Wednesday, July 22
Those frustrations began shortly after we arrived and were playing with the children in the courtyard. We were approached by nurses and told that we needed to take the children back into the wards because it was too cold for them. (The temperature was in the low 70’s and the children were dressed in several layers and were using blankets.) We were forced to take the children back into the same prison cells which they spend most of their lives. Gradually we began to once again liberate the children into the courtyard after an hour had passed and they allowed us to stay outside that time.
Once again, I want you to understand the typical child’s day at Hermano Pedro. They are awakened at around 6:00 am for baths followed by breakfast followed by a few short hours in wheelchairs, hopefully in the courtyard if the weather is warm enough. Then, it is time for lunch at noon. When they are done eating, the staff will place the kids back in their beds for the rest of the day.
This is particularly frustrating when you are there to love the kids and give them an alternative to their normal existence. As we were there holding and playing with the children the nurses began to come and insist that we put them to bed for “naps.” This nap is in addition to the 13 hours of sleep they receive from 5:00 pm until 6:00 am and the additional hours they sleep because they are sedated during the day. Further, they insist that we put the children down for these naps even if they are sleeping peacefully in our arms.
So, our team quietly rebelled. The children were placed in their beds and, one by one, we would slip into their cribs, quietly remove them, place them in their wheelchairs, and break them out of their prison. While we are here, we have decided to fight for their freedom in every way possible. This afternoon we enjoyed another four hours of freedom with about 15 children whom we liberated from their cages.
