Three years ago, a screaming, drug-addicted baby who had been delivered on a Guadalajara street by a taxi driver was deposited at the door of La Ola girls’ home in Jocotepec.
After the birth, the mother had tried to sell her baby for 250 pesos to buy drugs.
Today, that girl is part of “a crazy Mexican family.” She loves “to swim in the pool, go the water park and try her best to stay up past bedtime,” says Becky Plinke, who runs La Ola along with her husband Bob.
Each of the 18 girls in the home (there is also one boy) can tell a story of tragedy, abuse or abandonment. Most have families and were placed in La Ola by state social services.
“Sometimes I miss my family and think of them, but I know I’m better off here,” says Karla.
This is because for the first time in their lives the girls are learning about family structure and receiving genuine love. And all attend school, some for the first time.
Thanks to sponsors, some of the girls are able to go to private schools and 13 of them have learned to speak some English. Homework is scheduled between 3 and 6 p.m., and help is available. There is a small “classroom” with desks, computers and good lighting. Younger children color and draw while their “older sisters” solve math problems or write compositions.
Each girl harbors hopes for the future. Sixteen-year-old Angeles says she would like to be an architect, while others have expressed interest in teaching or nursing. One has her heart set on earning a hospitality degree from the nearby school in Jaltepec.
Although state law requires the girls to leave the home soon after turning 18, La Ola does not set them adrift. The Plinkes take personal responsibility for the future of their girls.
One is studying to be a beautician. A sponsor is helping her with rent for an apartment, as well as paying for her schooling because, as Becky stresses, “she is a part of our family.”
Becky admits, however, that some girls arrive so damaged or abused that it is impossible for them to adjust to a home life. These girls usually require private help and housing, since “it can be too destructive to have one with too many severe problems,” she says.
Life at La Ola is comfortable. The girls live in dormitory-style rooms with bunk beds. The children are covered by (Seguro Popular) health insurance and other donors help with medical expenses. A psychologist and social worker provide the corresponding services.
One sponsor even pays for all the girls’ dental work, including orthodontics. He says a girl needs be able to smile to gain self-confidence.
The girls are involved with the youth group of the Presbyterian Church in Riberas del Pilar, although some are Catholic and are free to remain so. Mostly, they like to hang out with one another.
Official inspections at La Ola are held regularly – the last one took nine hours and resulted in a positive 100-page report. La Ola is considered a showplace and other children’s home operators have been taken there on occasions to observe and learn.
The need for volunteers at La Ola is ongoing and funds are always scarce. “School will start in August and we like to get new uniforms for the girls and of course they need lots of supplies,” says Becky, a trauma nurse before she retired.
All contributions are tax deductible and help brings its own rewards.
Find out more about La Ola (meaning the wave in Spanish) by visiting their website at laolacasahogar.org, or call (333) 471-3937.