History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends Geschiedenis van de Familie Adriaens | Page 108

from army and police had left the people very
conscious of their vulnerability and afraid of
retaliations should they dare to break the law.
There was something else hindering the relations
between the people from the campamento and the two
European girls. “How can you help us? You don’t even
understand our reality” they were told over and over
again. “At night, you go to sleep in a warm bed; during
the week-ends, you eat at fancy restaurants and watch
movies in the cinema … you don’t know how it is to
spend your days in mud and dirt, not being able to send
your children to school, or to pay a doctor when they
need one.”
With some trepidation, the two girls decided to built
their own little cottage and settle down amongst the
people of the slum. “One day, no more than one day,
that is how long it will take before you are raped and
robbed”, the good people of Maipú warned them. “I
have been robbed”, Marlies smiles: “But never in Chile.
Some years ago however, in Brussels however, the
radio was stolen from my car”.
To live with the people and be part of their life, was a first step.
The second step was, to become aware of the problems. There was no shortage of these: poverty, unemployment,
malnutrition, in some cases even bordering on starvation, especially in the children. In addition: widespread neurosis
in the women and alcoholism in the men, both the fruit of frustration and despair. There were the health problems
related to living in conditions not worthy of man: skin diseases, respiratory problems, allergies, parasites, …
Step three was the most difficult: convincing the people to organize. “They will imprison us, they will raid our houses,
shoot at us, …” The tragic truth was that, unless they organized, they would lose all they ever hoped to find in
Santiago. Families would fall apart, people would die. There was no alternative to organizing. And so, they organized!
The girls’ first initiatives concentrated on the children. First, a “children restaurant” was organized with leftovers from
adjacent markets and food begged in shops. But soon, lack of space forced them to switch to a system of “village
kitchen” in which teams of women prepared the meals, which were then taken home and eaten in
family circle.
With the mothers who helped in the kitchen, they formed knit-teams, who made the uniforms that allowed the
children to go to school. They also organised study sessions, in which the smartest youngsters helped the slow
learners amongst younger children with their schoolwork.
Once started, the people were eager for more. Teachers were invited to teach practical skills: lessons in dressmaking,
hair care and electricity were organized.
But it did not stop their:
The municipal authorities were contacted about such items as distribution of water and electricity, collection of
household refuse and medical assistance.
Local youngsters were formed as monitors and accompanied the children at “holiday colonies” in empty schools,
where they spent part of their summer vacation far away from the dangers of campamento-life. Here, they
participated in healthy walks, visited swimming pools and cinemas, - often for the first time in their lives -, and
dedicated the rest of their time to educational games.
For the families also, day trips to the sea and the mountains were organised.

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