Maria receives food donation for her children

 

Maria found Finding Freedom through Friendship while some of our board members were visiting her community during  a sugical team trip with another organization. This was one determined mama! Maria made her way past the hospital guards late in the evening, ran up to our (with three small children hangning onto her skirts and back) group as we left the hospital and made it clear that she needed medicine for her three year old who suffers with hepatitis. 

Our pharmacy was already locked for the night. After hearing this, Maria broke down emotionally and shared her story with our group of medical volunteers. We all gathered some money for her, gave her snacks from our backpacks, and watched as she ran off in the dark, most likely afraid of getting robbed of her new-found donation of a small sum of money. 

FFF volunteers couldn’t get Maria and her children off of our minds once we returned to the states. Her husband had left her with four children, she had no food to meet their needs and her son was sick. Although Guatemala has many women in this same situation, Maria seemed to have found her way to us, despite a two hour walk in the dark with her children, for a reason. We were meant to help. 

FFF board members Fabiola and Vinicio from Guatemala, rented a truck, purchased food and school supplies and traveled to Maria’s home two weeks ago with the goods bought by FFF donated funds. 

The photo above was taken on that day.