Sponsor a Child; Sponsor a Future

Ivon Cuervo - Posted on December 4, 2009

“The sponsors plant seeds in the children and their families help them grow up and progress,” says Angelica, 17. She knows clearly what she wants to achieve and everything that she says and does is linked to the focus she has in her life.

Gilberto, Angelica’s father, leaves the house early in the morning in order to gather palm leaves and rushes from a swamp. Then, he takes them to his house. He puts them on the floor of the patio where they dry. With this material, he, his wife, Amada, and four of their six children manufacture thick rugs with the shape of a square called rush-matting.

The rush-matting has many uses. It serves to cover floors, as a mattress, to protect roofs of houses or outdoor shops.

Each member of the family takes between 20 and 30 minutes to manufacture a rush-mat. “The work with the rush-matting has helped us with the economic expenses,” says Angelica.

When Angelica’s family arrived in Nueva Esperanza, they built a house with wood tiles and the roof with palm leaves.

Ten years ago, Angelica started to be sponsored. At that time, World Vision helped her family with the construction of a bedroom built with concrete bricks, instead of recycled wooden materials.

Then, they continued improving their housing but kept the backyard surrounded by the wood tiles as a workshop where they could make the rush-matting.

Getting Focused on The Objective

Angelica’s goal is to study Pharmacological Chemistry or Business Administration. “When I finished high school, my family could not afford my superior education,” she says.

But Angelica did not give up on her dream of continuing her education and took basic courses in Technology, Marketing and Accounting at an institution organized by the government.

“One of my dreams is to found a family business with my parents and brothers that produces rush-matting,” says Angelica.

With 30 years of experience in the manufacturing of rush-matting, Gilberto already has an established list of customers, especially in the popular market of the city.

Angelica is sure that the family business can grow and when she will see this dream become a handicraft business, their house won’t be big enough to store all of the materials and products they produce. She already knows how to think and dream big.

Back to Top