Inspirar Más

In 2016, when I was a guiding teacher, on Children’s Day, I had to make a reflection for all high school students. The reflection sought to become aware of the situation of many children in Paraguay. Through pictures, I showed happy children playing and having fun. Children that many of us were and that many of us see. Likewise, I showed pictures of other children with other expressions on their faces and in other contexts. Sad, crying, and fearful children. Children sleeping in the streets next to the garbage, asking for money at traffic lights, sick in hospitals, etc. In summary, I showed different realities that children live in our country.

This year, again on Children’s Day, I would like to show opposing realities again, this time, through two different stories of two girls in particular. One of them existed, and I know her very well. The other story is about a fictitious girl inspired by a character from a well-known novel that I used to watch as a child. The two girls want to represent all the children of Paraguay and the whole world.

First, I will start by telling the story of Gabrielita, a girl I love very much and always keep in mind. She is a girl with many qualities. She is obedient, quiet, shy, attached to her family, respectful, imaginative, and, above all, happy. Gabrielita has a father and a mother who love her unconditionally, take care of her, protect her, give her everything she needs, and much more. Gabrielita loves her mom and dad very much, and she also loves her four sisters very much. She plays with them every day and has many adventures. She also has grandparents, uncles, and cousins ​​that she adores and with whom she shares on special dates.

Gabrielita loves going to school. She loves playing with her classmates and participating in all school activities. She feels loved and respected by her friends, as well as by her teachers. She feels someone important and especially enjoys it when her teachers teach her values ​​in addition to the academic lessons.

Gabrielita is a very ordinary girl. Every December 11, she receives many gifts for her birthday, which are increased on Christmas and Three Wise Men’s Day. Gabrielita loves to read storybooks and adventure novels. Thanks to this, she is very imaginative and often creates fantastic stories that make her want to read more and more.

When Gabrielita feels sad, cries or something hurts her, she immediately takes refuge in the arms of her mom or dad, who always know how to make her feel better. She knows that if they are not there, she can also count on her sisters or her close family. Everyone loves and takes excellent care of Gabrielita.

On the other hand, we have Jimena. She is a little girl who does not have a mother and father or any other family member other than her older brother. Jimena lives a very different reality from Gabrielita’s. Jimena doesn’t have her own house, she doesn’t sleep in a comfortable and warm bed, but instead sleeps on a piece of cardboard on the street floor.

Jimena doesn’t go to school and spends most of her time at traffic lights going from car to car, offering some candies in exchange for a couple of coins that will help her buy something to eat.

Jimena lives in constant fear since on the street she always meets all kinds of people who do nothing but mistreat her and hurt her a lot. In her short life, Jimena has gone through several abusive situations, which made her mistrust people and develop attitudes of negativism and frustration, among many other things.

Jimena has never received any gift for her birthday, for Christmas nor for the Three Wise Men. Unlike Gabrielita, when Jimena is sad, she hides in a corner and cries without anyone there to comfort her. Jimena doesn’t know what a hug, a caress, or words of affection are since no one has ever given her any of them.

There are many children like Gabrielita and Jimena in Paraguay and in the rest of the world. I know Gabrielita’s story by heart because it is my own story. And although this story is magnificent, and I am very grateful for it, I cannot help but compare it with Jimena’s story and so many other children who did not have the same opportunities. I can’t help but get angry, upset, and sad because the story of all children is not like Gabrielita’s. I can’t help but wonder, what did Gabrielita have that made her different from Jimena? Why did Gabrielita receive so much and others nothing? Why did Gabrielita have a happy childhood, and Jimena, along with other children, have one full of pain, fear, sadness, and tears?

These and other questions I constantly ask myself. Let’s be clear: I don’t feel bad for Gabrielita. I don’t feel sad about her story, I don’t condemn it, nor it bothers me. I feel bad for Jimena and children like her. I do not despise what Gabrielita experienced. I despise and it makes me sad what other children experience.

Everything that Gabrielita experienced is not wrong. Everything she had, everything she received is not wrong. What is wrong is everything that other children experience, everything that they do not have and do not receive. It is not wrong that Gabrielita has had a house, a family, and affection. What is wrong is that many children live on the street and must suffer. What is wrong is that many do not go to school and cannot play. I feel bad because many are abandoned, rejected, ignored, abused, mistreated, and despised.

When I am aware of all these situations, I could not imagine Gabrielita going through all of that. I can’t conceive a girl going through everything that Jimena went through. I cannot stop thinking about those children who, at this moment, are suffering from hunger, cold, abuse, suffering, pain, fear… Children who, at this moment, are being beaten, mistreated, and their rights violated. Children who are afraid of their own parents and the people who must protect them. Children who must fight in the street for a coin or a piece of bread. Children who do not know when their birthday is, or who have never had a party or received a gift. Children who never heard a kind word, «I love you», «I protect you», or «you are important to me». Children who live surrounded by evil, violence, drugs, filth. What a pain to have a childhood like this. How sad that there are children going through this. What a great helplessness to listen and see in the news some situation of abuse towards them.

With this, my goal is not to lament or complain. It is, above all, to take care of myself and assume part of the responsibility. The responsibility that I have, and we all have to protect our children, those around us, those we see. I mean doing my part in the place that I am. I mean protecting, caring, and defending those children who are within my reach, and who are part of my life. I mean doing my part so that these children can grow up in a healthy environment, free from abuse, surrounded by support. I have a responsibility to ensure this. I have a responsibility to defend them. Care and protection do not depend on them. It’s up to us adults. It is up to us to prevent children from being abused. It is up to us that they receive food, medical attention, quality education… We cannot ask them to take care of themselves. We are the ones who must take care of them until they can do it themselves.

So, it’s time to act and do our part. Do what we can do, no matter how small it may seem. For that child, it will be something big. Perhaps today I can only provide affection and protection… so I do it. Maybe today I can only show a smile… then I do it. Maybe today I can only build trust and show the child that he can count on me… so I do it. Perhaps today I can only offer good food to some of them… so I do it. Maybe today I can just sit down and play with them… then I do it. Maybe today I can just help with homework… then I do it. Maybe today I can just teach them a lesson… then I do it. Maybe today I can only report any abuse towards them… so I do it. Perhaps today I can only decide on a public policy that protects them… so I do it. If everyone does their part and what they must do, we will have more happy children who have the most important things to have: love, attention, respect, care, and affection. I wish that no child in Paraguay or the world is deprived of this. I wish that all children can have a childhood like Gabrielita’s. I wish everyone can grow up happy.