She spoke so softly, “I have a question? Why do you care about me?”
I asked, “What is your name?”
“Diana,” she whispered.
“Hola Diana, me llamo Sean. I care about you because you are a child, like my daughter. And VAMOS! cares about all people. People like to do good things. They like to share and to help, especially children and families.
“Decirles gracias. – Tell them thank you.”
I met Diana in November 2014 and I think of our conversation almost every day. She was bright and curious and just a little bit shy. She was very patient with me and my broken Spanish. We talked about what she likes to do, and where she lives and about her family. She told me that she has a brother and sister who also come to our center for school and a good meal. Her mother comes on the days when she does not work as a maid in another part of Cuernavaca. Her father sometimes works in a shoe store. They live in a house that has two rooms and she was very proud to say that they have an electric stove! It takes her about 20 minutes to walk to our center and she is often the first to arrive. She is clearly a star in our second grade class.
I found it so interesting that she asked why people would care about her. I could see that she was thinking about how she cared for people, but that it was different to care about someone who you did not know, compared to your friends and family. She was fascinated that it was not just me who cares but many, many people in the U.S., people who have never even been to Mexico. She said we must all be very rich and wanted to know what it was like to fly on an airplane. At the end of our visit she was quiet and said “Gracias – Thank you, and please tell the other VAMOS! people thank you also.”
So you can see why I think about Diana so often. She is a child, full of wonder, trying to figure things out. She did not complain about her small home with its dirt floor, or the long, hot walk to our center. Instead she wanted to know more about VAMOS! and to say thank you. I think about her future and what her future holds, growing up so poor. I believe that VAMOS! is helping her to learn and to excel in school. That our meals and our doctors help to keep her healthy and able to focus in school. And I know that none of this would be possible without people’s generosity. Your help will have a real impact on her life. I promise you.
www.vamos.org.mx/donate