Orphan Stories:

A message from Terry and Alison: The stories below are real. They were written by girls that we work with at one of our orphanages and are anonymous to protect their identities. Please exercise caution when reading them as some parts get violent or graphic. These authors are real examples of strength and courage. We respect and love them very much.

We send our special thanks to K.G. for her help and direction.

Anonymous

Hello. My name is Anonymous. I am 14 years old. My mother is thin and pretty and has long hair. She is very afraid of my father because he always hits her, pulls her hair and throws stones at her. He also kicks her.
My father's name is Pedro. He does not love me and once he threw me out of the house because because I defended my mother. My mother's name is Florcita. She loved me a lot and with her I was very happy.

I have two brothers who my father also mistreated. My life was sad, but sadder was the life of my mother because she suffered more than us. My father never cared about us and for that reason, I felt alone. Despite this, I helped my mother and this person who said he was my father who never cared for any of his children.

The prettiest thing that happened to me was when I came to a place where I knew I would be better. That place is called the CASA HOGAR, where I am very happy and with people who help us, and one of those is Abú.

Anonymous

Dedication: This anecdote is for all of the people for the world who help the people most in need and who give them their love. It is these people who dedicate all of their time to us and that (dejando de comer dan y brindan todo de ellos). I am a person like you who also knows this and because of this I want to tell you my story. For me, it is very important, and I wish to share it with everyone.

Everything started when I arrived at a place where many people smiled at me and asked me many questions like "why are you here? Are you going to stay? Would you like to stay here?" I answered "yes" because I had a problem like them too. After that a chubby woman was asking me questions that I could not answer. She was trying to welcome me, but I couldn’t help thinking of my mother and cry.

After a while I left her office and a well dressed young woman took me to a place where we knocked on the door and were received with welcome. There were many kids like me that also lived there. I took a seat and I was given some food. I thought I would be there until my mother came and picked me up, but five years went by and she never came. I had gotten used to staying there and did not want to leave. I was a place better than your house, a home, a place that was full of love and where I had a second family who gave me the best attention and an education.

When I was in school I was distracted. My favorite subject was language, and I had good grades and (de eso era por que yo seguiria estudiando y cuando o mi di cuento). But when school ended, I was sad, but the good thing was that I was going to high school where I could meet many good friends and bad ones too. I did meet many friends, but there was a problem. One day a couple came who were police and wanted to adopt a child and I knew that I was one of the candidate. My decision was to leave with my sister. Many months passed and the couple didn’t return and I thought that the subject had been forgotten, but at the end of the year, the couple returned, not to visit me, but to take my sister and I with them.

I celebrated Christmas with them, but I had many memories of my real family and sometimes they visited. But, I had bad luck because my adoptive family began having marital problems, even though we never saw anything. After a little while the decision was made for us to return to the place where we had been for many years. However, when we arrived they would not accept us, the reason for which I didn’t know. I was crying because I didn’t know where to go. When I was leaving all of my friends were waving at us. We got into the car and went to another place where I was familiar with the streets and they took us to another orphanage. The unique difference at this place was that there were only girls. When I arrived a very young woman answered the door. She was a psychologist for the institution. To me, this place looked like another world, but I give thanks to God for allowing me to be in a place where they care for everyone--the abandoned children and teenagers.

I continued studying. When I arrived here I met many different people--English people, Canadian ect., and these people made us happy. Many of them have blue eyes, light blue and blond hair. They said to us that they (se quedaran-to stay-muchos) and for them this was the only time. This place was very rustic, but comfortable--a place where you can breathe fresh air. It was a compromise.

This orphanage was in the middle of the country, amidst farms. They made our condition of living better and after they left others came. Two years passed and it is now 2006. Others have come and made us feel happy and they don’t let anyone feel alone. One of these people is Abú.