¿Who Else?

Who Else Wants to Ruin the Lives of Granada´s Children?
taken from OSheas Irish Pub Restaurant menu
Granada, Nicaragua

With the best intentions in the world, you might be inadvertently doing more harm than good - and creating parasites at the same time....

The children you see on the streets of Granada begging for food and money have become an epidemic that, beileve it or not, is destroying their lives. These children have learned that tourists are walking ATM machines that hand out money and food whenever they ask. When a kid approaches you, please bear these things in mind:

THESE KIDS HAVE HOMES
The homeless situation here in Granada is not nearly as severe as it is in other cities. Orphanages and charity organizations take care of homeless children here. These kids have parents and a family...

THESE KIDS ALREADY HAVE FOOD
But they want the hamburges, french fries, and other rich foods that tourists eat. These kids eat rice & beans, fruits and vegetables like all the other children in Nicaragua - and those that are hungry are fed in a large charity kitchen here in Granada called ¨Carita Feliz¨(Happy Face). However, these kids are refusing to eat the nutritious food that this kitchen provides because so many tourists will give them richer foods......

THESE KIDS BELONG IN SCHOOL
Many of these children who arrive on the street are usually already attending school, but within days they drop out and begin spending all the time on the streets begging and harassing tourists and locals alike.....

THEY ARE BECOMING DRUG ADDICTS AND PROSTITUTES
As they roam the streets at night, they come into contact with bad influences: drugs, sniffing glue (which literally dissolves the brain), pedophiles, and pimps (who turn them into child prostitutes)....

THESE CHILDREN ARE BEING EXPLOITED
Many times these kids are sent by their parents to earn money, since the children can earn more begging for a few hours than the parents can working a full day. Some children are beaten if they don't want to beg. Poor, irresponsible adults will ¨rent¨ hungry looking children to use for begging in the streets....

PLEASE PRACTICE TOUGH LOVE: if you give these kids what they ask for, you´re making their lives - and the lives of the locals and visitors miserable. If you truly want to help these children, please give donations to any of these organizations:

Carita Feliz: (meals and development) - www.caritafeliz.org
La Esperanza Granada (education) - www.la-esperanza-granada.org
Mi Familia: (family assistance program) - www.mifamilia.gob.ni


my note: YES, all this just from giving someone 10 cents for nothing. Never forget how powerful we are in affecting positive and negative changes around us.