Hipolita is the daughter of Emilia Cordero, another family that was once served by Servants in Guatemala.
Hipolita (pronounced Eepolita) lives with her son Jamilton (pronounced Hamilton) and her daughter Fabiola. In 2012, Fabiola dropped out of school in order to work 6 days a week at the market to support the family and make sure Jamilton could continue going to school. Thankfully, Fabiola has received some sponsorship for the school through the Serving At-Risk Families ministry so that she could continue in her studies. However, because of her family’s economic situation, she decided to stop going to school and work instead. Eventually, she got depressed about the situation at home and left, living in the streets for a while and then moved in with her father on the coast. It didn’t turn out to be much better so she returned to live with her mom.
Hipolita is illiterate and for a long time it has been difficult for her to find work, but now finds jobs cleaning houses for people or cooking.
Jamilton works as a helper in construction. fulfilling many jobs with his skills in concrete work. Jamilton also has his own family: his son Ricardo Demetrio who he had with his girlfriend Evelyn. They struggle day-to-day to make ends meet for food and when someone gets sick, they have to decide between medicine and food. Thankfully, they have some sponsors through Servants to make sure their day-to-day needs being met.
This family is the typical case we see in Guatemala. Even though families understand the importance of getting an education, many cannot afford it because the cycle of poverty has already started. The problem is that they cannot afford to go to school and instead choose to drop out of school (since they have to pay to go to school) and go to work. The general way “unbroken” families operate in Guatemala is that the women take care of the home while the men work to support the family. Unfortunately, many men abandon their families or die leaving a group of uneducated women and children to fend for themselves. We are thankful for Jamilton’s great work ethic which continues to be rewarded by his employers and God.
For recent updates on the Escobar Family, click here.
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