Tuesday 15 November 2011


This family consists of four children who live alone with extended family nearby to check in on them daily.  The oldest son left school in order to earn money for the family and has taken on a parental role for his younger siblings.  Their greatest need is a monthly food donation.


The Children

Oscar is 19 years old. He quit 6th grade to work after his mother died. His student number was 65.

Marvin, 17, was born May 9, 1994. His student number is 64.  He will be in 12th grade in 2012.

Edy, 15, was born February 1, 1996. His student number is 63.  He will be in 9th grade in 2012.

Angelica, 12, was born August 17, 1998. Her student number is 62.  She will be in 6th grade in 2012. 


Their Family


The children’s father died 11 years ago from cancer and their mother died of kidney failure in November 2010.

The mother suffered a lot with the kidney failure and the family spent a lot of money on medical procedures to try to help her, but they have no debt for this because the mother was in a church group that raised money to help with the expenses.

The children live alone in the house that had belonged to their mother but they have extended family nearby that looks after them. The family works together to check in daily with the children and make sure they have food. Often a relative will cook dinner for them at their house or invite them over to eat.

Oscar has become the father figure. He works in a butcher shop earning $200 (1500Q) per month, and this provides the money the family needs to pay for food, electricity, gas and water. He doesn’t make a lot but with care it provides for them all month. Sometimes they eat only beans and rice, but sometimes they can have eggs. Marvin works in a bookshop in the mornings and earns $80 (600Q) per month. He has to spend his money to pay the additional expenses of the technical school he attends in the afternoons. Edy’s sponsor has been sending him $12 (75Q) a month as a reward for his good grades to be used for additional school expenses.

Oscar was a bit of a rebel when his mother was alive. He had a sponsor for school in 2006 but dropped out of school. The following year he was given another chance and again he dropped out of school. In 2008 he asked Mayan Families for one more chance, promising to remain committed to school, but that was the year his mother died and he had to quit school to go to work. He now works seven days a week and has no time to attend school.

They are all healthy though they need to visit the dentist.

Angelica wears a traditional skirt but a Western shirt since they are cheaper.


Their House

Their house has three bedrooms and a lean-to kitchen. All the children sleep on beds with mattresses and all have blankets. Marvin and Edy sleep together, and a female relative (aunt, cousin or grandmother) comes every night to sleep with Angelica. They have electricity and water connected, an Onil stove and a pila. They received a water filter in December 2011. The kitchen floods but the bedrooms stay dry.


When asked what they need most, the siblings all looked at each other shyly. Sipriana, their mother’s cousin who brought the children in for the interview, spoke up to say they need more food, and Gloria confirmed this. 

At the end of the interview Sipriana said she was very thankful to Mayan Families for continuing to help these children. The children received school sponsorship before the mother died and she said she was afraid that once the children got older this help wouldn’t continue. She said the family is supporting them as much as they are able so the siblings don’t feel alone.


What They Need

$150          Traditional clothes for Angelica

$100/mo    Food (though any amount is helpful)

$63           Water filter Thank You!!  December 2011

Kitchen repair to protect from rain









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 FA68 for the Family Name. Specify the purpose of the donation in the Extra Notes box.

  • To pay by check, include a note specifying FA68 as the recipient and the purpose of the donation. Mail to:
Mayan Families
PO Box 52
Claremont, NC 28610