Break the Chains of Slavery

Mariana is 14 years old. She has been part of Asociación Nuestros Ahijados since 4 years. She started at the Scheel Center School to be able to receive education; the mother requested help from our project because she didn’t have the economic resources to pay her children’s education since the father is sentenced five years in jail.

The young lady has been progressing in school and with her mother’s support she has become in one of the best students at the Scheel Center School. In June of this year, when she was walking home after school, a man intended to abuse sexually from her, thanks to some neighbors she was able to escape. When she got to the hospital the doctors were able to confirm that in fact, it only was an Intended Sexually Assault.

The Legal Aid Program at Asociación Nuestros Ahijados inniciate with a follow up of her case. At first instance the young lady was Psychological assisted by having the psychologist visit her house since the girl had an emotional crisis. After that, the lawyer presented evidence to the Public Ministry being able to identify the syndicated; also appointments were set to have all the witness statements that could help in this case.

This case is still open to look for a favorable sentence for the young girl and have this person, who tried to abuse from her, receive the fair punishment. The lawyer has been talking with the parents for not looking for revenge on their own against the syndicated with the idea to have a fair and correct trail against him.

Mariana drop of school for a while because she was afraid that something could happen to her again, however, the father is now taking her to school everyday so she doesn’t have to quit school. The family is very grateful with Asociación Nuestros Ahijados for all the support received and they will keep fighting until the end with this legal process.

In 2009, the San Juan Alotenango dumpster was visited, it was there where this family met, it was observed that the children of the lady were helping to collect plastics there in the dumpster, because they worked there, the children. They had enough respiratory problems. They have had to work since the father died because he consumed alcohol.

They are originally from Sacatepéquez and the mother had to get ahead with her children working in the dumpster, the lady said that what worried her most were the people she worked with, since the place was dangerous enough for girls like her daughters be there

After knowing what the girls' lives were like, the US State Department, together with Asociación Nuestros Ahijados, began to support this family, the end of which was that both the women and the girls would no longer continue to collect garbage and they had the opportunity to study.

They studied at the Scheel Technical Educational Center of Asociacion Nuestros Ahijados and the mother no longer needs to go to the dump, the family's life has changed a lot since the services they have had have been enough, the girls have had the opportunity to receive psychological, medical, dental, clothing and shoes support as well as other family members, the mother was attending literacy classes.

Currently they receive the same benefits and they are also being supported with legal advice, since the daughter who is 17 years old, had problems with the mother and they entered her into a home, but with the support of the Legal Department the lady is already living again with the breast.

The lady is very grateful for the support that is being offered, this because she has been able to notice the change that her children have had and the desire with which her daughters live day by day.

Leticia is a 20-year-old lady, her life changed from the moment she was the victim of a kidnapping, the mother says that together with her husband they have tried to give their children the best, the family is very poor, the father works selling ceviches and the income he has is not very good, the mother works as a house maid but does not have regular income.

 After the young lady was kidnapped she suffered psychological problems and had a low self-esteem, for a long time she did not want to leave her room; It was thus that the ITEMP program began to support the young lady, the first thing she needed was psychological support which was provided to her, when the young lady entered the program, she was given medical exams, she was given clothes and she was supported with housing and education expenses.

 She was not studying because at school she was expelled because she missed a lot of school, but this year 2018 the young lady decided to return school, currently she is studying the seventh grade at an Institute in Masagua, Escuintla, she manages to redo his life with his partner, from this relationship a child was born and now he is four years old, her partner has an income of Q.800.00 being a Sports Teacher. She continues being part of the Asociación Nuestros Ahijados program by receiving vegetables, clothing and psychology help.

 She is very happy to continue receiving the benefits of Asociación Nuestros Ahijados and she wants to graduate from school and to give a better life to her son.

The lady is from Jutiapa and had been living in Antigua for ten years; she came to work because in her land there were no opportunities for her.  Her husband died in a criminal act and leaving four girls and the widow lady. After these unfortunate events, the mother found a job, doing domestic chores, but the money she was earning was only to cover the expenses required in the family, especially because they were constantly getting sick.

In 2015, she met a man with whom she started to live, he seemed to have good intentions with the family and even lived with them for a year. However, after that time, everything changed.  One day he decided that was going to take the old girl for a walk, but what he really wanted to do is to sell her as a sexual object to his friends and make money with that.  In addition to that, he threatened the girl that he was going to kill her and her family if she said something of what he was doing.

The mother was not aware of this, but that sudden change of attitude in her daughter convinced her that something was happening so she looked for psychological help at Nuestros Ahijados, which, after some therapies, the girl expressed the situation that she went through, and how during the weekends the stepfather took advantage of her to abuse and to collect money with his friends. Faced with this situation, the legal area decided to support the woman and the family, denouncing to the authorities and immediately assisting the girls, who were also vulnerable to the man.

The man was arrested and prosecuted by the authorities; in addition he was accused for being sexually exploiting other people and for belonging to the criminal group that is dedicated to the trafficking of people operating in the area. Nuestros Ahijados is constantly helping the family with physiological therapies and the mother is attending the “Mother’s Club” to receive all kind of help, such a workshops, food, health, orientation, clothing and any other kind of help they may need.

Although the damage caused by the stepfather was very big and almost irreparable, Nuestros Ahijados, is always trying to redo the mental well-being of all of them, and providing all possible support and opportunities to grow as people and professionals, so that in the future, especially girls, they can be independent women and that they can overcome this fact that they have lived.

FOLLOWING THEIR DREAMS

The family is from Nebaj, Quiché.  They are the father, three boys and one girl. They have been living in Antigua Guatemala for three years because the father came to find a better job opportunity.  The father had no education because he only had the option of working as a farmer.  Unfortunately the mother was engaged in prostitution and children suffered both physical and emotional abuse because she used to have sex with different men in front to his children.

When the father knew about this situation he decided to leave the home; when the mother realized that he was leaving her with the children she reported to authorities that the husband beat her a lot and did not take care of her children. All this came to the court to be able to solve this problem in the best way, the children declared that the mother beat them a lot and that was the reason why they wanted to stay with the father. The judge gave custody of the children to the father, under the terms of not approaching to the wife to avoid harm to the children; that is how they ended up living in Antigua.

With just a few of their personal things they managed to build a house with old metal sheets and most of the house was covered with nylon so they don’t get cold, even when it is not enough to prevent this from rain, when it rains the small space in which they live is filled with mud. They don’t have water or electricity because of all this situation the children don’t have a proper personal cleanliness and the water they drink is not drinking water; besides that the land in which they live is not from its own and they are only the guardians.  They live with the fear that the owner at any time pulls them out of this place.

Since the day they arrived at the Asociación Nuestros Ahijados de Guatemala, the first thing that they received was legal aid to follow up on the court's opinion, fulfilling the activities assigned as having a safe place to live, children needed to study, receive food and psychological assistance.  For that reason the children received the opportunity to study at the Dreamer Center, in order to receive education and food.  They also received the opportunity of having a sponsor to support them.

Other benefit that children will have through Asociación Nuestros Ahijados is the construction of a house and the installation of electricity to improve their living conditions.  They are very grateful for all the support received because it wouldn’t be possible for them to follow their dreams and desire to continue studying.