are looking foward into implementing medical assistance, a sustainable water system, among others. The idea of this project is to address the main problems that the community is facing so it can not only grow, but do it in a sustainable manner. I spent the first two days going around the houses of the community asking questions about their economic situation. Even though it was an eye-opening experience to put such small numbers to the extreme economic distress these people suffer on a daily basis, I was not as shocked as I should have been for it was something that I had expected all along. 

I was not expected to come back the third day for I had volunteered for a two day experience. However, deciding to continue my volunteering for an extra day was the best decision I could have ever made. Even though I spent the morning going around houses as usual doing surveys, I had some free time after lunch. Since I had not been able to share much time with the people of the community, I decided I would like to talk to the little girls who I had barely even talked to during the past days. I am not exaggerating when I say that after 10 minutes of talking, these beautiful girls with the biggest smiles in the universe would follow me around everywhere I went. After a while, it was incredible to see how walking around holding hands with three little girls turned into a line of a white girl and six little children walking around together. It was overwhelming seeing how sitting down and talking to three little girls turned into a circle of up to ten kids all urgently talking and trying to call my attention. It was exhilarating to see how jumping around with three little girls turned into a game of a white girl and seven little kids who were screaming, laughing, and radiating happiness. Sharing time with those three little girls was many things. By the time I left that day they were all begging me to stay with them, they were all hugging and kissing me and talking about how I was their friend and how excited they were to see me in the beach the next day.

Getting to the beach the next day was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever lived. As soon as I stepped out of that bus I was showered with hugs, kisses, and words full of love coming from those little angels with brown eyes, brown skin, and black hair. They told me how they had woken up that day excited by the idea that they were going to get to see me. We spent the day swimming, playing around, taking pictures, laughing, talking, and just being the happiest four little girls in this planet. They never left my side. Wherever I went they came along never letting go of my hands because they were scared the other kids would take me away from them. 

Truth be told, I wish I could have taken all of them with me back home where I find myself crying. Despite what you might think, I am not sad that I left them because I intend to visit them whenever I get the chance to do so just because I simply desire to do so. The tears streaming down my face are forming due to a feeling of impotence and despair. For the first time in my life I feel completely powerless because it kills me to think that these three beautiful girls full of happiness, love, and innocence, who have now become my friends, will grow up one day to a world which I feel has no place for their wonderful hearts. It kills me to think that Soliet, Roxana, and Cristel will grow up only to endure the same fate their moms have faced through their lives: a world of poverty, misery, disease, and pain. Most of all, it annihilates me to know that I cannot grab these precious girls and take them home with me, to lay them in my bed to sleep with me and stay warm, to cook them delicious food for them to eat, to take care of them and protect them from all the bad things that can hurt them. I guess I just realized that as a college student, there is only so much I can do to help them and that is visiting them whenever I can and counseling them as they grow up. 

It is for this reason that I am urging you to stand up and change the faith of those around you, to lend a hand to those in need, to change the world for one second if possible for the person closest to you because there will come a time in your life where you will feel the same way as a I do. There will come a moment when you will wish that someone out there could do more for the three little girls who in a few days walked in and settled into your heart because they simply can while you are sitting here helplessly wishing you could do more. 

I know I am only a 20 year old girl who has yet a lot to live, but if there is one thing I can tell you is that these three girls, as many other people in the world, deserve more than what they have. If you decide to lend a hand to those in need, believe me when I say that after a while you will realize that they are actually the ones who are helping you because there is simply no way to put a price to the smiles in their face, to the kisses and hugs they give you, and to the endless and unconditional love they express in so many ways such as saying “I love you and I will never forget this day.” 

If you'd like to find out more abour or contribute with Rio del Cambio

Go to: www.riodelcambio.org

Email: darvon@rogers.com 
Call: +1-705-722-5361

- Adriana de los Angeles Diaz Rizo