Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Aprendizaje, he articulated slowly. "Sorry?" I queried, looking up from fervently scribbling notes. "We say aprendizaje," he repeated, correcting my Spanish pronunciation. "Wow, thanks Victor, correcting me really helps me improve," I responded surprised by his confidence. With his round glasses and wizened grin, he did not at all seem 12 years old.  "No problem, it is through our mistakes that we learn to be better."

He would know.  At the age of 12, he has been living at Centro Shama, a home for niños de la calle or children of the street, for almost a year.  Located in San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima’s most populous district with over 1 million inhabitants, the center is home to 30 boys who are all former inhabitants of the treacherous streets of the Lima underground.  Prostitute mothers, violent fathers, victims of sexual and physical abuse, and abandonment; their reasons for arriving on the streets were vast and all heart wrenching, but they have all found their salvation in Centro Shama.

In Victor’s case, his mother was mentally unstable eating trash to survive when she was pregnant with him by the birth father he has never met.  He and his mother lived with a family that abused her physically and sexually forcing her to work as a prostitute.  Like many recent immigrants to Lima from the poverty stricken provinces, she also sold candy in the streets to passing cars to scrape out a living.  Victor, who at this time was under 9 years old, also sold in the streets with his mother.  He awoke one morning to a goodbye note and a bag of caramels left by his mother at the foot of the bed.  He has never seen her again. He spent days searching for her visiting her normal corners, all with no results. “Finally”, he said, notably still affected, “I got fed up with looking for my mom and I went to live in the streets.”  He survived for over a year and half selling caramels, receiving sporadic gifts of food, and sleeping in the streets of Lima. Eventually, a family he calls his adoptive family, although he knew them for only a week, approached him while he was sleeping in the street and asked if he wanted a better life.  “I felt so alone, like no one wanted me, and no one loved me,” he murmured.  “I didn’t want to keep living like that.”  After a 6 month stay in an intermediate center run by the state referred to as a “children’s prison,” he was brought to Centro Shama.  I asked him what he thinks about his current situation, and the response was inspiring.  “Before, I never thought of my future. Now I want to be someone different.  I want to be a chef.  Before, even my own family didn’t want me.  Now I have a dad, 6 moms, and 29 brothers.”

On June 29, 2008, Centro Shama celebrated their 9th anniversary.  This service has been a dream and passion of the founder, Frances Davinson - a former systems engineer, for over 20 years.  Frances began to work with street children when she first saw them sleeping in San Martin’s Plaza in the dangerous center of Lima.  “They can’t live like this, I told myself.  In the beginning, I would bring the kids to my house, give them food, and clean their injuries. I realize now this wasn’t a good idea, but I couldn’t just leave them there. I had to do something.”  Frances organized a group of 6 women to help her. They went and still go out into the streets of Lima every night providing basic health and alimentary services to the children they encounter.  Yet, Frances realized these children could never be rehabilitated unless they had a place to escape from their degenerating life in the streets.  What began as a dream in a courageous and selfless woman’s heart has become what is today Centro Shama.

The complex is large occupying almost a complete city block. The children cook, clean, attend primary school, and even participate in choir and dance lessons.  “We have always had in our focus the arts.  The power of art, especially singing, to rehabilitate these children has been very successful.  Besides bringing joy to their hearts, singing develops their memory, linguistic articulation, improves their understanding and pronunciation, and teaches them to work effectively in groups,” explains Davinson.

During our interview, Frances got a phone call.  The state’s child protection service was bringing in a child, Brian, who turned 11 the day he arrived at Shama.  He had been left by his father at the local police station.  I listened painfully as the social worker explained to Davinson how the boy had gone running after the car of his father crying and begging not to be abandoned. When asked about the whereabouts of his mother, the social worker just lowered her eyes and sadly shook her head.  Brian sat stone-faced as his future was decided.  “Can he stay here?” the social worker implored of Davinson.  “He has no where else to go.”  In response, Davinson turned to Brian. “How handsome you are Brian.  I know right now you are scared, but I promise you that will pass.  I have to ask you a question.  Do you want to stay here?  Do you want to be part of the Shama family?”  Turning to the social worker, she explained, “We only want the children to stay willingly, and we think of ourselves as a family.”  Brian sheepishly nodded in agreement.  “Well, it’s settled then,” declared Davinson.  “Come and meet your brothers.”

Within moments, Brian was swamped by the other boys.  Pats on the back, welcomes, and hugs abounded.  As soon as they realized it was his birthday, they all lined up and began to sing. The love that poured from these previously forgotten and dejected boys was all the evidence I needed to stand convinced that miracles of rehabilitation are performed daily by Frances Davinson and the Centro Shama team.

When asked about their funding sources, Davinson cracked a wry smile. “Well we do a little bit of everything.  We are always just scraping by, but somehow we manage to stay open.”  Centro Shama also has an educational branch accredited by the Peruvian ministry of education where students can obtain a diploma that certifies them as educators specializing in working with high risk youth.  With revenues from this coupled with a cooking school also run by the center, money from selling pizza out of the cooking school, and some help from the church, they manage to keep operations running.  “It’s a shame we don’t have more steady sources of funding.  We have space for 50 children, but because of lack of financial resources, we only are able to currently maintain 30.”

Other important sources of income for Centro Shama are the sales of compact discs recorded by the children and an annual performance. This year’s events, De las calles a la luz (From the streets to the light) will be held on August 2nd at 7:30 P.M at the Centro de Convenciones Maria Angola Av. La Paz 610 Miraflores, Lima. For more information call 389-1693 and to purchase tickets visit Av. Roosevelt 201 esquina la Av. Lampa, Av. La Marina 2543-San Miguel, or Calle Schelle 324-Miraflores.

To inquire about courses in the Centro Shama educational center, to volunteer, or purchase cds, contact shamaperu@hotmail.com or visit the center at Jr. Jorge Sedano 395-Urb. Canto Bello (Altura Paradero 4 Avenida Canto Grande). San Juan de Lurigancho, Lima 36.  Their telephone number is 389-1693. 

To make a donation in dollars, you may do so directly into their account at Banco de Crédito del Perú, No. 191-10880767-1-72. For more information, visit their website at www.centroshama.org.pe or to listen to the music of the Shama choir, visit www.gruposhama.com. To view the story of Canal 4, click here.  Any questions or comments about this article or inquiries in English can be directed to the author at allisonmgarrett at gmail dot com.