Flavio Barahona doesn’t have a home, so he takes refuge in a tent he sets up in a square in Chile. However, he never wasted his right to an education. His parents didn’t want to go to see him at his graduation ceremony, but he still closed the cycle proudly and even received an award.
In life, there are very important stages that we’ll remember forever, and one of them is our high school graduation. We study to garner knowledge, hoping to then go to college. This is something that is always appreciated, especially if we enjoy the journey with our classmates and friends.
However, the moment takes on greater meaning if there was a huge effort behind it, and this is something that Flavio Barahona knows very well.
Teletrece
Flavio Barahona Martínez is a 19-year-old young man who attended the graduation of his last grade in school, which at the same time closed his time at high school. Together with his classmates, he had a moving ceremony in which he received his diploma, but unlike everyone else, he had something special in his story.
Flavio lives in an extreme situation of social vulnerability. Since he has no home, he takes refuge in a tent that he sets up in a square in San Miguel, in Santiago (Chile).
Teletrece
Every time he went to school, he put away his tent and asked a friend on the street to look after it. When he came back, he’d set it up to sleep in. He’s faced the prejudiced looks of people passing by, and although it’s something that affects him in some way, he concentrates on taking care of himself and protecting himself from the cold.
When he has money, he visits a supermarket so he can eat. While there, he uses the opportunity to go to the bathroom, and if it’s closed, he goes to another place nearby, all on his own. «My mom is a user, and this has created problems,» he told Teletrece, explaining that he was once blamed for a robbery, something he doesn’t do.
Teletrece
Despite the harsh reality, Flavio attended the Betania School of Hogar de Cristo’s Súmate Foundation, where in addition to receiving his right to education, he found the peace he doesn’t have on the street. «Here, there’s a peace of mind that I don’t have to worry that whoever’s behind or in front of me will do something to me,» he told the channel.
Fortunately, he received support, love and help from his classmates and the school community. Thanks to his own efforts and those of others, he made it to the day of his school graduation. «It’s what I hoped for most, and it was my biggest dream to achieve this,» he told Teletrece.
Teletrece
However, his family didn’t want to go to see him at the ceremony, so he couldn’t help but feel sad. «I was sad. I was crying before the activity started. All my friends noticed, and they quickly jumped to hug me so that no one would see me crying,» he told the media.
He feels grateful for this affection, and his effort was also recognized at the ceremony, receiving the Alumno Betania Award, which is given to those who represent the school values. Now his new challenge is to get off the street and find a home, and then become an accountant, his greatest dream.