Tony's story
“You wouldn’t treat me this way if you knew who I was”.
Street children perceive the world in terms that good things are only meant to happen to good people and that bad things happen to bad people (law of nature). Tony is a lad in his late teens who, after many years at the centre, returned to the street. One day he turned up at the centre with a small boy and said to Paul Clark, General Director of SUPeru, “I found this little boy in the street and I feel sorry for him because I think he is still good. He deserves to be treated well”. Paul was delighted to see Tony again and tried to persuade him to stay also. Tony replied, “No I would have no right to come in here” to which Paul said, “The centre is precisely for boys like you - you can stay”. Tony replied: “No Peudo” which means “I can’t”. He left the little boy and returned to the street saying “for me it is too late”. This graphically illustrates how street children feel they do not deserve to be treated well by good people.