Home for the Poor

It becomes difficult to image just how poor the families are until you are finally there, standing inside their house. You could list all the details--adobe bricks, one room for cooking, sleeping, eating, basically everything, no electricity, not enough water, which is obtained from a public tap, no bathrooms, and always more than six inhabitants--but they remain insufficient. You have to see the corrugated-tin rooftops with tires holding them down, you have to see the small size of the one room, and you have to speak to the mothers and fathers, whose faces bear the wear and tear of years of hard work and pain.

This is the reality for the kids. When they are not at Seeds, not at school, and not on the streets working, this is where they are. There is one family in particular that has corrugated-tin siding for their house, a structure struggling to hold itself up. Thanks to Seeds, they are building a new house, one out of adobe bricks. Soon, they will sleep safely knowing that the walls of their new home are safe and secure. However, that is only one family, and only one of their many problems.


Too many times we take for granted the basic elements of our life. I do not remember ever thinking to myself: when will I run out of water today? Or even, how will I get enough money to feed myself for today? All of our basic necessities have been taken care of by our parents when we are young and by ourselves when we are older. However, when you are the mother of four children and only washing clothes for 3 soles per day, you do not have even enough to take care of yourself, let alone your family.


I did not forsee the pain I would feel simply talking to the parents. Living amongst so much poverty and pain, the children still manage to come to us day to day with smiles on their faces and an eagerness to love and learn. These children remind me that no matter how difficult life becomes, you can always find happiness. I am truly inspired every time I see them!


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