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As director of an HIV/AIDS-prevention program called Generación
(as in "youth generation"), Lucy Borja started visiting
Peru's prisons for juveniles. During these visits, she learned
personal stories from the children of the daily threats of
violence they faced in life on the streets: kidnapping, rapes,
beat ups, and even shootings by death squads.
Lucy's abolitionist work began when she reached out to help two
boys—both around twelve years old—who feared to spend the
night on the streets. She invited them to sleep in her office one
evening, and welcomed them to include any other child who shared
their fears. That night, six hundred children slept in the office.
The word had passed like wildfire on the streets of Lima that
there might finally be a safe haven.
Children like these end up on the streets of Peru when a
traumatic incident tears them away from their families. Once
displaced, they become vulnerable to predators of every stripe:
traffickers set traps, the police consider them outlaws, and the
majority of people see them as less than human. The stigma of
rejection brands their tiny bodies.
Night after night, the kids of Lima kept coming back to Lucy's
office for sanctuary. Eventually, her staff became upset with the
ongoing invasion, and gave Lucy an ultimatum: "It's either
us.....or the kids." Lucy chose the kids, and Not For Sale
has chosen to join with her in this cause.
WATCH
Kique's video about Lucy's work in Peru.
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THE SURFING TRIBE
One of Generación’s most dynamic programs revolves around
surfing. A few years ago, the harassment against street children
increased to such a degree that Generación had to take the
youngest children away to a remote place. Generación now rents a
house in a coastal town about an hour from Lima, where fifteen to
eighteen kids live full-time. From the beginning, the Not For Sale
Campaign has aided by providing surfing equipment, so the children
could learn how to surf. It is a remarkable scene to head down to
the beach late in the afternoon and watch a pack of ex-street
children mixing in with the locals. Some of Generación’s kids
are now entering surfing competitions and performing at a high
level!
Surfing has become a meaningful practice that brings physical,
psychological, and spiritual benefits. The children are realizing
that through surf they can express themselves, compete, be
respected, and connect with nature. The healing process is working
and they are doing well in school. Some of them are even
reconnecting with their families in a much healthier way.
Generacion is running an innovative prevention and aftercare
program without almost any economical resources. In the last year
they needed to move three times to smaller houses due to the high
rent that the landowners are asking them to pay. The Not For Sale
Campaign is aiming to help the organization raise $100,000 to buy
a house for the surfing tribe and build a vocational training
center.
WATCH
the surfing tribe!
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