For the smile of Mexican children

How a group of Italian-Canadian pensioners came to the rescue of impoverished orphans

Acapulco means vacation: warm climate and crystal-clear waters where one can find shelter from the frigid Canadian winter. For Gabriele Colicchia, 81-year old but younger looking, until last February Mexico was just this: a place for spending relaxing holidays with his wife and friends. "Then, two years ago something happened that touched me deeply," remarks the Italian-Canadian pensioner. "I met a lady, Mrs. Virgilia Galeana Garcia, who asked me to help the orphans she was taking care of."
Gabriele Colicchia didn't think twice and inquired about the situation of those kids. "Mrs. Garcia, who chairs Campamento de niños huerfanos de la guerra sucia en Penjamo, painted a desperate picture of those 40 kids, between the ages of two and 13 years, living in Penjamo, a town 65 kilometres from Acapulco," remembers Colicchia. "I asked to see them, and realized that they had nothing, literally nothing: they lacked everything, from food to clothes."
Colicchia bought some cereals, some oil, and gave them what little money he had with him. "Of course I hadn't brought much with me, I wasn't expecting this sort of emergency," adds Colicchia, "but I decided to return. Last January I went back to Penjamo with close to $3,500 raised precisely for these children."
Those children are hungry. "I bought them two tons of maize, half a ton of beans, olive oil, 200 kgs of rice, and some clothes," says an emotional Colicchia. "I will never forget their joy, their smiles... a girl, Ysenia, jumped on me and hugged me. It was a beautiful, unforgettable feeling."
Solidarity towards this group of Mexican orphans expanded rapidly: Colicchia easily got three friends of his involved. "Vincenzo Di Francesco, Charlie Prestigiacomo and Sid Landry immediately joined me in this mission," continues Colicchia. "Exchanging a few words was enough to make us all feel the need to do something to alleviate the suffering of these unfortunate kids."
Colicchia's right-hand man is Landry, who spends six months every year in Acapulco. "Sid has been a friend of mine since 1976, and whenever I go to Mexico I pay him a visit," explains Colicchia. "Two years ago I told him of the children assisted by Virgilia Galeana Garcia and of their poor conditions. He listened very attentively, then stopped me and said, 'let's go, I'm coming with you'."
The two Canadian tourists found a situation very different from the usual fun on the beaches. "I can find no words to describe my feelings when I saw those children, without food, without beds, living in extreme poverty," adds Sid Landry. "Tears welled up in my eyes. Despite their desperate need, those children were smiling at us."
Colicchia and Landry went and bought some food, bread, ham, anything edible. "The kids were overjoyed, hugging us, displaying their gratitude and affection. Their desire to thank us and make us feel important was evident," recalls Colicchia. "Touring the building made us realize that the kids lacked even a mess hall where they could eat all together, and that there were innumerable things to do," adds Sid Landry. "Since water was only available for a few hours a day, we decided to dig a well and found water 10 metres underground. For the moment they are pumping it up by hand, but we have plans to install an electric pump. In summary, there's a lot of work to do. In the end, what compensates us for any effort, for our work, for everything, are the smiles of these children."
The sight of their misery triggered a reaction also in Vincenzo - Gino for his friends - Di Francesco, 66 years old. "Mexico is not a nice vacation place for us anymore," he says. "The first time I saw those children, my mind went back in time, to Italy after the war, when I and many other kids of my age had no shoes to wear, and often no food to eat. I saw myself in those kids, so I decided to help these friends try and make the lives of these children a little less squalid, a little more serene."
The display of solidarity has been joined also by Acapulco's Acamar Hotel, which is represented in Canada by Gabriele Colicchia. "I want to thank the hotel because they gave us the transportation to reach Penjamo. Seeing these kids eat regularly is a great satisfaction for us."
Of course, in addition to goodwill, money is needed for improving the lives of these little orphans. "We'll organize some fundraisers," concludes Colicchia. "In the meantime we've opened a bank account for any donation: account number 3832 5210992 at the Royal Bank of Canada, Hwy 2 & Liverpool, 1340 Kingston Road, Unit 5, Pickering. We also invite anyone who wishes to go on vacation and meet these children to contact me at 905.767.3781 or 905.683.1678. I'm sure that this experience will enrich everybody's life. My own life has already improved."

Publication Date: 2004-08-08
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=4256