Francisco
Horno Ckasa A Coordinator
“Profe,
can you come help us in the school with a puppet show?”
“Profe,
I saw you this morning. Where were you going?
“Profe,
what time can we come to the center today?”
The
“Profe” (short for professor and pronounced pro-fay,
a term used for all teachers in Bolivia and adopted by kids in the
Horno Ckasa zone for FHI worker, Francisco) and I were headed up
from the school to the FHI center. Along the way we picked up a
ragged group of kids with quick smiles and hands eager to find a
larger one to hold it. The soft spoken Profe, with two or three
small hands in each of his, spoke about his work.
“God
has taught me so many different things through these children. I
remember one afternoon I came out to the zone straight from the
office. I was in my nice office clothing. A little girl came out
from under the desk in the corner to give me a hug. She was covered
in dirt which came off on my nice black pants. I got upset. But
then God showed me…the little girl is like me. I may be covered
in grime, but God always accepts me. Now I make sure to wear casual
clothing so the kids can hug me as much as they want.”
“Sometimes
the kids accidentally call me Dad. Most of them either don’t
have fathers in their home or have a father or mistreats them. One
day one of the boys asked me for his allowance money. It was a funny
incident, but made me realize that every son or daughter has a right
to a Father who provides for their needs. Most of these kids don’t
have fathers who recognize that right. But when we approach God,
we should have total confidence that God recognizes that right and
even wants us to approach him with that total trust of a kid asking
for his allowance.”
Francisco
grew up one of three orphaned siblings split up between three different
youth homes. He has an educational background in accounting and
psychology and a desire to one day add medicine to the list. He
began working with the children of Horno Ckasa in March of 2003
but has a much longer history with FHI working in accounting and
the Food for Work program.
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