Collaborative on Global Children's Issues

Julio

Usually people die. La gente se muere. I don’t know if Tia knew that before she told me to go. They can be left for dead if they get sick or they can be murdered. That’s what it’s like on the journey. A month of wondering if you will be one of those people. Tia might not have realized that. Alomejor tia no sabia. She wanted me to get away. Because there, back home, the gangs do many things. The gangs kill many people. Dijo que tendria una vida mejor. She said it would be a better life. And, she pays $4000 to send me here, but maybe she doesn’t know that usually people die on their way here.     

I lived with Tia before I came here, and Tia is nice enough. Not like Mama. Mama liked her husband and my little sister more than she liked me. She said kind things to everyone else, but spoke vulgar to me. Are all mothers like that? (Beat) So, she sent me to live with Tia, and Tia sent me here.

Roxana

Sometimes there’s no food. No matter how hard we work there’s just … sometimes there’s no food. And, we don’t have anything to eat when there is no food. No tenemos nada que comer si no hay comida. Not for me or the younger ones. Soy la mayor. I’m the oldest. Mis hermanitos are 12, 11, 9, 7, 5, and 2. But, I’m the oldest so I go. I come here. A buscar trabajo. To make money. To send back home. Because sometimes, back there, there’s no food. But, I can help. I can help out mami y papi if I work hard up here then, maybe, everyone can eat.

Alfredo

Situations. I came here because of situations. Perdimos a Papi. We lost Papi. I went to work in Guatemala City. For three or four years. I was trying to finish school there. Then mami gets sick. I look after the young ones. Hermanitos. Two girls and a boy. Mami has surgery and I help. Pero quiero ayudarla mas. But, I want to help more. So, I leave for a better future. To become something and send money back and help. I leave for a better future.