Page 13 - St Michael 2022 Chimbote Mission Newsletter

A FAMILY TRANSFORMED

Sonia Manuel Jesus Damian Family

THANKYOU

On behalf of the Sonia Manuel Jesus Damian family, a heartfelt thank you
goes out to you for the generous gift of a home. Because of YOU...This
family has beds to dream in, a roof to protect them and a chance to
take one more step on the path out of poverty.
Sonia Jesús (39) is a single mother of 2 children. She is a very hardworking
mother and has always taken care of all of the expenses for her family. Her
dire living conditions were difficult to witness. They all sleep together on one
mattress made of sacks of sand, held together with dusty old blankets which are
highly deteriorated, cold and damp.
Sonia tells us that before the pandemic she had more income as she sold food
outside the prison, however the health restrictions meant that she has had to dedicate
herself to other forms of labor but still related to food. Her greatest fear is that
something could happen to her 13-year-old son. He was diagnosed with asthma
at the age of 4 years old. Each time he suffers an attack Sonia takes him to the
nearest medical post or to La Caleta hospital to be stabilized. For this reason, she
tries to work close to her home so that she can be on hand in case her children
need her. Sometimes she even brings them to work with her. She is currently
working for her aunt in a ceviche restaurant, where she can earn up to 4 dollars
on a good day, plus a meal for the day.
Sonia also tells us that she has been through extremely difficult times lately, however
her children have been her motivation to carry on and not drift off course. She struggles
every day to provide for them but will not stop trying her best. She tells us that she has
many dreams but mainly she longs for her children to have a better place to live and to be as healthy as possible. She is
aware that her living conditions are inadequate, with no access to essential services such as running water. The family
does what they can to keep their home clean and tidy and they are grateful to ACAF for donating water from time to
time which allows Sonia to save up for purchasing food.