GODPARENT PROGRAM
CHILD OF THE MONTH OF JULY 2004
CARLOS MARIO LARREA
Carlos Mario is 9 years old and has been with us for 5 years. We are familiar with his story and his development. He used to live with his parents in a tenement house in the sector. His family consists of an older sister and seen younger brothers.
He has been forced to work at recycling with his parents since he was very young. He attended our program continuously for two and a half years. After that time, his behavior became aggressive and difficult to manage, and was having a negative influence on the other children, so Poder Joven had to remove him from the Institution. It was a difficult decision because we knew of all the child’s needs, but his attitude had become a critical for the program. He used to hit the other children and had no respect for any of the rules of coexistence with others. We exhausted all possible alternatives, but Carlos Mario did not offer any positive response.
While away from the program, the boy had several experiences. He was involved in a car accident, in which Poder Joven protected him and did everything to have him cared for in a hospital. Not he has recovered entirely, and after spending a year outside our Institution he came back asking for another chance. The doors were opened to him again, and we explained the commitment to good behavior which he had to make. He agreed. This was three months ago, and now he is completely adapted to the group of children, he respects the rules set by the teachers, and shows a great deal of interest in improving at all levels.
“Cases like Carlos Mario’s encourage us to keep up our volunteer efforts. We must not lose the hope that every human being can change his or her history if there is someone there to provide loving support...” - Carolina Lopera. Volunteer, Poder Joven Association
