At home there were always problems. My dad was an alcoholic and my parents got in fights often, which were frequently physical. My dad didn’t care about me and my brothers and sisters - I’m sure of that. We were moving houses a lot. At night my mom woke me up and told me we had to leave, with everything already packed. We had to go. Now I understand why; she never could pay the rent. I was six years old when I escaped from my home the first time. I didn’t have any idea where to go, but everything was better than being at home. After a couple of days wandering around  without any food, I decided to go home. But very soon I wanted to get away again. With a bag full of food I took the bus to Cusco. The first days living in the streets were very difficult. I was scared and I had to learn to steal to get food. I can remember it very well. The first thing I stole was a soda. I was terrified! But not very long after I was stealing stuff from closed market stands to sell for money. The nights were good for ‘ working’  and besides, it was too cold to sleep. Therefore, I was sleeping in the daytime on little fields in parks with some plastic around me. At this time I was living at a market spot (not sure what “market spot” means), but there were so many police coming that it wasn’t safe anymore. I had to go. I decided to find another place in the main square of Cusco -- Plaza the Armas, which became my next home. It is the most touristic place in Cusco and I got to know a whole new world. I learned very quickly from other street kids how to earn money. I only had to say one sentence to tourists: “One sol for me, for my hunger..”. They gave me money, having pity on me. And I received more than the others because I was the youngest and the smallest. But this money was stolen from me by other street kids very often. Many kids who are living on the streets are addicted to Terokal, a hallucinogenic glue. I never touched it, but I was drinking a lot of beer and I was smoking cigars, as a six year old. I was getting them by asking tourists; I always said that they were for my collection. And they believed me. I was smoking them secretly from my sleeve because when the police see you, they will arrest you. I also used cocaine but not very often and I was addicted to playing videogames on internet. Day in and day out I went to one of those small cafés and played for hours and hours. All these things were making me forget my problems and gave me an escape from the real world. One day I bought a small wooden box so I could polish shoes. This had to be very small so I could hide it under my shirt when the police were coming. This is punishable just like robbery and sleeping in public places. I got shoe polish from the exhaust of cars. Well, for the black color. For brown there was another way. I learned so many different ways to get money -- hiding my shoes, for instance. That way I looked more sad and received more money. I still hear myself say, “For my hunger, for my shoes.” They took me into custody many times, at an office I can remember very well -- a small space with four beds where fifteen children had to sleep. The older kids slept in the beds and the little ones on the floor or outside the room. For one sol you could buy breakfast which was bread and tea. The rest of the day there wasn’t anything to eat. The police were very strict and often unfair. Through the hunger, cold and fear I cried a lot just like the other smallest and they punished us for this. For example, we had to bend with our head to the floor and arm on our back. This caused a horrible ache because all the blood was streaming there. Sometimes they put a bottle cap on our forehead till it was bleeding. With another boy we decided to escape. Because I was very small I could escape through a small window very easily. We had to climb up three floors along the wall. After, we had to jump from roof to roof. This almost went wrong because I couldn’t make the jump so I was hanging on the third floor. Luckily the other boy saved me. Otherwise I think I would have been dead. Finally we escaped by the roof. I was very scared; I knew the police would go looking for us. And if they found us, there was a punishment waiting for us. The boy wanted to escape with me but I ran away. As a nine-year-old boy I was still living at the Plaza de Armas. Just like other street kids I was very active at night. This was the best time because there were many drunk tourists who gave money very easily. I lived day by day and the time passed by. Later I discovered a place to sleep for street kids where you could sleep for thirty cents ($0,10). I got to know new boys over there. One of them was making music and took me with him to work. We were playing in public minibuses. I discovered another world again. I was working for my money but I didn’t like it at all. Instead of giving two soles the people gave only ten cents now. But it was a good thing because I learned to think about the money I had and couldn’t spend everything anymore. I got to know more boys who were making music and I learned to play Zampoña (panpipe) and guitar. One of the boys was older, I think around eighteen, and he was worried about me. He brought me home and for the first time I felt loved. He taught me that I had to wash my hair, brush it, buy clothes with the money I earned and that I had to get up early. I hated it; it was very difficult. One day I ran away but he came looking for me. I lived with him for a while. We celebrated Christmas in 1999 (9) and I received my first present ever: an electric car to play with. I was so happy that I couldn’t sleep that night. I only wanted to play. This boy brought me also to school again - to the same school where I, as a six-year-old boy, went to for about a month in first grade. I saw my old classmates but they were in fourth grade now. I was older and more developed then my new classmates. I was a real menace but, luckily, I had very good grades. When I was about twelve years old I ran away again. I didn’t like this life. I went back to the Plaza where I picked up my old life again. I went to the ´comedor´ of ELIM for the first time. They provided meals to street kids in the evenings. Other boys told me about the home of ELIM, and that you could play there and watch cartoons. I was very curious and decided to go there once. But the first time was very disappointing: instead of a movie or cartoon they were teaching about the Bible. I was bored, almost fell asleep, and wanted to leave. But the next week I came back to see cartoons. I played and I started to like it. The director of ELIM asked me if I wanted to come to live there. And  I wanted to.  But still it was very hard for me. I was obligated to wash myself again, to live with rules and go to school. I ran away a lot but they always came looking for me. If I see my old ´friends´ from the street now, I realize how lucky I am. Many of them have children already and are still addicted to Terokal or other drugs. Then I ask myself: How would my life have been without ELIM? I’ve lived there now for more than five years; it´s my home. I go to school, I have good grades and on Sundays I go to church. On the weekend I work, playing music on the streets. Music is my passion. My future? I want to be a cook and when I’m on my own I want to open a home for street kids just like me. In this way I can give other street kids a new chance, just like ELIM gave to me! Hilaro (17)