SCHOOL AND STUDENT SPONSORSHIP
                                 It is time to Re-New your Students Sponsorship for 2008, Please!

Photo's of Sponsored Students receiving School Supplies, Click Here!

In Loving Memory of Dr. Bettyjane Poage 1921 - 1997 and Dr. Ruby Cremaschi-Schwimmer  Great Teachers and Educators!                         Scroll down for photo's! More Children being added!

There are many children in Guatemala who would like to attend school but for financial reasons cannot.
School is free here but there are many costs attached to it.  The inscription fee, the school uniform, the books, the backpack, the school shoes, the tennis shoes and the added extra costs. This puts sending a child to school way out of the range of many families.  These costs vary from school to school. 
 Quite often if there is a choice between which child shall go to school the family will choose the boy to attend school and the girls will stay at home.  We sponsor many boys but we like to make sure that girls are getting a chance to go to school as well. 
We especially try to sponsor children from single parents as these are the most disadvantaged.  We also sponsor two parent families who are suffering hardships. 
It costs us $120 a year to send a child to school.  This includes school subscription, school uniform and sweater, all school supplies, backpack, two pairs of socks, underwear, school shoes, tennis shoes, shorts and t-shirt for gym. Depending on the school and the grade it may also include a musical instrument, it also usually includes an annual school excursion and help with projects - such as mothers and fathers day crafts etc. 
If you would like to sponsor a child, please let us know right away. If you would like to have contact with the child you sponsor we are happy to try and facilitate that, remember this is the third world, they don't have access to computers, e-mail, working phones etc. so please be patient. 
Our school sponsorship project costs $120 US. per child, per year.  We have many more! 

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WANT TO SPONSOR A BOY OR A GIRL AND WE CAN CHOOSE, BASED ON NEED, FOR YOU! Please keep sponsoring, we have many more children, just not enough sponsors! As we get time, we will update. Remember we are trying to get the updates done among all of the work - projects. Thanks for your understanding. Your Sponsorship is needed and appreciated!
HAPPY NEW SCHOOL YEAR 2008! School starts in January, 2008!
It is time to Re-New your Students Sponsorship for 2008!
It is that time of year once again when we need your Student Sponsorship Renewal. 
Please let us know, by email at sharonsmart@mayanfamilies.org as soon as possible if you intend to sponsor the child you sponsored last year.  If you do not- please let us know as well so that we can make that child available for another sponsor.  We really appreciate your help with this.
As we announced earlier the school rates have gone up due to an increase in costs.
For an elementary school age child - it is $120 US.  Kindergarten until 6th grade.
For a  jnr. High school student - it is $300.00 US.  This can be made in two payments.
For a High School student - it is $400 US.   This can also be made in two payments.

If you are already sponsoring a Junior High school student or  a High school student at last year's lower price and cannot afford the increase - please continue to sponsor that child at the same price and we will try to find a co- sponsor to help with the extra funds.   It is better for the family to receive partial aid so that the child can have a chance.

Currently we have over 710 children either sponsored or needing sponsorship.   These children and families are depending on us to be able to go to school for the coming year.  School in Guatemala starts in January and ends in October.
Please help us to help these families!

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #700+ more students are available to sponsor!
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #692
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #691
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #690
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #689
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #688
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #687
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #686
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #685 Cecilia who is 8 years old.
 

Cecilia is 8yrs old. She is in first grade. Her birthday is 11th of November..

 

She lives in Tierra Linda with her father, Juan 68yrs old and her mother, Gloria, 39yrs old.

She has 9 brothers and 4 sisters.

They are:

Fransisco.  4oyrs old. He is a stepbrother. From the father's first marriage.

The first wife died at age 39yrs old from a fever. They could not afford medical treatment.

Maria 38yrs old. She is a stepsister. She is married. She studied until 3rd grade.

Santiago. 36yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He went to school only until 3rd grade.

Jorge is 34yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He is married. He went to school until 3rd grade.

Julio. is 32yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He is married. He went to school until 3rd grade.

Rosa is 20yrs old. She is married . She went to school until 4th grade.

Santos is 16yrs old. He is went to school until 5th grade. He is now working as a day laborer.

Raul. is 14yrs old. He is in 4th grade.

Fausto is 12yrs old. He is in 4th grade.

Petrona is 10yrs old. She is in 1st grade.

Estella is 6yrs old. She is not in school yet.

Hector is 3yrs old.

Jose is 1yr old.

 

The father works as a day laborer. He earns $6 US per day. He can only

get work 2-3 days a week.   He also serves as the Mayor of Tierra

Linda but this is a voluntary position with meetings on Sunday or during the evenings.

He had an operation 8yrs ago for kidney stones and has had difficulty working since.

Hector was operated 2yrs ago for a hernia and appendix .

 

They own their house . It is made of mud brick .  The roof is tin sheeting, the floor is dirt.  They have two rooms and a kitchen apart.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They cook over an open fire that is set on mud bricks on the ground.

They have one small closet. the rest of the clothes they keep in cardboard boxes.

They have two beds made of wooden planks, one the mother made with cane.

The rest of the family sleeps on the floor on woven straw mats.

They do not have a water filter.

They have a pila.

They have water connected.

They have electricity and pay $20 US per month.

 

This family does not have enough food. Their main diet is tortillas with salt and wild herbs.

They have one small table and five chairs.

They use cement blocks to sit on.

They do not have enough blankets.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #684 Petrona who is 10 years old.
   

Petrona is 10yrs old. She is in first grade. Her birthday is 18th of September.

 

She lives in Tierra Linda with her father, Juan 68yrs old and her mother, Gloria, 39yrs old.

She has 9 brothers and 4 sisters.

They are:

Fransisco.  4oyrs old. He is a stepbrother. From the father's first marriage.

The first wife died at age 39yrs old from a fever. They could not afford medical treatment.

Maria 38yrs old. She is a stepsister. She is married. She studied until 3rd grade.

Santiago. 36yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He went to school only until 3rd grade.

Jorge is 34yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He is married. He went to school until 3rd grade.

Julio. is 32yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He is married. He went to school until 3rd grade.

Rosa is 20yrs old. She is married . She went to school until 4th grade.

Santos is 16yrs old. He is went to school until 5th grade. He is now working as a day laborer.

Raul. is 14yrs old. He is in 4th grade.

Fausto is 12yrs old. He is in 4th grade.

Cecilia is 8yrs old. She is in 1st grade.

Estella is 6yrs old. She is not in school yet.

Hector is 3yrs old.

Jose is 1yr old.

 

The father works as a day laborer. He earns $6 US per day. He can only

get work 2-3 days a week.   He also serves as the Mayor of Tierra

Linda but this is a voluntary position with meetings on Sunday or during the evenings.

He had an operation 8yrs ago for kidney stones and has had difficulty working since.

Hector was operated 2yrs ago for a hernia and appendix .

 

They own their house . It is made of mud brick .  The roof is tin sheeting, the floor is dirt.  They have two rooms and a kitchen apart.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They cook over an open fire that is set on mud bricks on the ground.

They have one small closet. the rest of the clothes they keep in cardboard boxes.

They have two beds made of wooden planks, one the mother made with cane.

The rest of the family sleeps on the floor on woven straw mats.

They do not have a water filter.

They have a pila.

They have water connected.

They have electricity and pay $20 US per month.

 

This family does not have enough food. Their main diet is tortillas with salt and wild herbs.

They have one small table and five chairs.

They use cement blocks to sit on.

They do not have enough blankets.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #683 Fausto who is 12 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Holly, Lorenzo, Gia and Nino Grigoli, Thanks!
 

Fausto is 12 yrs old. He is in 4th grade. His birthday is the 13th of October.

 

He lives in Tierra Linda with his father, Juan 68yrs old and his mother, Gloria, 39yrs old.

He has 8 brothers and 5 sisters.

They are:

Fransisco.  4oyrs old. He is a stepbrother.From the father's first marriage.

The first wife died at age 39yrs old from a fever. They could not afford medical treatment.

Maria 38yrs old. She is a stepsister. She is married. She studied until 3rd grade.

Santiago. 36yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He went to school only until 3rd grade.

Jorge is 34yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He is married. He went to school until 3rd grade.

Julio. is 32yrs old. He is a stepbrother. He is married. He went to school until 3rd grade.

Rosa is 20yrs old. She is married . She went to school until 4th grade.

Santos is 16yrs old. He is went to school until 5th grade. He is now working as a day laborer.

Raul. is 14yrs old. He is in 4th grade.

Petrona is 10yrs old. She is in 1st grade.

Cecilia is 8yrs old. She is in 1st grade.

Estella is 6yrs old. She is not in school yet.

Hector is 3yrs old.

Jose is 1yr old.

 

The father works as a day laborer. He earns $6 US per day. He can only

get work 2-3 days a week.   He also serves as the Mayor of Tierra

Linda but this is a voluntary position with meetings on Sunday or during the evenings.

He had an operation 8yrs ago for kidney stones and has had difficulty working since.

Hector was operated 2yrs ago for a hernia and appendix .

 

They own their house . It is made of mud brick .  The roof is tin sheeting, the floor is dirt.  They have two rooms and a kitchen apart.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They cook over an open fire that is set on mud bricks on the ground.

They have one small closet. the rest of the clothes they keep in cardboard boxes.

They have two beds made of wooden planks, one the mother made with cane.

The rest of the family sleeps on the floor on woven straw mats.

They do not have a water filter.

They have a pila.

They have water connected.

They have electricity and pay $20 US per month.

 

This family does not have enough food. Their main diet is tortillas with salt and wild herbs.

They have one small table and five chairs.

They use cement blocks to sit on.

They do not have enough blankets.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #682 Carlos Fernando who is 8 years old.
   

Carlos Fernando is 8yrs old. He is in first grade . His birthday is February 2nd.

 

He lives in San Jorge la Laguna with his father, Caterino 32yrs old and his mother, Celestina, 25yrs old.  He has two brothers and one sister.

They are:

 

Luis David is 9yrs old. He is in 3rd grade.

Elmer is 6yrs old. He is in kindergarten.

Angela is 1yr and 8 months old.

 

The father works as a builders assistant. He earns $32 US per week.

The mother works at home. She makes beaded jewelry and earns 40cents US. per day.

The money that the father earns is not enough to cover all the costs that the family has.

 

They own their home. It is made of mud brick. It has one room. The floor is dirt, the roof is tin sheeting. They have a separate kitchen that is made completely of tin sheeting.  The floor is dirt.

They have a water filter.

They have an Onil stove.

They do not have a pila.

They have two beds that they all sleep in.

They have a small closet.

They have one table and three chairs.

They have electricity connected and pay $7 US. per month.

They have water connected.

They do not have sufficient blankets.

The children do not have enough clothes and shoes.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #681 Caterin who is 9 years old.
$ SPONSORED by The Crawford Family, Thanks!

Caterin is 9yrs old. She is in 2nd grade. Her birthday is the 8th of June.

 

Caterin lives in Nahaula.She lives with her father, Fransisco 40yrs old and her mother, Manuela, 38yrs old.

She  has four brothers.

They are:

Diego 19yrs old.  He is in his last year of High school.

Martin is 16yrs old. He is in 8th grade.

Umberto 14yrs old. He is in 7th grade.

Jose Carlos is 9yrs old. She is Caterin's twin brother.

 

Fransisco works as a weaver. He earns $25 US per week.  Manuela works at home doing back strap weaving.

 

They own their home.

They have three rooms and an outside kitchen. This is all made in mud brick.

The roof is tin sheeting, the floor is cement.

They have five beds.

Each of the children sleep in a bed. The parents sleep on the floor on a woven straw mat.

 

They do not have sufficient blankets for the bed.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They cook over a wood burning stove.

They have two closets. The rest of their clothes they keep in flour bags.

They have tables and chairs.

They have a pila.

They have a bathroom.

They do not have a water filter.

They have water connected .

They have electricity connected and pay $8 US per month.

 

Their main diet is beans, rice, vegetables, eggs and pasta.

 

It is difficult for this family to have sufficient money to send their two younger children to school.  They have three children in higher education and it is very expensive for them.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #680 Jose Carlos who is 9 years old.
$ SPONSORED by The Crawford Family, Thanks!

Jose Carlos is 9yrs old. He is in 2nd grade. His birthday is the 8th of June.

 

Jose Carlos lives in Nahaula.

He lives with his father, Fransisco 40yrs old and his mother, Manuela, 38yrs old.

He has three brothers and one sister.

They are:

Diego 19yrs old.  He is in his last year of High school.

Martin is 16yrs old. He is in 8th grade.

Umberto 14yrs old. He is in 7th grade.

Caterina is 9yrs old. She is Jose Carlos's  twin sister.

 

Fransisco works as a weaver. He earns $25 US per week.  Manuela works at home doing backstrap weaving.

 

They own their home.

They have three rooms and an outside kitchen. This is all made in mud brick.

The roof is tin sheeting, the floor is cement.

They have five beds.

Each of the children sleep in a bed. The parents sleep on the floor on a woven straw mat.

 

They do not have sufficient blankets for the bed.

They do not have an onil stove.

They cook over a wood burning stove.

They have two closets. The rest of their clothes they keep in flour bags.

They have tables and chairs.

They have a pila.

They have a bathroom.

They do not have a water filter.

They have water connected .

They have electricity connected and pay $8 US per month.

 

Three years ago Jose had a problem with his throat. They took him to a doctor but could not seem to cure his medical issue. Now whenever it is cold, his throat is very sore.

 

Their main diet is beans, rice, vegetables, eggs and pasta.

 

It is difficult for this family to have sufficient money to send their two younger children to school.  They have three children in higher education and it is very expensive for them.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #679 Marvin who is 9 years old.
$ SPONSORED by The Wesie Family - Frank, Lisa, Katelyn, Frankie and Princess Sophia, Thanks!

Marvin is 9yrs old. He is in 2nd grade. His birthday is 29th of January.

 

Marvin lives in Tierra Linda with his father, Juan and his mother, Juana and three brothers and two sisters. They are:

German 10yrs old. He is in 5th grade.

Juan is 8yrs old. He is in 1st grade.

Laura is 5yrs old.  She is not in school this year because the family did not have enough money.

Estella is 3yrs old.

Cesar is 11 months old.

 

Juan is a day laborer.  He takes whatever work is available. He is often doing agricultural work.  He earns $24 US per week. 

Juana is not able to work outside the home because of the young children.

 

Juana has been ill for the past three years with a gynecological problem. She has been to the doctor and they have told her that she needs medicine but she has not been able to afford the medicine.

 

Laura has been ill for the past year and a half.   The mother says

that a big dog knocked her over and she fell heavily on her rear.

Since then the mother says that when she goes to the bathroom that her rectum falls out.  They have not been able to afford to seek medical attention.  ( I have seen this problem before with children who have severe parasites - so it may be that is the situation).

 

They own their house.

They have one room made of mud brick.  The floor is dirt , the roof is tin sheeting.

They have one outside kitchen. The floor is dirt, it is made of mud brick and the roof is tin.

They have two beds for all of them.

They do not have closet,

They have a table and chairs.

They cook on the floor over a wood fire.

They have a pila.

They have a toilet.

They do not have an onil stove.

They do not have a water filter.

They have water and pay $7 US per month.

They have electricity connected and pay $5 US per month. 

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #678 Crisly who is 4 years old.
$ SPONSORED in Honor of the Dietz Family, Thanks!

Crisly is 4yrs old. She is in kindergarten.  Her birthday is October 3rd.

 

Crisly lives in Panajachel with her father, Mariano 30yrs old and her mother, Fidelia  22yrs old.  She has one brother, Alex is 2yrs old.

 

Mariano works as a builders assistant. He earns $33 US per week.

Fidelia works washing clothes by hand in various houses.  She earns $2 US per day when she can find work, sometimes she only works 2-3 days a week.

 

Unfortunately, Mariano is a heavy drinker and he does not give Fidelia enough money to be able to buy sufficient food or clothing for the family.

 

They are renting a house. It is $60 US per month. It is one room made of cement block, the floor is cement and the roof is tin sheeting.

They have an outside kitchen, it is made of cement block, the floor is dirt and the roof is tin sheeting.

 

They have one bed for three of them.  Crisly sleeps in a small crib.

They do not have enough blankets.

They have one closet.

They do not have chairs or a table.

They have water connected and pay $6 US per month.

They have electricity connected and pay $7 US per month.

They have a pila.

They have a bathroom.

They do not have an Onil stove.

Fidelio cooks over an open tin drum with wood.

They do not have a water filter.

Their main diet is beans, rice, soup and pasta.

Crisly would like to wear traditional clothing but the family cannot afford it.

Crisly has asthma. They cannot afford to seek medical treatment for her.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #677 Roxana Olonso who is 9 years old.
$ SPONSORED, Thanks!

Roxana Alonso is 9yrs old. She is in first grade.  Her birthday is the 23rd of December.

 

Roxana lives in San Jorge with her father, Vicente Alonso  52yrs old and her mother, Lucia is 46yrs old.

Roxana has 6 brothers and two sisters.

They are:

Luis 27yrs old. He is married.

Juan 24yrs old. He is married.

Cesar 22yrs old. He is married.

Elisabet is 21yrs old. She is married.

Alvaro is 19yrs old. He is married.

Jorge 15yrs old. He is in 6th grade in week end school. The rest of the week he works as a builders assistant.

Ana 12yrs old. She has never gone to school. She worked in the house helping her mother. Then she got a job working for a private family in Solola, they took her to the capital to work two months ago but she is very unhappy there and will be coming back to San Jorge shortly.

Jose 5yrs old.  He is not in school yet.

 

Roxana's father is not able to work. He had an accident when he was in his 20's and damaged his leg, it caused him many problems over the years and 8 years ago he had to have his leg amputated at the knee.

He works now fishing in the lake,whatever he catches they sell or eat.

 He does not make very much money doing this.

 

Roxana's mother works at home  washing clothes by hand, making tortillas etc.

 

They own their house.  They have two rooms, one made of cement blocks, one made of mud brick, the roof is tin sheeting and the floor is dirt.

 

They cook over an open fire on the ground. They do not have a stove.

They have only one bed made of wood planks. They do not have a mattress.

Three people sleep in the bed, the rest sleep on the floor on woven straw mats.

 

They do not have enough blankets.

They do not have a closet. They keep their clothes in a cardboard box.

They do not have a table or chairs.

They do not have a pila. They wash their clothes in the lake.

They have electricity connected and pay $8 US per month.

They have a toilet.

They do not have an onil stove.

They do not have a water filter.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #676 Maria Elena who is 9 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Kelly Cox and Pattie Miller, Thanks!

Maria Elena is 9yrs old. She is in first grade. Her birthday is December 4th.  

She lives in Santa Catarina with her father Esquipulas 30yrs old and her mother, Maria 29yrs old.  She has one sister, Angela Griselda 3yrs old and one brother, Roberto 10yrs old.  He is in first grade.

 

The father works as a builders assistant and earns  $33 US per week.

The mother stays at home looking after the children.

 

They are renting their house, they have one room made of mud brick and are sharing a kitchen with the mother in law.

 

They are paying  $27 US per month for the room.

 

They have two beds.

They have one closet.

They do not have a table or chairs.

They have a pila.

They have electricity connected. and pay $3 US per month.

They have a toilet.

They do not have a water filter.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They do not have enough blankets for the bed.

 

Their main diet is bean, past and wild herbs.

 

Maria Elena's brother, Roberto has a problem with his speech.  He is very hard to understand when he speaks. He has never received treatment for this. 

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #675 Allan Alexander Morales.
$ SPONSORED by the Westhampton Christian Church, Thanks!

 

Allan Alexander lives in Panajachel. He attends kindergarten. His birth date is the 14th of June. Allan Alexander lives with his mother Tomasa Morales, his cousin and older brother. His father has left the family.

 

Allan Alexander's mother, works 3 days a week cleaning houses.

She earns $64 per month.

 

His brother Juan Ismael is in 4th grade and attends school on weekdays.

He works for a veterinary surgeon every day after school. He earns $32 per month.

 

His cousin, Guillermo, works in a tienda. He earns $30 a month.

Guillermo studies on the weekends.

 

The family rent their house.

They live in one room.

The roof is aluminum.

They have a cement floor

They don't have a kitchen - they cook outside.

They don't have a Onil stove.

They have a bathroom & toilet.

They have a water filter.

They have a pila.

They have the water connected.

They have electricity.

They pay $8 per month for electricity.

They have 2 beds.

They don't have bed sheets or blankets.

They have a table and chairs.

They don't have storage for their clothes.

They keep their clothes in a box. 

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #674 Juan Ismael Morales
$ SPONSORED by the Westhampton Christian Church, Thanks!

Juan lives in Panajachel. He is in 4th grade and his birthday is the 9th of June.

 

Juan lives with his mother Tomasa Morales, his cousin and younger brother.

His father has left the family.

 

Juan's mother, works 3 days a week cleaning houses.

She earns $64 per month.

 

His cousin, Guillermo, works in a tienda, a small store. He earns $30 a month.

Guillermo studies on the weekends.

 

His younger brother Allan Alexander attends kindergarten. His birth date is the 14th of June.

 

The family rent their house.

They live in one room.

The roof is aluminum.

They have a cement floor

They don't have a kitchen - they cook outside.

They don't have a Onil stove.

They have a bathroom & toilet.

They have a water filter.

They have a pila.

They have the water connected.

They have electricity.

They pay $8 per month for electricity.

They have 2 beds.

They don't have bed sheets or blankets.

They have a table and chairs.

They don't have storage for their clothes.

They keep their clothes in a box.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #673 Rigoberto who is 10 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Paso por Paso/Diane Austin and Family, Thanks!

Rigoberto is 10yrs old. He is in 5th grade.

Rigoberto and his family lost their home in the mudslides caused by Hurricane Stan in October, 2005. They lost their home, their possessions and all their clothes. They have been living in the emergency shelter ever since.

Rigoberto lives with his father, Gregorio 31yrs old and his mother, Andrea 26yrs old. He has one brother and one sister. They are:
Pedro is 8yrs old. He is in 3rd grade.
Jacoba Elizabeth (student #625) is 6yrs old. Her birthday is March 24th. She is in first grade.

Gregorio is a day laborer which means that he takes whatever work is available. He earns $3 US per day. Andrea weaves at home and earns $8 US per week.

They live in one room which is a wooden frame with canvas walls and a tin roof.
They have two beds. The parents sleep in one bed and the children in the other.
The room has a dirt floor.
They have an Onil stove.
They do not have a water filter.
They do not have a pila.
They do not have a closet to keep their clothes. They keep them in plastic bags, cardboard boxes and some hanging from a rope.
They do not have a table or chairs, they eat sitting on the dirt floor.
The money that the parents earn is not enough to cover all their costs. They have electricity and water connected.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #672 Salvador who is 8 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Paso por Paso/Rick and Shan Anderson & Family, Thanks!
   
Salvador is 8yrs old. He is in 2nd grade in Jan. 2008.

He lives with his father, Diego 65yrs old and his mother, Maria 55yrs old. He has two brothers and five sisters. They are:

Rosa is 24yrs old. She is married with two children. She lives with her husband in another emergency shelter. She did not go to school, she does not know how to read or write.
Micaela is 23yrs old. She is married. She has three children. She also lives in another emergency shelter. She did not go to school, she does not know how to read or write.
Antonio is 22yrs old. He is single. He did not have the chance to go to school. He does not know how to read or write. He is now working in Guatemala City.
Concepcion is 20yrs old. She is a single mother, she has a daughter,1yr old. She lives with her parents. She makes the tortillas for the whole family every day.
Maria is 18yrs old. She is also a single mother, she has two children. One is 5yrs old and the other is 3 weeks old. Maria lives with the family but she works outside the house. She works making beaded jewelry and weaving. She earns $8 US per week.
Rosario (student #572) is 11yrs old. Her mother does not remember when her birthday is but it is in May.
Diego is 6yrs old. He does not go to school yet.

This family were victims of the mudslides caused by Hurricane Stan in 2005. They lost their home and all their possessions.

The father works as a day laborer, which means that he takes whatever work is available. He earns $ 3 US. per day.

The mother does back strap weaving at home and earns $4 US. per week.

The money that this family earns is not enough to cover all their costs.
Rosario has been sick for some time with a skin ailment but the family has not been able to afford to seek medical treatment for her.

They live in an emergency shelter, the house has a wooden frame, the walls are heavy duty plastic, they have put plywood on one wall to try and keep out the cold. The floor is dirt. The roof is tin sheeting.
They have three beds. One bed has a mattress and the other two do not. The rest of the family sleep on the floor on woven mats.
They do not have tables or chairs.
They do not have sufficient blankets.
They do not have sheets.
They do not have a water filter.
They have an Onil stove.
They have one room and small kitchen.
They share the bathroom with 6 families.
They have water and electricity connected.
They do not have a pila.


PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #671 Gaspar who is 11 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Paso por Paso/Rob and Jane Waite & Family, Thanks!

Gaspar is 11yrs old. He is in 4th grade in Jan. 2008

He lives in the emergency shelters of Panabaj. He lives with his father, Luis 34yrs old and his mother, Andrea 33yrs old. He has one brothers and two sisters. They are:
Maria (student #568) is 9yrs old. Her birthday is 17th of August. She is in 2nd grade in Jan. 2008.
Josefa is 6yrs old. She does not go to school yet. She is not photographed - she was not at home.
Juan is 3yrs old.

The father works as a day laborer. He also searches for firewood and sells it. When he sells firewood he makes $2 US per day. When he has work as a day laborer he earns $3 US. per day. They often have to run a tab at the store because they do not have enough money to be able to buy food.

The mother works to help the family, she makes beaded jewelry. She earns $4 US per week.

The house is a wooden frame with heavy duty plastic walls, they have put up one wall of plywood. The floor is dirt. The roof is tin sheeting.
They have an Onil stove.
They have a water filter but it does not function now. The filters are old and they do not have the money to replace them.
They have built a little makeshift shelter for their kitchen.
They do not have a pila.
They share a bathroom with 6 families.
They have water and electricity connected.
They have one bunk bed that was given to them but they do not have mattresses.
They have a table and chairs but not sufficient for all of them.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #670
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #669 Laura Angelica who is 5 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Tim and Kim McComish & Family, Thanks!

Laura is 5yrs old. She is in kindergarten.  Her birthday is Sept. 4th.

 

 Laura lives with her father, Annacleto 40yrs old and her mother,

Carmen 38yrs old.   She has five sisters and three brothers.

 

They are:

Gloria Veronica 18yrs old. She is married and has one baby.

She went to school until 5th grade.

 

Blanca is 16yrs old. She went to school until 3rd grade. She helps the mother working in the fields.

 

Eddy is 14yrs old. He went to school until 6th grade. He helps his parents working in the fields.

 

Cristina is 11yrs old. She went to school until 3rd grade.  She helps her mother at home.

 

Vilma Josefina is 10yrs old. She lives in Tierra Linda. She is in first grade.

 

Reina is 8yrs old. She is in first grade.

Laura is 5yrs old. She is in kindergarten.

 

Josue is 4yrs old.

 

Victor is 6 months old.

 

The father works as a day laborer which means he takes any kind of work he can get. He earns $8 US per week.  They own the vegetables that they grow. They do not own the fields, they pay rent on them.

It takes them two months to grow the vegetables and then when they sell them at market they have some money.  They earn $100 per month for the two months  that they have sales.

 

The mother looks after the children at home.  Blanca sometimes gets work with other families working in the fields and earns $3 US per day. But she only gets work 2-3 days per week.

 

They own their house.  They have two rooms. One is made of mud brick, the other is made of cane and mud.  The roof is tin sheeting.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They have a large wood burning stove.

They have a water filter.

They have one closet for all of them. The rest of the clothes they keep in cardboard boxes.

They do not have beds, the father made two make shift beds out of wooden planks.  The rest of the family sleep on the floor on woven straw mats.

They do not have enough blankets.

They have one small table and two chairs.

The rest of the family sit on plastic buckets.

They have a pila.

They have water connected.

They have electricity connected and pay $11 US per month. 

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #668 Reina Graciella who is 8 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Tim and Kim McComish & Family, Thanks!

Reina is 8yrs old. She is in first grade. Her birthday is December 9th.

  

Reina lives with her father, Annacleto 40yrs old and her mother,

Carmen 38yrs old.   She has five sisters and three brothers.

 

They are:

Gloria Veronica 18yrs old. She is married and has one baby.

She went to school until 5th grade.

 

Blanca is 16yrs old. She went to school until 3rd grade. She helps the mother working in the fields.

 

Eddy is 14yrs old. He went to school until 6th grade. He helps his parents working in the fields.

 

Cristina is 11yrs old. She went to school until 3rd grade.  She helps her mother at home.

 

Vilma Josefina is 10yrs old. She lives in Tierra Linda. She is in first grade.

 

Laura is 5yrs old. She is in kindergarten.

 

Josue is 4yrs old.

 

Victor is 6 months old.

 

The father works as a day laborer which means he takes any kind of work he can get. He earns $8 US per week.  They own the vegetables that they grow. They do not own the fields, they pay rent on them.

It takes them two months to grow the vegetables and then when they sell them at market they have some money.  They earn $100 per month for the two months  that they have sales.

 

The mother looks after the children at home.  Blanca sometimes gets work with other families working in the fields and earns $3 US per day. But she only gets work 2-3 days per week.

 

They own their house.  They have two rooms. One is made of mud brick, the other is made of cane and mud.  The roof is tin sheeting.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They have a large wood burning stove.

They have a water filter.

They have one closet for all of them. The rest of the clothes they keep in cardboard boxes.

They do not have beds, the father made two make shift beds out of wooden planks.  The rest of the family sleep on the floor on woven straw mats.

They do not have enough blankets.

They have one small table and two chairs.

The rest of the family sit on plastic buckets.

They have a pila.

They have water connected.

They have electricity connected and pay $11 US per month. 

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #667 Vilma Josefina
$ SPONSORED by Tim and Kim McComish & Family, Thanks!

Vilma Josefina is 10yrs old. She lives in Tierra Linda. She is in first grade.

Her birthday is February 21st.

 

Vilma lives with her father, Annacleto 40yrs old and her mother,

Carmen 38yrs old.   She has five sisters and three brothers.

 

They are:

Gloria Veronica 18yrs old. She is married and has one baby.

She went to school until 5th grade.

 

Blanca is 16yrs old. She went to school until 3rd grade. She helps the mother working in the fields.

 

Eddy is 14yrs old. He went to school until 6th grade. He helps his parents working in the fields.

 

Cristina is 11yrs old. She went to school until 3rd grade.  She helps her mother at home.

 

Reina  is 8yrs old. She is in first grade.

 

Laura is 5yrs old. She is in kindergarten.

 

Josue is 4yrs old.

 

Victor is 6 months old.

 

The father works as a day laborer which means he takes any kind of work he can get. He earns $8 US per week.  They own the vegetables that they grow. They do not own the fields, they pay rent on them.

It takes them two months to grow the vegetables and then when they sell them at market they have some money.  They earn $100 per month for the two months  that they have sales.

 

The mother looks after the children at home.  Blanca sometimes gets work with other families working in the fields and earns $3 US per day. But she only gets work 2-3 days per week.

 

They own their house.  They have two rooms. One is made of mud brick, the other is made of cane and mud.  The roof is tin sheeting.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They have a large wood burning stove.

They have a water filter.

They have one closet for all of them. The rest of the clothes they keep in cardboard boxes.

They do not have beds, Vilma's father made two make shift beds out of wooden planks.  The rest of the family sleep on the floor on woven straw mats.

They do not have enough blankets.

They have one small table and two chairs.

The rest of the family sit on plastic buckets.

They have a pila.

They have water connected.

They have electricity connected and pay $11 US per month. 

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #666 Andreas
$ SPONSORED by the Bishop-Josef Family, Thanks!

Andreas is 9yrs old. He lives in Pena Blanca.  His birthday is the 1st of December.

 

He is in 2nd grade.

He lives with his mother, Antonia, 33yrs old and two brothers:

They are:

Roberto 13yrs old. He is in 6th grade.

Santos 6yrs old.  He is not in school yet.

 

Andrea's father died 5yrs ago from complications of alcoholism.

 

The mother is the only breadwinner in the family.  She works as a weaver. She makes traditional suttees and serviettes.  She earns $2.50 US for four days work.

In the days that she has off she comes to Panajachel and works in the fields picking onions.  She earns $1.25 per day.

She also washes clothes by hand in private houses.

She earns $2.50 a day when she can get that work.

 

Roberto works whenever he can as a day laborer.  Sometimes he gets 2 days work a week. He earns $3 US per day.

 

This family is often without enough food. Their diet consists of beans, rice and wild herbs and tortillas.

 

They are living in a house that belongs to a family member. They do not have to pay rent.

 

The house is made of cane and mud.  The roof is tin sheeting, the floor is dirt.

They have one room and an outside kitchen.

They do not have beds.

They sleep on the floor on woven straw mats.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They cook over an open fire on the ground.

They do not have a water filter.

They do not have enough blankets.

They do not have a closet.

They keep their clothes in a cardboard box.

They do not have a table. They have three small chairs.

They do not have a pila.

Antonio washes outside using a rock to wash her clothes.

They do not have electricity, they live by candlelight.

Antonio does not know how to read or write. She did not go to school.

She was a newborn when her mother died. She was 10yrs old when her father died.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #665 Estefani
$ SPONSORED by the Brister Family, Thanks!

Estefani is 6 years old. She is in kindergarten

She lives in Panajachel with her mother, Maria Teresa , 26yrs old and two sisters and two brothers. They are:

Victoria (student #454) is 11yrs old. She was born on 24th March, 1996. She will be going into 5th grade in Jan. 2008.
Nancy (student #455) is 7 yrs old . She has not gone to school because the mother could not afford to send her.
Juan Estefan is 4yrs old. He is not in school.
Luis Angel 2yrs old.

Maria Teresa and her first husband ( the father of Victoria and Nancy) separated. The father is not financially responsible for the children. Maria Teresa has since re-married and the second husband (Estefani's father) lives with them.

As is the custom here often, the step-father will not be financially responsible for sending Estefani's half-sisters Victoria and Nancy to school. Victoria works to be able to put herself through school. She works babysitting in the market. She works every afternoon after school and on the weekends - all day.

The family do not own their own home. They are renting. They pay $40US per month. They have only one room.
They cook outside on the patio. They have an Onil stove.
They have a toilet.
They have only one bed. Victoria and Nancy sleep on the floor on straw mats.
They do not have any closets. They keep them on a shelf and in cardboard boxes.
They have a water filter.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #664 Yeni Yasmin who is 6 years old.
$ SPONSORED in Honor of Sharon Hadley, Thanks!

Yeni is 6yrs old. She is in first grade. Her birthday is the 15th of August.

 

She lives in Panajachel with her father, Eriberto 37yrs old and her mother, Migdalia 30yrs old.  Yeni has two brothers. They are:

Omy Aron is 12yrs old. He is in 5th grade.

Eriberto is 10yrs old He is in 4th grade.

 

The father, Eriberto works as a builders assistant. He earns $46US per week.

The mother Migdalia works washing clothes by hand in private houses.

She earns $13 US per week.

 

They rent a house and pay $40 US per month.

They have one room that is made of mud brick and a kitchen that is made of mud brick as well. The floor in the main room is cement, the floor in the kitchen is dirt.

The roof is tin sheeting.

They have three beds.

They have an Onil stove.

They have a table and chairs.

They have a pila.

They have a bathroom.

They have water connected and it is included in the rent.

They have electricity connected and pay $14US per month.

They do not have a water filter.

 

The parents are in debt because they took a loan out to open a business. The father is a mechanic and they wanted to have their own workshop. Unfortunately, it did not go well and they had to close .

They now are paying

$47 US  a month to pay off their loan.  The mother also took out a loan to help her with school supplies for the boys .  She borrowed

$135 and is now paying it back at $12 US per month plus interest.

 

The mother has had three cesarean births and is suffering a lot of pain in her stomach. The doctors have told her that she now needs another operation.

But the family cannot afford it.  Her health is not very strong.  

Their diet consists of wild herbs, rice, beans and eggs.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #663 Astrid Carolina who is 8 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Hayes Withrow, Thanks!

Astrid Carolina is 8yrs old. She is in 3rd grade. Her birthday is 14th of May.

 

Astrid lives in Panajachel with her father, Roman 39yrs old and her mother, Cristina 34 yrs old.  She has three brothers.

They are:

Roman is 16yrs old.  He is working as a builders assistant. He earns

$33 US per week.

Everaldo is 14yrs old. He is in 8th grade.

Rolman Augustin is 7 months old.

 

The father works as a gardener. He earns $50 US  a week when he gets work  but he does not have steady work.

The mother works as a cook in a hotel and earns $22.50 US per week.

 

They own their house.

They have only one room that is made of cement block. It has a tin sheet roof.

The floor is cement.

They have an outside kitchen that is made of tin sheeting for walls and tin sheet for the roof, it has a dirt floor.

They have three beds.

Two people sleep in each bed.

They do not have a water filter.

They do not have an Onil stove.

The mother cooks on an open fire on the ground.

They have a closet that has no doors.

They have tables and chairs.

They have a pila.

They have a bathroom.

They have water connected and pay $0.50 cents US. per month.

They have electricity connected and pay $11 US per month.

 

Their main diet is beans, rice and eggs. 

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #662 Roxana Claribel who is 9 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Tom, Thanks!

Roxana is 9yrs old. She is in 3rd grade. Her birthday is the 5th of June.

 

She lives in Solola with her mother, Maria 40yrs old.

She has 2 brothers and one sister.

They are:

Rosa is 22yrs old. She is married.

Sebastian is 20yrs. He studied until 9th grade and is now working. He is working in a warehouse.

Daniel is 16yrs old. He also left school after 9th grade. He is working in a factory.

 

Maria works as a domestic. She earns $20 US per week.

Maria lives with her mother, Marisol and her stepfather, Luis.

They have two rooms of her parents house and they use the same kitchen.

The rooms and the kitchen is made of mud brick.

They have four beds.

They have a small gas stove and also use a fire over a metal plate.

They do not have an onil stove.

They do not have tables and chairs.

They have a pila.

They have water and pay $1US per month.

They have electricity and Maria pays $7 US per month.

The elder boys work and help Maria with her costs.

 

They live in a very agricultural area.  Maria is a single mother.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #661 Leila Sarai who is 10 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Tom, Thanks!

Leila is 10yrs old. She is in 4th grade. Her birthday is 22nd of November.

 

Leila  lives with her father, Edwin 36yrs old and her mother, Marisol, 35yrs old.

She has two sisters and one brother.

They are:

Manuel is 13yrs old. He is in 5th grade.

Shouny Mishel is 11yrs old. She is in 6th grade.

Jade Marisol is 4yrs old. She is not in school yet.

 

The father works on the boats that cross the lake.  He earns $34 US per week.

The mother sells fruit at the school.  She earns $6.50 US per week.

They are renting their house and they pay $20.00 US per month.

 

They have two rooms that are made of cement blocks. The floor is cement and the roof is tin sheeting.

They do not have a kitchen. They cook outside on the corridor.  They cook over an open fire with a tin sheet.

They have three beds for all of them.

They have a pila.

They have water connected and pays $2.US per month.

They have electricity connected and pay $11US per month.

They have a table and chairs.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They do not have a water filter.

They do not have a closet. They keep their clothes in a cardboard box.

Their main diet is beans, rice and fish that the husband catches in the lake.

 

Manuel, the eldest child has a problem with his eyesight.  He needs glasses but they have not been able to afford to buy them. 

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #660 Shouny Mishel
$ SPONSORED by Tom, Thanks!

Shouny Mishel is 11yrs old. She is in 6th grade .  Her birthday is 17th of July.

 

Shouny lives with her father, Edwin 36yrs old and her mother, Marisol, 35yrs old.

She has two sisters and one brother.

They are:

Manuel is 13yrs old. He is in 5th grade.

Leila is 10yrs old. She is in 4th grade.

Jade Marisol is 4yrs old. She is not in school yet.

 

The father works on the boats that cross the lake.  He earns $34 US per week.

The mother sells fruit at the school.  She earns $6.50 US per week.

They are renting their house and they pay $20.00 US per month.

 

They have two rooms that are made of cement blocks. The floor is cement and the roof is tin sheeting.

They do not have a kitchen. They cook outside on the corridor.  They cook over an open fire with a tin sheet.

They have three beds for all of them.

They have a pila.

They have water connected and pays $2.US per month.

They have electricity connected and pay $11US per month.

They have a table and chairs.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They do not have a water filter.

They do not have a closet. They keep their clothes in a cardboard box.

Their main diet is beans, rice and fish that the husband catches in the lake.

 

Manuel, the eldest child has a problem with his eyesight.  He needs glasses but they have not been able to afford to buy them.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #659 Miguel Lopez who is 16 years old.
$ SPONSORED by the Westhampton Christian Church, Thanks!

Miguel is 16yrs old. He is in 8th grade. His birthday is 9th of November.

 

Miguel lives in Panajachel with his mother, Rosa.  His father died 10yrs ago. 

Miguel has two brothers:

Mario 22yrs old.  He went to school only until 8th grade.

Eduardo 20yrs old. He went to school only until 7th grade.

They both live at home and are working.

Mario is unable to work. He had an accident 7yrs ago and lost one arm and one leg. He now has prosthetics but finds it very difficult to find a job.

 

Eduardo works as a waiter. He earns $25 US per week.

He helps his mother with the costs for the family. 

The mother works as a domestic. She earns $50 US per month.

 

They own their home.

It has one room. It is made of mud brick.

The roof is tin sheeting.

The floor is cement. 

They have a small kitchen made of cement block.

 

They have three beds.

Eduardo sleeps at his workplace. 

They have a table and chairs.

They have a small closet but is not enough for their clothes . They keep the rest in a cardboard box.

 

They have water connected and pay $1.US. per month.

 

They have electricity connected and pay $12 US per month. 

They do not have an Onil stove. 

They have a small piece of tin that she uses to cook over an open fire.

 

They do not have a water filter. 

Their main diet is beans, rice and vegetables. 

Miguel helps his mother after school at the house where she works. 

Miguel is in 8th grade, his school sponsorship fee is $300.US. per year.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #658
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #657 Belsar Jeremias who is 13 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Connie Turvey, Thanks!

Belsar is 13yrs old. He is in 7th grade.

He lives in Panajachel with his mother, Belvina. She is a widow.

Belsar's father died several years ago.  He died of the results of alcoholism.

 

Belsar has two brothers and two sisters.

They are:

Carlos is 22yrs old.  He is studying business administration.

Traci is 20yrs old. She is studying business administration as well.

Marcos is 15yrs old. He is in 8th grade.

 

Belvina works as a cook in a restaurant. She earns $30 US  a week.

 

Her older children all work to be able to pay for their studies but the money that they earn is only enough for their studies, they cannot help their mother with money for food or household costs.

 

They own their house.

They have one room.

It  is made of cement blocks.

They have an outside kitchen

 made of wooden planks, the roof is tin sheeting and the floor is cement.

They have a wood burning stove.

They have water connected. They pay $0.50cents US. per month.

They have electricity connected and pay $10 US. per month.

They have a pila.

They have a toilet.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They do not have a water filter.

They have four beds.

They have one closet.

They have a table and chairs. 

Their diet is vegetables, beans and rice.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #656 Sandy Areceli who is 12 years old.
$ Co-SPONSORED by the Garfield Family and ?, Thanks!

Sandy Areceli is 12yrs old. She is in 7th grade. Her birthday is September 19th.

 

Sandy lives with her aunt, Alma 30yrs old and her uncle, Miguel 29yrs old.  Sandy's mother left Sandy with her aunt 6 years ago.  She went to live with a man and he refused to have Sandy live with them.

Sandy has a little cousin, Evelyn 4yrs old.

Sandy's mother does not help with the costs of supporting her daughter and does not visit her. She sometimes sees her mother in the street but the mother ignores her.

 

Miguel works as a builders assistant. When he has work he earns $5 US per day.

Alma stays at home, she often is in the mountains looking for firewood or herbs.

 

They own their house.

They have one room made of cement block.

The floor is cement.

The roof is tin sheeting.  

They have one bed.  Sandy sleeps on the floor on a woven straw mat.

They do not have a pila.

They go to the lake to wash their clothes.

They do not have water connected but the mother in law lives next door and they can take water from her house when they need it.

They have electricity connected and pay $8 US per month.

They have a toilet.

They have a wood burning stove.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They do not have a water filter.

They have a table and chairs.

They have one closet. They keep the rest of their clothes in a cardboard box.

Their main diet is eggs, pasta , beans and rice with tortillas.

 

Alma does not feel well, she used to weave using a back strap but she has a lot of pain in her back and now cannot weave.  

Miguel also has a health issue that he feels sick after he eats and feels like his stomach is bloated. They cannot afford to seek medical attention.  

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #655 Jagni Onelia who is 5 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Jen and Alan Weathers, Thanks!

Jagni is 6yrs old. She is in kindergarten. Her birthday is October 29th.

 

She lives in the coastal town of Patulul.    She lives with her

mother, Maria, 31yrs old.  Maria is a single mother. The father left when Maria was pregnant with Jagni.

 

Maria works as a domestic in a private house. She earns $2.60 US per day. She does not have work every day. Sometimes it is only 2-3 days a week.

 

Jagni's grandfather works on a finca . ( a large farm). The finca gives him a house to live in as long as he is working there.  Jagni lives there with her mother, grandmother and grandfather.

It is one room made of tin sheeting.

The floor is cement.

They have an outside kitchen, half made of tin sheeting and half of bamboo. The floor is dirt.

They have four beds.

They have water and electricity connected.

They cook over four cement blocks with an open fire.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They do not have a water filter.

They have a pila but it is broken.

They have two closets.

The rest of their clothes they keep in sacks.

They do not have a table or chairs.

 

Jagni was born one of twins but her sister died when she was two months old.

Jagni has very delicate health and is often ill.  The family does not have money to take her to a doctor.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #654 Daniela Marisol who is 5 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Matt in honor of his 7th Birthday, Thanks!

Daniela Marisol is 5yrs old. She is not in school yet because her mother could not afford to send her.  Her birthday is August 15th.

 

She lives in the coastal town of Patulul.

She lives with her mother, Dora 28yrs old. Dora is a single mother.

Daniela has one sister, Elvia 7yrs and is in first grade and one brother, Ruben who is 16 months old.

 

 All three children have different fathers who abandoned the mother when she was pregnant.

 

Dora works washing clothes by hand or making tortillas to sell. She earns $2.US per day. She does not get work every day.

 

Dora is renting a house . She pays $8 US per month.

The house is made of tin sheeting.

She has one room. They sleep and cook in this room.

The floor is dirt.

She has water and electricity connected and it is included in her rent.

Dora cooks using a tin drum. She cooks using wood.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They have one bed.

They all sleep in the one bed.

They do not have a closet. They keep their clothes in a cardboard box.

They do not have enough blankets or sheets.

They have a water filter donated by Mayan Families.

They have a pila that is in very bad shape, half of it is broken.

Their main diet is soup, beans rice and pasta.  They often do not have enough to eat.

 

The baby has a problem with allergies, he often has rashes.  The baby is also very malnourished.

The children do not have enough clothes or shoes.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #653 Elvia Desiree who is 7 years old.
$ SPONSORED by McCall, Katherine, Sara and Chloe, Thanks!

Elvia is 7yrs old. She is in first grade . Her birthday is 18th of November.

 

She lives in the coastal town of Patulul.

She lives with her mother, Dora 28yrs old. Dora is a single mother.

Elvia has one sister, Daniela is 5yrs old and one brother, Ruben who is 16 months old.

 

 All three children have different fathers who abandoned the mother when she was pregnant.

 

Dora works washing clothes by hand or making tortillas to sell. She earns $2.US per day. She does not get work every day.

 

Dora is renting a house . She pays $8 US per month.

The house is made of tin sheeting.

She has one room. They sleep and cook in this room.

The floor is dirt.

She has water and electricity connected and it is included in her rent.

Dora cooks using a tin drum. She cooks using wood.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They have one bed.

They all sleep in the one bed.

They do not have a closet. They keep their clothes in a cardboard box.

They do not have enough blankets or sheets.

They have a water filter donated by Mayan Families.

They have a pila that is in very bad shape, half of it is broken.

Their main diet is soup, beans rice and pasta.  They often do not have enough to eat.

 

The baby has a problem with allergies, he often has rashes.  The baby is also very malnourished.

The children do not have enough clothes or shoes.

PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #652 Luz Maria who is 8 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Craig, Staci, Gabriel and Adriana, Thanks!

Luz Maria is 8yrs old. She is not in school because her grandmother cannot afford to send her.  She would like very much to be able to go to school.  Her birthday is 13th of July.

 

 Luz lives in Patulul on the coast. She lives with her grandmother, Filomena 66yrs old. She has one brother, Elmer  (#651)  who is 12yrs old. He is in 5th grade. She also lives with her Aunt Sara 30yrs old and her cousin Luis (#650) who is 13yrs old and in 5th grade.

 

The grandmother had an accident a year ago and has lost most of her hearing. They do not have enough money for her to be able to seek medical attention.

 

Sara works washing clothes by hand. She earns $1.50 US per day. She does not get work every day.

She is the only one working in the family to earn money. 

They are renting a house.

They pay $8 US  a month.

The house is made of tin sheeting.

The floor is dirt.

The have only one room.

They have one small outside kitchen also made of tin sheets.

They have three beds. Two people sleep in each bed.

They do not have sufficient sheets or blankets.

They have water connected and pay $2.50 US per month.

They have electricity connected and pay $3US per month.

They cook over an open fire on the ground.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They do have a water filter that Mayan Families gave them.

They have a pila.

They do not have closets . They keep their clothes in a cardboard box.

They have one table and a few chairs but not enough for all of them.

 

Their diet is mainly beans, past and potatoes. The grandmother says that there are many days when they do not have enough food and some days when they have nothing to eat. 

Luz Maria is photographed with her grandmother. 
PLEASE SPONSOR STUDENT #651 Elmer Gudiel who is 12 years old.
$ SPONSORED by Jennifer, Will and Josh, Thanks!

Elmer is 12 years old. He is in 5th grade. His birthday is 28th of November.  

Luis lives in Patulul on the coast. He lives with his mother, Sara 30yrs old. He lives also with his grandmother and his two cousins, Elmer is 12yrs old, he is in 5th grade and Luz Maria is 8yrs old. She is not in school for lack of finances.

Elmer and Luz's mother died  6yrs ago and they are being brought up by their grandmother.

 

The grandmother had an accident a year ago and has lost most of her hearing. They do not have enough money for her to be able to seek medical attention.  

Sara works washing clothes by hand. She earns $1.50 US per day. She does not get work every day.

She is the only one working in the family to earn money.  

They are renting a house.

They pay $8 US  a month.

The house is made of tin sheeting.

The floor is dirt.

The have only one room.

They have one small outside kitchen also made of tin sheets.

They have three beds. Two people sleep in each bed.

They do not have sufficient sheets or blankets.

They have water connected and pay $2.50 US per month.

They have electricity connected and pay $3US per month.

They cook over an open fire on the ground.

They do not have an Onil stove.

They do have a water filter that Mayan Families gave them.

They have a pila.

They do not have closets . They keep their clothes in a cardboard box.

They have one table and a few chairs but not enough for all of them.

 

Their diet is mainly beans, past and potatoes. The grandmother says that there are many days when they do not have enough food and some days when they have nothing to eat.

 

Elmer is photographed with his grandmother, his sister and his cousin.

 

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