Discapacidades

I was excited to learn that there is an organization called Los Angelitos that serves children with disabilities here in Suchitoto. I went over to their office and asked the director, in broken Spanish, about what services they provide.

I am slowly learning how lucky we are to be from the United States. We have so many priveleges, so many wonderful social programs.

In El Salvador there are no services provided by the government for people with disabilities. There are no special education teachers. People with disabilities do not have the right to go to school. There are no funds for communication devices, or wheelchairs, or physical or speech therapy.

This is the reality. Many parents with children with disabilites struggle to make ends meet, since they have to hire someone to care for their child or care for them themselves. I met one mother that has a child with cerebral palsy. She has to pick her up to toilet her, move her, bathe her. The mother already has back problems and the child is only 9.

Los Angelitos was founded in Suchitoto by parents of children with disabilites. They wanted to band together, to fight for rights for their children. They attend protests and try to educate the government about their childrens needs. There are very few social programs here. The unemployment rate is high, the country is poor.

The parents in Los Angelitos have a spark in their eyes. After I described Lifeworks, the wonderful organization I worked for, one father told me, "look, we would love to have all of these services you talk about. If Barack Obama would send us some money, maybe. Here in El Salvador we have to advocate for our children."

Los Angelitos has been able to fund a special educator and physical therapist full time. Many of the kids with disabilites live in the countryside, so the teacher and therapist travel from home to home providing services. I am going to accompany them to the campo next week and learn about what they do and who they serve.

This morning I had my first music therapy group at Los Angelitos with 3 children with disabilites. One seems to have a sensory defecit disorder, one is deaf, and the other has mild MR. They are sweet kids, with supportive families. I am excited to work with them as we learn together!

I learned this hymn from the Brethren, it is in my heart today.

Will you let me be your servant,

Let me be as Christ to you? 

Pray that I might have the grace to

Let you be my servant too.