Our New Pueblo: Chuti-Estancia

Last Weds., I went to Chuti-Estancia with Evelyn who is bringing a volunteer team here in April to do work. This is one of our new pueblos. Very large with many poor people. We already have about 25 mamas and their 75 tots in our feeding program and 35 students in our scholarship program from here. The top picture is of the inside of the first house we went to. Single mom with 2 little ones and her parents live here in one room and lots of smoke.

 

 

This is a picture is of the dad who is almost dead. Can not breathe, can not lift his head. I was going to pay for a doctor, but the daughter told me he was dying of alcohol poisoning and there was nothing anyone could do.

 

Here is the next family. Married mom whose husband works in the fields for about $100 a month when there is work. There are 4 children there [ the 4 month old is on her back ] and 3 more who were not there. One of them is a crippled boy [ sounds like clubfeet ] who works in the fields with his dad. They live in one room with a leaky roof and the kids looked so malnourished. Evelyn had blankets for the kids.

Here is another project. This is a kitchen for a commmunity of 5 or 6 families. It is falling down and the picture shows how bad the smoke is. How would you all like to cook your meals in this everyday. Just a little smokey.

 A family of 9 lives in this one room with the pink bed.. The kids all sleep on this bed. The parents sleep on a bed behind a nasty dirty ripped up tarp. I would be so claustrophobic if I slept there. My bedroom right now is not finished. The new quarry tile has not completely dried nor have the new plaster walls, but it is big with a lot of natural wood and skylights and a big bathtub. Every time I get upset about the wet stuff, I try to remember this place and how there but for fortune I could be sleeping here.

We went to other houses, too many to name. the last I will mention has a single mom and her 14 year old son in a small room in the middle of a cornfield. Dirt floor, leaky roof, one single bed. They take turns sleeping on the floor.

 

This last picture is of the elementary school here. 376 kids, all poor, all want us to start our after school feeding program. We also need to start our mama/tot program in this community as right now we spend $50 a month transporting the 25 mamas and their 75 tots who come twice a month. But if we did we would have 125 mamas and 400 tots. We need money or Kids Against Hunger meals to be able to help.
Write me at 20.vicki@gmail.com