Saturday 26 November 2011

This family consists of two teenage boys being cared for by their stepfather, Jorge, and their aunt, Yolanda.  Yolanda sells food in the Mayan Families side yard and is the mother of Edy who works at Mayan Families.  Jorge is good to the boys and helps them as he can while also caring for the boys’ stepbrother, Einar.  Yolanda, her husband and Edy work together to support the boys.   Their most urgent needs is a water filter replacement.  The one they currently use is three years old and should have been replaced last year.  They also need supplemental food on a monthly basis.

The Children
Oliver, 16, was in the 10th grade in 2011.  His student number is 1878. He studies mechanics in Sololá all day.   




Luis Angel, 14, was born January 7, 1997.  His student number is 1192 and he was in the 9th grade in 2011.


 

Einar, 10, will be in the 5th grade in 2012.  His student number is 1191.

 
 
 
 
 

Their Family
Luis and Oliver’s father died of leukemia 14 years ago when Luis was only two months old.  Their mother remarried and had a child, Einar, with her new husband, Jorge.  The mother then became sick with lung problems and she died in September 2009.  Jorge lived with the three boys in the mother’s house until he became sick and had to move back with his parents so they could care for him.  He visited with the boys a lot because, as Yolanda says, ‘he loves the boys very much.’  He had surgery in May 2011 and was just returning to work as the supervisor of a store.  Two days before the interview (in June 2011) he moved back into the room beside Oliver and Luis'.

Grandmother, Luis, Einar and Yolanda

Oliver and Luis’s grandmother lives in the same housing unit.  The grandmother is old and the boys help take care of her.   She had surgery four years ago and when she returned home her retina detached and the doctor took out her eye.  She doesn’t work.  Their Aunt Yolanda has taken responsibility for the boys and cooks all their meals for them.  Yolanda lives around the corner with her husband and their five children, ages 22 to 14.  Her husband is a day laborer and she sells food.  Her 20 year old son Edy works at Mayan Families and between the three of them, they support the orphans.  Jorge gives Yolanda $10 (75Q) a week to help pay for the boys.  Since he isn’t Oliver and Luis’s father, Yolanda doesn’t feel right to ask him for more money.  She feels like the boys are her responsibility now.  The children’s sponsors and the Mayan Families general food fund help them with food from time to time but it isn’t enough. 

Their House
Yolanda said it was as if her sister knew she was going to die.  She borrowed money to fix up the house and bought the children a large bookshelf full of books.  As soon as everything was in order and the house debt was repaid, she became sick and quickly died.  The house is in good condition.  When the kitchen roof started leaking, the boys bought the supplies and repaired it themselves.  Oliver and Luis have two beds with mattresses and blankets and two wardrobes in their room.  Jorge and Einar live in the room next door when they are here.   

The boys don’t have running water but they can get water from their grandmother’s house next door. They have a three year old water filter that needs replacing. They still use it but it takes all day to produce a jar of water. They have an Onil stove that is at the grandmother’s house. 


The boys are healthy.  Oliver hurt his eye playing baseball when he was 10 years old and it was permanently injured but it doesn’t bother him and they have been told it can’t be fixed.  Luis said they don’t have enough dental care and personal hygiene products.
When asked what they need most Yolanda said they need the new water filter replacement, clothes and help with the extra expenses at school.  She didn’t complain about finances but that may be because she sells food outside Mayan Families and Edy works at Mayan Families so she didn’t want to seem ungrateful.

 Their Needs
$44              Water Filter Replacement Thank You!!  Dec 2011

$45 each    Clothes for Oliver and Luis

$30              Family Health Pack Thank You!!  Dec 2011

$?                 Extra school expenses

$50/mo       Recommended food donation, though any amount is helpful

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 FA163 for the Family Name. Specify the purpose of the donation in the Extra Notes box.

  • To pay by check, include a note specifying FA163 as the recipient and the purpose of the donation. Mail to:
Mayan Families
PO Box 52
Claremont, NC 28610