Eduardo stands in Guadalajara Boystown in uniform

Early life

My name is Eduardo. Since I was 4 years old, and I wanted to be just like my father. I loved him so much, but somebody killed him when I was four years old.

At the age of seven years old my mother told me: “I have no money to supply the house”.  When there was nowhere to eat my mother had to borrow money and it was not enough for her seven children. So, I spent all my time working with my other two brothers.

When I was 10 years old my mother told me that she found a chance for me to study, because she was sad that sometimes I would go three days without eating to be able to give to my sisters, my brothers and I had to bring money to the house to have something to eat.

The chance of what my mother talked about arrived when I was 11 years old. A bus arrived in my town, with four nuns, they interviewed two of my sisters and myself and gave me the opportunity to go to school. My mother told me to try hard because if not all the sacrifice I had made would be in vain.

Eduardo stands in green sports kit at Guadalajara Boystown

Life at school

When we arrived at school, my mother told me that I had to do my best, I had promised my mother that I would do everything possible to be able to go back home successful.

As time passed it was difficult to be without her but I remembered everything she told me, and I try hard and push myself to study and succeed. I went for vacation on December, but I wanted to go back to the school and continue. The problem was that passing the days I did not get money to return, together with my brothers and sisters we worked and were able to raise money for the transportation fee. At first, they insisted me not to go back because it was too much to spend. But I knew that if I lose this chance, I will never have another like that again.

In February I was at boystown school Guadalajara when something happened to the house where my sisters lived with my stepfather, it was shot at by orders of a cartel, the week after, I received a letter not to return because we do not know what is going to happen. Time went by and in July when I arrived, I saw that my mother and stepfather were not there, they left me a written note saying, “we will return in 3 months”, in December they came back to my house and they told me what had happened was not for them, but for the neighbours.

I am anxious to see my family again on next visiting day and I pray to God that my family can have one more chance to live in peace. Meantime I am doing my best to go back home successful and strong, as I’ve promised.