Baby Lidia and her brother

Baby Ilda and her brother became ill last year and were taken to the public hospital. Soon after, her brother died and we sent Ilda to a private doctor for immediate treatment, fearing that whatever killed her brother might also kill her. Thanks to the quick treatment of a private doctor, Ilda is alive today. However, she has severe neurological disabilities and is unable to move or talk. Read her full story here.

Ilda is one of six children, and her parents are very poor. Her father works as a day laborer and her mother sells bracelets. Baby Ilda is in our milk program and is doing well despite her neurological condition. However, this family of 8 live in a very poor home that is not contstructed well, and they don't have the money to fix it. 

Basically the entire home is one room and almost everything is open. There are a few simple pieces of wood propped up around the bed, but these thin sheets hardly make a wall. While they have an indoor latrine, it is not closed off in any way, so the stench and contamination of raw sewage easily permeates into the entire home, including the open kitchen. As you can see from the picture, their home is built on the edge of a stone wall and there is a large drop-off that is dangerous for children. Three of the outside walls of their home are little more than wooden sticks bundled together. If a strong storm comes through, there will be very little to protect the family and we fear their entire home will be blown off the stone wall and crash below.

This delapited home is dangerous for children and creates a great risk for compromised health for the entire family. It is very difficult to remain healthy in such living conditions, and it is very expensive to get medical treatment once sick. It is a viscious cycle that affects many impoverished families.

We would like to reconstruct the 3 outside walls of the home so that the family is better protected. We would also like to enclose the latrine so that there is no fear of sewage contaminating the home. And finally, we'd like to enclose the bed to create a bedroom. This requires some extensive construction and cost, but will protect this family and help them to live healthier and happier lives. The cost for construction is $3,240. We know this is a huge amount of money, but if several people could give even a small amount, it would add up and go a long way. This is a very sweet family who have already been through so much. The parents desperately want to protect their children from future harm and sickness, but they cannot do it alone. 

For more information on how to help this family, please vist:
http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2011/10/family-of-8-needs-proper-home.html

Thanks!