W

I bumped into W yesterday. The team have known him for some time, but now he is a boy of 10 or 11 years. He's the one on the far left of the photo (taken on our first day of street hockey back in the autumn).

He lost half his left leg a few years ago while riding the tracks to the beach (the kids perilously cling to the cargo trains as they make their way to the port of Santos - the nearest praia). What is left is a messy stump, but he plays hockey with the rest of the kids, with a crutch and a lot of zeal.

He took a great interest in why I had been home and where my parents lived. In fact, he wouldn't stop going on and on about them. I never fail to be amazed how these kids long for a family. More than the independence of the streets. More than the drugs, even. I hope we see him on Tuesday.