The swarms of eager Comedor children huddled closer to form a tighter circle around the blindfolded boy swatting hopefully at the piñata stuffed with treats. Their eyes were alit with the hope of promised candy, poised and ready to launch forward without a moment’s hesitation were it to break. As I watched the stick meet and break the paper-maché penguin, the children scrambled for the sweets as if they were as precious as gold. I could not help but break out into a smile as I stood in the corner recording the infectious laughter, squeals of joy and ever present smiles at the Dia de los Niños celebration, as I gazed on the scene and the simple pleasures that came from children just being children.
For the children of the Comedor Infantil Pasionista these moments are something special to be celebrated and cherished. The Comedor, a lunch program for children ages 4-11, is located in Nuevo San Diego, one of the most impoverished communities of Talanga, Honduras. Here, it is not uncommon for a child to have to take on the responsibilities of an adult by working, taking care of the house and younger siblings, or not going to school because their family cannot afford the uniform and other school fees. One of the Comedor families has two older sons, David, 13, and Chele, 11, who do not go to school, but help earn money for their family by collecting plastic bottles and tin cans that have been tossed as trash to the side of the road. Almost everyday they can be seen around town lugging bags larger than themselves and waving to us as we make the walk down to Nuevo San Diego. The truth is, by the age of 11 many children seem older than they really are, burdened by the weight of adult reality.
When I think of childhood, I think of carefree days in the park, eating ice cream and counting down the minutes of school until it was time to play again. As these thoughts cross my mind and I find myself looking into the beautiful smiling face of one of the Comedor children, I realize the importance of Dia de los Niños, the Day of Children. It is a day purely for celebrating the joys that children bring us, and acknowledging the rights that they have to a happy, safe and beautiful childhood. Toward the end of the Comedor party, after the excitement of the piñatas and, of course, cake, one of the littlest boys, Luis, had thoroughly exhausted himself after dancing. With the mannerisms of a little old man, Luis plopped himself down next to me and his older brother Oscar. Hugging his newly won stuffed animal, he exclaimed loudly to me, “Phew! I’m tired! I’m getting too old for this!” Laughing at his chubby cheeks and impish smile I tightly hugged him and replied that he would never be too old to dance and have fun.
- Rosaria Trichilo is a Passionist Volunteer serving in Honduras.
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Related articles
- Passionist Volunteers International (thepassionists.org)
- Passionist Volunteer Brooke Lahr Reflects on New Realities in Honduras (thepassionists.org)
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- When God Comes to Visit (thepassionists.org)
