The Children
Mercedes, 25, is in a shaky marriage with four children. She works sifting sand out of the river and her income is used to support her own children.
Gerber, 23, was born July 29, 1988. His student number is 327. He graduated from high school this year and would like to go to the university in 2012.
Juan Carlos, 21, was born February 23, 1990. His student number is 326 and he will be in 11th grade in 2012. He attends weekend school and works during the week.
Glendy, 19, was born July 8, 1992. She graduated from 9th grade in 2011 and was married in December 2011. She is expecting her first baby in May. Her student number was 317.
Eddyn Almilcar, 15, was born November 1, 1996. His student number is 110 and he will be in 8th grade in 2012.
Walter Emilio, 13, was born October 1, 1998. His student number is 109 and he will be in the 6th grade in 2012.
The Family
The father drank a lot and left the family 9 years ago; there
has been no contact from him since. The
mother was left to care for all the children, including two more who have died. She worked in a field to provide for them but
got cancer ‘from working so hard’, Mercedes said. She struggled a long time with the cancer and
died in September 2009.
The family is supported by the income earned by Herbert,
Juan Carlos and Glendy. Glendy works at
Mayan Families, and Herbert and Juan Carlos work together in a bakery making
bread.
Their House
The sponsors for Glendy and her younger brothers built them a
new house but during Tropical Storm Agatha in May 2010 the kitchen and the
bathroom fell into the nearby raging river.
Since then the sponsors have provided a rented house for Glendy and
her five brothers to live in, and Mercedes lives in what is left of the old
house (two rooms with an outdoor kitchen) with her children and their
grandmother. In December 2011 Glendy was married to Joel and moved into his house. The five brother remain in the rented house. The siblings own
the land the old house is on, inherited from their father, but because of erosion, soon
the whole house will be taken away by the river.
The rented house does not have a kitchen so Mercedes cooks
at the old house for the whole family. The
three younger children go to the old house after school to be with the adults
there, but at night they go home to the rented house to sleep. The houses are close to each other in
Panajachel. At the rented house there
are two bedrooms. In Glendy’s room there
are two beds, one for Walter and one for Elvis. The other bedroom has two beds for Herbert,
Edy and Juan Carlos. Walter needs a new
single mattress. They have
electricity and running water. Neither
house has a water filter.
Juan Carlos is very thin and doesn’t want to eat because of
a painful stomach. He needs to see a
doctor but can’t go because they can’t afford it. In December a donation was received to pay for Juan Carlos to see the doctor.
When asked what their most pressing need is, Glendy said it
is medical care for Juan Carlos, clothes and shoes for the boys, and food.
Their Needs
$63 each Two water
filters
$44 Single mattress for Walter
$45 each Clothes
for the three younger boys
$30 each Shoes for the three younger boys
Food
How to Donate
- To use PayPal, click the button below to go to Mayan Families' donation page. Enter the donation amount in the Family Aid field. Enter FA161 for the Family Name. Specify the purpose of the donation in the Extra Notes box.
- To pay by check, include a note specifying FA161 as the recipient and the purpose of the donation. Mail to:
Mayan Families
PO Box 52
Claremont, NC 28610
PO Box 52
Claremont, NC 28610