Thursday, June 24, 2021
Two Weeks and Three Thousand Dollars Away
Saturday, June 5, 2021
Guatemala Bound with Love
The Covid situation in Guatemala is nothing like America. There are no direct payments from the government or bailouts for small business. If you can't pay rent, you get kicked out. Can't pay for water... it gets turned off. As some of you have probably heard, Thomas Winfield and myself are traveling to Guatemala July 10th-16th with a team of six men (total) representing three states and five churches. Our hearts burn for the people there. We will build houses, distribute wheelchairs, food and Bibles to families that desperately need them. Our minimum goal for the 'big ticket' items is to build two houses and distribute 25 wheelchairs. We've raised approximately $1500 (7/8/21 $11,926 raised) towards our minimum goal of $12,830. If more funds come in than our minimum, we will build more and distribute more. Each team member going personally paid for their trip expenses, so 100% of what's given will go directly to the mission. You can give directly to our mission by clicking here. Material costs and itemized break down below...
Norma Elizabeth Cruz Ortiz is 48 years old and lives in El Mitch El Jicaro. She separated from her partner due to alcoholism for eight years now. Since then she has not known anything about him and much less support his children financially.
With a great effort, she has been working to provide her children what they need at home and school. She works by washing clothes for others, earning $1.5 per 12 pieces of clothing washed and also cutting lemon where she received $0.25 per can of lemon cut from the tree. Norma’s oldest daughter help her financially with $1.50 per day in order Sonia has something to eat daily due to she doesn’t have a stable work and there have been time that she has not had anything to eat.
The children are:
-Delmi is 16 years old (4th. Primary)
-Flor of 15 years of age (5th. Primary)
-Oscar is 13 years old (3rd. Primary)
-Marco who is 11 years old (3rd. Primary)
Doña Norma's children do everything possible to help their mother with the household chores. Thanks to God, the family has their own land which it is inheritance from Norma’s father. However their house is build of wood, scrap metal and nylon very deteriorated. The land has water, drainage but not a bathroom or electricity. The family collects firewood to cook and uses candles to be able to move around the house at nights.
The family's situation is not stable, the mother does not have a stable job and the payment she receives from the work she does is very little and insufficient to build a better home. It is for this reason Norma is requesting support with the construction of a house, which it will be a great help for her and her children.
Extra needs for consideration:
-1 wash station-
1 bathroom
Maribel Galicia is 48 years old and has been separated from her husband for some time. She cannot read or write which it has been the main reason why she cannot find a stable work. Currently the job she does is washing clothes for others and she received $1.50 per 12 pieces of clothing washed. She also works in the fields cutting oregano from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, earning $43 per month.
Despite she doesn’t have the financial support of her daughters’ father, she has been doing everything possible to move forward and raise her daughters on her own, and now also for her grandchild who is four years old. The family members are:
-Elizabeth Santiago (20) is a single mother of the girl Fernanda who is 4 years old. She works in the field in order to support her mother with the family expenses.
-Maria Asunción (16) studies seventh grade.
The family lives in their own land where they built a house made of scrap metal, nylon and wood very deteriorated. The house is nor a safe place where they can continue living and addition they don’t have electricity so they have to use candles at nights. The land has water, but it doesn’t have an adequate place for go to the bathroom or wash their clothes and dishes.
The family has worked very hard to move forward and cover all their basic needs. However they have not been able to build a better home for lack of resources.
Extra needs for consideration:
1 bathroom
1 wash station
You can give directly to our mission by clicking here.