KENT KLICH   Street Children in Mexico City


Pájaro and Negro

I am on the sidewalk talking to Güero and Flaco, two years ago they lived here on the streets at Tasqueña. I remember inviting them to Father Chinchachomas' Homes for Street Children where they are still living. They look great and are on their way to school. It feels good to see them. Güero tells me that he won a prize for making the best piece of furniture, a table, in a competition among the children in a woodworking class. Suddenly, Pájaro screams: "Help, Negro!" I see a man running down the street with the children after him. The man just hit Negro out of the blue. No one understands why.

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Salt and Corn

Felipe is carrying a pair of boxing gloves and Jorge has a little rucksack over his right shoulder. They must be around nine or ten years old. I meet them coming out of the Tasqueña subway station. They ask me for money and I buy them a soda. Jorge and Felipe are going to eat and they invite me to come along. Later at the fountain they unpack Pan Bimbo, sardines, tomatoes and chili from the rucksack.

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Omar in the Casona

Buildings damaged by earthquakes are dangerous to live in. Garrocha and Toni died when the building they were sleepingin collapsed in August 1991. Guillermo survived and is now called Siete Vidas, "The One Who has Seven Lives".

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Patachín

Patachín, from Acapulco, was run over by a car and lost his leg. The other kids called him Patachín after a cartoon gunfighter, who only had one good hand to shoot with. There wasn't much water in the fountain and it was often dirty but the children loved to go there. It was a place where they could swim and sun bath in peace by the cool water.

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Efeo

Efeo, who makes his money washing windshields on the corner of Miramontes and Tasqueña was bitten by a rat. Chato was the taxi driver who brought him to the hospital for injections. The rabies treatment took a couple of weeks,during which time Efeo lived with Chato and his family.


 

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