Yesterday as I was lounging in a chair pumping blood into a bag as part of a blood drive in a friend’s home, I read this poster:
We have four adult sons, and yet almost all of my focus at the clinic is on women and children…and girls. I realized that boys here suffer as well…men are not allowed to be who they are meant to be in any sexist society, especially those men who are poor.
They are expected to care for their families, but in this society monogamy for men is not a priority and neither is condom usage; therefore, they have abundant children…BUT there are no jobs for the men. What do they do then? They turn to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. The catch 22 is that drinking, smoking, and using drugs takes money away from the families and the children they know they must care for…and so guilt and depression set in.
Depression runs rampant, but “strong” men are neither depressed nor do they ask for help. Much of the depression leads to anger which comes out in most inappropriate ways. In Nueva Vida there are five gangs of boys and young men, and though they are not as deadly as the gangs one might find in other countries, they are deadly and destructive to the souls of the gang members.
Boys need to be reached. They, not unlike the girls, need hope. Hope for a healthier, more peaceful, and happier future. Hope is what keeps boys out of gangs. Hope can help them grow to be whole men and good fathers.
Education can promise a better future where they find jobs, have only the children they want and can care for, and help them stay healthy.
This Father's Day, if you want to honor your father or remember your father or any father who left a positive mark on your life, you can help us get this program started.
-Kathleen
