by Liz Tynes, originally published in Nica News 18 (November 1998)

In the Chinandega Hospital, Norlan Javier lies on a bed cradling a pink balloon. He is one of eight children in the Chinandega department documented so far as having lost both parents as a result of the disaster. The Ministry of Family does not know how many other children like Norlan are scattered about the affected zones. They are gathering information from around the country and believe there will be more.

On Friday, October 30 at around 12:30 p.m., Norlan Javier and his two cousins were caught and swept up in the river of mud roaring down the slopes off Casita Volcano, covering what was once their home, El Porvenir. Norlan Javier and his cousins are three of 134 survivors from a village of over 600 people.

Though he has lost his parents, Norlan Javier has not been abandoned. Less than 24 hours after his arrival at the hospital, an uncle came looking for survivors. He will take care of his own son, Norlan Javier, and the other cousin.

Wanting to care

"These children are all I have left in the world," he said. No other members of his immediate family survived, and his house and village are no more.

"We originally thought we would find a great number of orphans as a result of the damages wrought by Hurricane Mitch," said Ramón Díaz, National Coordinator of Foster Homes for the Ministry of Family (Mifamilia). Happily though, that has not been the case. There has been such a large and terrible loss of life that older family members want to take care of any children that are still alive, be they cousins, nephews, or even from outside the immediate family."

The municipality of Posoltega, for example, has registered cases of orphans but they do not have one case of an abandoned child, one not claimed by a family member.

"In the first few days after the disaster, we had some unclaimed children in the Chinandega Hospital but little by little, family members would trickle in. In some cases, the kids do not recognize the person coming to claim them, either because the child is too young or the family member is a distant relative. In these cases the family member must have witnesses to prove that they really are related," Ramón Díaz explained.

Mifamilia is collecting data from all zones affected by the hurricane and plans to place each orphan in a foster home in their own communities as an intermediate step before adoption.

At risk

"We have to be absolutely certain that the child has no one who wants to care for them. Sometimes there is a family member that is still in the hospital or a relative that lives in another part of the country," Díaz stated.

The Ministry would like to stress that though they expect the number of orphans as a result of Hurricane Mitch to be low, all children affected by the disaster are at risk, both mentally and physically.

"Many of the children in the hospital in Chinandega are in a state of shock. They cry out at night. They ask for toys, a stuffed animal, a doll. They are looking for comfort and a way to express their feelings," said José Leonel Jiménez of Mifamilia's Public Relations Department.

Health risks are also grave for children in the affected zones. They are not as strong as adults and are more likely to drink contaminated water or eat contaminated food, play in contaminated zones, and generally, be exposed to health risks.

SOS Nicaragua is one of many organizations directing their relief efforts toward children.

"We are delivering packets of food to families in affected areas. There are three types of packets. One for children under 1 year of age, another for children 1 to 14 years old, and one for older family members. We have found children that are suffering from second and third degree malnutrition," explained María Lourdes Taleno, SOS Nicaragua's psycho-pedagogical coordinator.

Save The Children is donating $500,000 to various projects to help children at risk. "There may be few actual orphans, but many children are at serious risk and many children have lost one parent or their brothers and sisters," Ramón Meneses stressed. His organization, Redd Barna-Save the Children Norway, is working closely with Mifamilia and local non-governmental organizations to provide immediate emergency relief and also help develop projects to aid these children over time.

A number of Costa Rican families expressed immediate interest in adopting Nicaraguan children orphaned by Hurricane Mitch, but they will have to wait. According to Mifamilia, so far all orphans have been embraced by surviving family members in a country where family ties are notably strong.

Hope is that arrangements can be made to care for those less fortunate. Those orphaned by Mitch may not be fully aware of what has happened to them, but there are many who are taking steps to ensure that they can live for the future.