(14.12.2007) When Nayan Anaconda was 9 years old she worked in the streets together with her mother and her little sister. Then she joined the Colombian Red Cross street children programme, Panica. And today the 14 years old girl is a volunteer in the Red Cross and she is helping children in the same situation as the one she was in to move forward.
Nayan grew up in a poor neighbourhood in the Colombian capital, Bogotá. The neighbourhood they lived in was not a safe place for children; In the streets there were many drug addicts, the danger of being robbed and occationally murders. For these reasons Nayan’s mother preferred to bring her two young dauthers, 7 and 9 years old, with her to work in the streets instead of leaving them at home all by themselves. So every afternoon and evening Nayan and her little sister helped their mother to sell eucalyptus (a plant that gives a pleasant smell) in the streets of Bogotá.
The way they were treated is one of the worst memories that Nayan has got from the time they stayed in the streets. “People look down on you because they think they have more than you. You feels that you are not worth anything, and because of this humiliation I wanted to give up. But we are worth a lot!” she says with a lot of conviction.
Nayan with children who are coloring pictures of values.
Their aunt put them in contact with Panica, the Colombian Red Cross’ programme for street children. The Red Cross works together with the whole family in order to make the children stay away from the streets. In addition to teaching the children about values, self-confidence and hygiene, they also teach courses for the mothers where they teach them how to start their own micro companies as an alternative to working in the streets.
Nayan’s family participated in the Panica-programme for 5 years and they family has gone through a lot of changes. They have moved to a safer neighbourhood and bought their own house. In the new neighbourhood the neighbours are nice and they treat people by who they are and not what they have got. Nayan and her sister go to school and the mother is starting her own little beauty salon. Now they can plan a future. “I want to study medicine,” says Nayan, “and to give my mother a safe future after everything she has done for us!”
Two months ago Nayan and her little sister joined the Red Cross Youth as volunteers to help other children who are in the risk group to leave their homes and stay in the streets. “The most important things I have learned from the Red Cross are the principles and how to behave in relaton to other people. Now I have self-confidence and plans for the future. I am a volunteer in the Red Cross to teach to other people what I have learned and to help them with what they need!”
The Panica volunteers evaluate the activities of the day.