Irish-British Province

MANGUA/NICARAGUA
Truce between two gangs

The SVD seminary at Managua was recently the venue for a meeting between two rival gangs in the area.

It was the result of the initiative by the local police chief and organized by Fr. Virgilio ALEJANDRÍA, and aimed at bringing to an end “the war” between two of the gangs of the capital city. A number of jobless youths end up in one of the many such gangs involved in violence and drugtrafficking.

At the same time, Fr. Jerzy FIGURA organized a foot ball tournament involving many of the members of these gangs. In the beginning the presence of police was required as some of the matches led to fist fights, which could easily have ended up in fights with machetes and AK-47s.

Fr. Donald D’SOUZA and Fr. Arnaldo ALVES engage the youth in their parish at Palacagüina in various sports competitions like Basket Ball, Foot Ball etc.

Nicaragua is a “young” country with 72.5% of the population under 30 years of age (1995 INEC census). Yet, the youth is a forgotten group and there are few opportunities for them. An estimated 85% of the population lives in extreme poverty.

Many resort to the use of drugs and violence to “escape” from their misery. For the SVDs in CAM, these forgotten and marginalized groups are partners in dialogue.

Source: Arnoldus Nota