Paola and Karla are going to school this year and Paola is very grateful that SARF is helping her in her final year of school.  As we continue to talk to the family about the girls’ relationship with their mother, we are discovering that it has become more and more estranged.  Since our last update we have been able to gather more information about the situation.  We have learned that it is typical in Guatemalan culture that when a woman begins to live with or marries another man, it is an “understood” but also unspoken rule that the man not only enters into a relationship with the woman, but also any daughters she might have.  When their mother began this relationship with the man she is now with and decided to move in with him, Paola and Karla decided they did not want to be a part of that.  They had some struggles with their mom about this and decided to not move in with the man for fear of falling into this cultural trap.  They asked Maribel if it would be possible to live with them while they finish school, get jobs, and find a place of their own.  Of course, the family took them in and that is why they are now living in the house.

We have been pleasantly impressed with not only the girls’ behavior but the family’s own resolve to be self-sustainable.  They go out of their way to try to make ends meet and do their own part.

Fidel is a content and pleasant man to just be around, even if you aren’t talking with him.  He is able to sustain the family with his retirement pension and thankfully has access to the socialized healthcare system for regular doctor visits and medicine.

Maribel works hard to maintain the house with her tortilla business which continues to do well.  Recently she was able to sort out her paperwork and get her national ID card which has been held up for almost a year.  This means she can now start applying for more official jobs.  Her daughter, Cristal was a little sad when everyone got backpacks for school and she didn’t, even though she hasn’t started school yet.  We are putting together a special backpack just for her!

Juan started studying in a new school this year which has been a bit of a struggle for him but he is adjusting.  He likes the school even though the hours are long and he has more work to do.  He is going to school on Saturdays as part of the advanced adult class so he can work during the week, although he has struggled to find a steady job.  We continue to encourage him to keep applying for work and to seek out the many construction jobs that are available in and around his area.

We recently discovered from the family that they need a concrete wall built in their home to help them with runoff during the rainy season.  We will be investigating to see if we can help them with this problem when one of our teams comes down in a few months.