Social Work - El Callejon

El Callejon literally means "dead-end street". This community is two parallel streets with house packed together between. On one side of the community is a "Berlin-esque" wall that was built because rich people on the other side did not want to have to look at the houses of El Callejon. On the other side is a field that the people are not allowed to build on because the adjacent golf course does not want their patrons to have to look at the houses of El Callejon. And so you enter a little community with houses and colmados (little convenience stores) and naked children running through the street. Many of the women in the community either have no husband or are abused. There are so many children it's hard to figure out who belongs with which family.
However negative this description of El Callejon may sound, it is a place with much hope and much work being done. I have the privilege of working in the women's social work site where throughout the week I work with a variety of different age groups. My involvement so far has included helping out with the older women's group, leading a game with the middle school girls, helping a three-year-old color a picture, and teaching the teen girls Bible study in Spanish - that was a stretching experience.
This week our team has been at the base taking one more ministry class that will be finished in two days. After that I will be back at my ministry site for 5 straight weeks where I look forward to continuing to build relationships with the girls who come to the site and also with the kids in the community.