Alberto Jiménez Aguilar and Maura Asucena López Escobar have two children: Jairon Gustavo is 3-years-old and Cristian Albeiro is 15-years-old. The couple married very young and started their lives together with nothing - little education, no work, no money.

Over the years, and with the support of their local church and community, Alberto was able to get work as a day laborer harvesting coffee. He worked hard and was able to obtain more day jobs. Finally, he earned enough to rent a small plot of land to plant corn and beans for the family's consumption with a bit extra to sell in order to cover other expenses for his family.

Their home is fragile, built of unreliable materials, and during the rainy season it floods regularly. Nevertheless, this strong family has stayed together and has fought the daily battle of survival, albeit some days without food for Alberto and Maura, so the little food they had could go to the children!

In 2021, this family participated in two of HRI's local programs: the school breakfast program for children and the latrine project. Thanks to our gracious donors, HRI provided the supplies for the latrine and guided the process while the family worked together to build a latrine they can be proud of and use for years to come.

When asked recently Alberto shared, “HRI changed my family’s life with the latrine and school feeding program. Without a doubt, this is what we always wanted, but we could not provide anything with our meager income. But God is faithful and used HRI as an instrument for His work.”

“The food we receive has been a tremendous blessing as well since we cannot buy things. HRI has helped us so much! Our children now drink milk and atole, which before we could not afford to give them.”

If you would like to help more families receive dignified sanitation, please consider a donation. The cost of a traditional latrine in Guatemala is only $250, but any gift will help!

With hope,

Rachel