Simple Things that Transform the Every Day

Ivon Cuervo - Posted on January 27, 2010

In Nueva Esperanza it is common to find big families reduced to living in small, crudely built houses. The extraordinary thing is to see how a small gift can change the life of a girl and show her that in addition to her family there are other people interested in her living in dignified conditions. Maria Fernanda is just one of the children who have experienced this demonstration of affection, thanks to sponsorship.

At five a.m., Wilfredo, 46, leaves his house to go and buy the cans of milk that later he and his wife Helena, 36, sell on the streets of the informal neighborhood where they live.

Wilfrido has been a street seller for the past 20 years. Helena learned this business from him and now they work together. This is the way they have been able to provide for the basic needs of their family. “We have had to struggle, but praise God, here we are,” recognizes Helena.

Before leaving to sell the milk, Helena takes care of her five children: Kelly, 19; Clara, 17; Marly, 16; Wilfrido, 13, and María Fernanda, 10, and makes sure they have breakfast before they go to the school.

Helena’s mother, Maria, 74, stays in the house. “My mother helps me take care of Maria Fernanda and Wilfrido and the older girls help my mom with the chores at home,” says Helena.

María Fernanda ¡You got a Gift!

To have her own bed was one of the dreams of María Fernanda, “I wanted to sleep by myself, because I used to sleep with my father and my mother,” she remembers.

The poverty conditions caused this family to live amidst conditions of overcrowding. Three or four people share each room, and sometimes each bed.

Maria Fernanda’s wish came true the day when Maryuris Zapa, a Sponsorship Promoter of World Vision, visited them and shared the good news about a special gift her sponsor had sent to meet an urgent need the girl may have. The gift was for about $100 dollars, just enough to get what she needed: clothing, shoes and a bed with a mattress.

Maria Fernanda had not had any new clothes in more than a year. “We look for the cheapest clothes to buy for our children for their birthdays,” says Helena.

In this happy opportunity, mother and daughter went to a store that offers clothes for girls and Maria Fernanda chose what she wanted. After that, they went to buy the bed and came back home in a cab.

The girl continues sleeping in the same bedroom with her parents and her brother, Wilfrido, but now she enjoys her own bed and sleeps more comfortably. “Now I can stretch and sleep how I like,” says the girl. “This is the best gift I have ever received. I hope God reward my sponsor,” adds Maria Fernanda.

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