A Busy Day of Progress and Giving

Today was full of progress. I spent the morning with Amarilis, planning the next house builds, including a home for Fredriko, an elderly man squatting on land we now own. We’ll be building four homes simultaneously, including Jose’s in Javillar.

We also prepared for the weekend team, planning the opening of Reynaldo’s home and food pack distributions. On Sunday, the team will visit Javillar to see the homes we’re replacing and meet with the community.

After speaking with Fernando about road issues affecting construction, we decided to invest $400 in road improvements to prevent delays during rainy weather.

Later, we visited the center, discussing future plans for a third level, with hopes to add an apartment for a center manager and create a self-sustaining space for other community projects. Brent and Erin delivered apples to the school, while Shannon and I enjoyed a brief visit to the beach before she decided to stay an extra day.

Brent and Erin went to Kate’s to deliver clothes for the children. The kids were thrilled, trying on the new items, and Kate expressed her gratitude, especially for the meal shared with her family.

We also sent funds to Kate to support two families, Widline and Ashli, who were affected by deportations. The money will help reunite them with their children and provide urgent support.

Kate’s Post:

“We are once again seeing an increase in deportations and immigration raids. This week has been non-stop. Every time a student makes it to school, everyone feels like they can breathe a sigh of relief. When a child is absent, the first thought is 'did immigration take them? Was their family taken?' Many parents and guardians keep their children home when immigration is out.

We have over 25 families—just from Monday to today (Wednesday)—that have been affected. Either a parent/guardian was deported, the family, or the child.

However, we have two families who need immediate help.

The first is Widline. Widline is the mother of three beautiful young boys. Her two oldest sons are in our kindergarten class. They have special needs, but Widline has been so happy at the progress they are making. Her youngest is 2 years old but cannot walk. Due to her children’s special needs, the father has very little to do with the family as people have told him she must be cursed. She is an incredible mom who faces so many challenges.

She brought her boys to school, and at some point on the walk back home she was taken by immigration. The boys are in the care of a neighbor, who does not have the means to care for them. She has her own young children and lives in an extremely tiny room with no kitchen or bathroom.

Another family affected is Ashli, Esther, and Wisny. Three wonderful students at our school. They have two younger siblings at home, making them a family of 5. Their father was deported last month, and now their mother. When children are separated from their parents like this, it is a recipe for disaster. This is how so many children end up being taken advantage of. They have already split the siblings up.

Please help us reunite these two mothers with their children. While we have so many families affected, these two families (especially the children) are at great risk of being placed in harm’s way without their mothers.

We would like to raise 20,000 pesos for each family (40,000 pesos total, ~$645 USD). This will help reunite them safely, as well as provide some urgently needed items (mostly food).”