Yesterday afternoon I went with Juancito Casey to the Banada. This is an area of Asuncion virtually surrounded by the river on all sides. It is very prone to flooding which is one of the reasons that the city authorities will not permit houses in the area. Most of the people who live there are extremely poor, making a living gathering trash for recycling or selling small items on the streets. It is very reminiscent of the way of life of the people in the Cancha of Cochabamba. It is a tough, unremitting and precarious way of life. People make just about enough money to live at a basic level.
Juancito has a centre for catechists in the area. The catechists are young people from around the local area, who at least have had the benefit of a secondary school education. They teach the young primary school kids the basic elements of their Christian faith in premises that would have been condemned in Ireland even in the last century. Juancito himself is the Coordinator of the project although there is also a lady who acts as the main catechetical coordinator.
It is interesting to be with Jack in the Banada area. He is well-known and well-loved by the people. He appears to know almost everyone by name, a remarkable feat in itself. It is like Ireland about seventy years ago. Everyone chats and talks. The kids come up to say Hello. It is another world long past for the rest of us.
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