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August 22- August 29,2004 |
For the smile of Mexican children
How a group of Italian-Canadian pensioners came to the rescue of impoverished orphans
By Mariella Policheni
Originally Published: 2004-08-08
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 niņos 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'."
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