A Visit with Olga's Family. The Student I Sponsor in Panajachel

One of my goals on this trip was to visit Olga Maritza, the student I have been sponsoring in a Panajachel school. She is the girl on the left with the blue tee shirt. Olga's mother, Christina, is 37 years old and has 6 daughters. Christina works as a laundress when she can find work and makes 25 quetzals a day (around $3). Her income isn't enough to keep the family especially now that she has thrown her husband out because he was an alcoholic. Even when he was home life was very difficult. They often don't have enough to eat and subsist on tortillas with salt. All but one of the daughters now have school sponsors.

Their bathroom. They have running water on the property.

The shower. The curtains flap in the wind offering little privacy. And both rooms obviously could use new floors. It would cost $130 to fix the shower floor and add two doors. If you would like to help go to:

http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow

Go to the bottom of the page and under "other" indicate the amount which you want to donate to help this family and what it is to be used for. Indicate that it is for #1049.

Part of the yard.
The second building which could be used as a bedroom but they can't use it currently as the roof leaks.
The front door of the building which they use as "home". The kitchen is off to the right outside.
The laundry area where the mother works to earn their living when she can find work.
The stove. They have to pay 180 quetzals a month for firewood which they supplement by gathering wood from the mountainside. A new Onil stove would cost $160 and make a huge savings on wood for this family.

http://www.onilstove.com/

If you would like to contribute toward a new stove go to:

http://mayanfamilies.org/donatenow

Go to the bottom of the page and under "other" indicate the amount which you want to donate to help this family and what it is to be used for. Indicate that it is for #1049.


The kitchen. A new concrete block kitchen would cost $1600. If they used the block they currently have in the back yard and just repaired the kitchen it would cost $800. If you would like to help with this project go to:

http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow

Go to the bottom of the page and under "other" indicate the amount which you want to donate to help this family and what it is to be used for. Indicate that it is for #1049.

Inside the main house. There are two beds and the family uses both with some people sleeping on the floor. If the roof in the other building was fixed they could sleep in real beds.

There is a propane stove in the main building but it doesn't work.
There is just the one cupboard for all their clothes. The rest are kept in a cardboard box.
The roof of the usable house which also badly needs replacing.

Repairs to both roofs and the door and installing a new window would cost $534.
If you would like to help with this project go to:

http://mayanfamilies.org/donatenow

Go to the bottom of the page and under "other" indicate the amount which you want to donate to help this family and what it is to be used for. Indicate that it is for #1049.

There is no window which means the room becomes very cold on winter nights.
They keep a couple of chickens. Some of the laundry the mother does for a living.
The youngest daughter Yesica who is two years old and sponsored in a pre-school which was begun by Mayanfamilies.org.
Inside the unused building

The family currently "rents" electricity (for lack of a better description) from a neighbor and pays 300 quetzals for the priviledge. If they had their own "box" and some new wiring and connections they could probably cut their bill to 100 quetzals a month...a huge savings for them. This would cost $534. If you would like to contribute to this project go to:

http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateNow

Go to the bottom of the page and under "other" indicate the amount which you want to donate to help this family and what it is to be used for. Indicate that it is for #1049.

Olga's number is #1049. If you would like to help this family, even by just donating a Tamale Basket for $35, this would give the family enough food for a week. Wouldn't be wonderful if they received more than one basket!!!!

http://priscillakibbee.blogspot.com/2009/12/panajachel-guatemala-tamale-baskets.html

Use Olga's number on the Mayanfamilies donation page:

http://mayanfamilies.org/donatenow

Go to the bottom of the page and under "other" indicate the amount which you want to donate to help this family and what it is to be used for. Indicate that it is for #1049.