August 2012 - Aracely

We have recently attended several graduations of young people in Juarez, Mexico, whom we have helped with tuition and school-related expenses. These are children coming from very poor families who would have had no opportunity to receive an education if they had not received outside help. It is very gratifying to see how seriously and diligently they applied themselves to their schooling, and how they did not take the gift of receiving an education for granted.

One of those who graduated was a girl named Aracely. Aracely was raised by her grandparents, who took her in when her mother left to go live with a boyfriend in the States. Being poor themselves, it was a struggle for Aracely’s grandparents to raise her. At times they had no diapers for her, and sometimes no milk. When Aracely’s grandfather died, her mother came back to Juarez to attend the funeral, and that is the only time Aracely can remember meeting her mother. Once in a while, perhaps every year or two, her mother will send her $40, but that’s all the help she gets from her.

When we first met Aracely, she was about 9 years old and not attending school. She just hung around her house doing nothing. She was very withdrawn and wouldn’t talk much. But when we told her we would help her with tuition if she wanted to go to school, she got very excited. That was five years ago. Now she has blossomed into a friendly, outgoing and talkative young lady. It has been a real struggle for her to get her education — at times she and her grandmother did not have enough money for the bus Aracely needed to take to get to school, and Juarez streets can be very dangerous — but she persevered. She was so happy at her graduation, beaming with a huge smile from ear to ear. We are very proud of her.

As these young people receive an education, hopefully it will help break the cycle of poverty for them & their families. This is the time of year when tuitions are due, and we had over 100 families sign up for assistance. We are not able to help all of them, but we try to help the ones we know will be committed and take their schooling seriously.