Day 2: Cultivating Insight

Introduction

Today was our first day visiting three of the 15 families. I would briefly like to remind everyone reading our blog that both teams follow a specific process when we visit families. Initially, the most important component in the process is obtaining consent from the families in order to share their testimony and photographs with the public. Another important aspect is taking into consideration that almost every family appreciates sharing their story. Having the ability to listen as a mother and/or father disclose personal information about their past is a crucial part of our humanitarian work. Revealing segments of their past builds trust and rapport between team volunteers and the families.

It is imperative that the reader understand we do not simply handout stoves or cement floors after a 10 minute visit. We get to know the families extensively as long as they feel comfortable and the families get to know us. For this reason, family visits can sometimes last several hours. The visits are sometimes emotionally touching, disturbing, moving, funny, and heart wrenching. Nonetheless, our team focuses on the strengths of each family individually. We choose to believe there is hope. 

For more information or to donate visit our official website at: projecthello.club

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Family: Don Jose and Doña Matilde

Written by: Franco

Our team unexpectedly met Don Jose and his family in the summer of 2017. We instantly fell in love with their grandchildren. The connection we had with this family was sincere and profound. So much so that a couple of former Project HELLO team volunteers decided to sponsor Don Jose's granddaughter education as she discontinued going to school since her family could no longer afford to pay for her tuition, books, and uniforms.

Don Jose was moved by the gesture of kindness and to show his gratitude he offered to give our former teammates a plot of land on his property. Since then, his granddaughter Selena is excelling in her studies thanks to our former team members educational sponsorship.

We sat with Don Jose and his family and listened to how they'd been doing since we last saw them. Don Jose was recently injured after a slab of aluminum roof struck him in the nose. He had several stitches pocking out the front of his nose. Even then, he stays busy tending his fields of maize so his family can eat.

Although Don Jose and his wife have older children who could economically help them, they have started their own families and moved away. This leaves Don Jose as the sole provider for a family of six. As he shared his list of needs we helped the family decide which items would be most useful. Thanks to your donations, Don Jose and his family will receive an all purpose wash station and possibly a new roof and four walls. Labor will begin when our team arrives in December 2018.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Second Family: Doña Fortunata 

Written by: Franco

Like many families living in extreme poverty in Sibinal, Doña Fortunata had the misfortune of losing her husband to alcoholism. She is currently raising five children on her own. In order to meet her children's nutritional needs, she goes from home to home washing dirty clothes in her neighborhood.

Her oldest daughter used to live with her husband and two children in Mexico. Not long ago they divorced and Doña Fortunata was left with two grandchildren. Two more small mouths to feed. Her daughter returned to Mexico in seek of employment because of the lack of work opportunities in Sibinal. However, she barely manages to get by and is unable to send money to support her children. 
As I interviewed Doña Fortunata and listened to her story, I was struck by her devotion to her family. Although I could see the emotion on her face as she told me her story, she held fast and steady by consistently acknowledging how much she loved her children and grandchildren.

With your donations, Doña Fortunata and her children will receive a basic human need everyone deserves to have: access to clean water. Both teams from the US and Guatemala have partnered with local authorities and the community to run underground pipes leading to her home. She will have running water for the first time in many years. She will also receive an all purpose wash station where she can wash dishes, do her laundry, and use as a water reservoir. Work will commence when our team arrives in December 2018.

Plots of land where the water pipes to Doña Fortunata's home will run through.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Third Family: Doña Senaida 

Written by: Aldo

As soon as we arrived to Doña Senaida’s home, one of the things that impressed me the most and gave me a special feeling was to find her chopping wood with a smile on her face. Doña Senaida is a single mother of three children, one of them being a special needs child. She works as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant. Several times a year, she also travels to Tapachula, Mexico to sell fruits and earn livelihood for her family.

In the course of the conversation we had with her, we listened to a variety of difficulties she faces every day. For instance, having to leave very early in the morning to go to work while leaving her children at home alone and not having the financial means to cover her children’s expenses and basic needs. On the other hand, I strongly felt her desire to provide for her children by having an adequate home and living space such as a concrete floor, wash station, and stove. Throughout our visit we helped her identify and prioritize her family’s most important needs. Thanks to your donations, Doña Senaida and her children will receive a concrete floor for her home and an all-purpose wash station in December 2018.