Thank you very much for taking the time to read our newsletter. During this special time where we celebrate Christmas and New Year, we would like to send you the inspiring Christmas story of Adrian and his family from Ecuador. We hope you enjoy reading it!
The story of Adrian from Quito
Hello, my name is Adrian. I am 9 years old and I am from Quito. My mother Lupe is from Otavalo. I live with her and with Hernando. He's not my dad, but he lives with us and takes good care of us. Sometimes he yells at me and my mom. Then I try to protect her. Maybe he's yelling because she can't hear well and that's why he gets angry.
In the afternoon we go out with my mom and dad Hernando to recycle materials that we find in the garbage. We have many boxes and bottles in the house, which we can sell and get money for. Sometimes we also sell salchipapas (sausage with chips) in the park of Tumbaco. While my parents look for boxes and bottles, I play and find toys, coins and sometimes even bills, which I keep so that my mom can do the shopping and we can eat that day. Sometimes we can't find stuff to sell since there are many other people looking for things to recycle just like us. We only ate once that day. I like to keep what I find, I have a few dolls and cars that I keep near where I sleep and move them around when I wake up in the morning. I like to go with my mom when she goes weeding at my grandpa’s house or when she is looking for another job.
I have a cat that I take care of at home. When I get home from school I feed him. At school I get along well with the teacher, but I get a little bored playing with my classmates. I feel better talking to papa Hernando and his friends. Or with my cousins, when we go to my uncles house, my mama's brother. That's why my teachers say that I should play more with my friends.
We used to live with my grandfather, but I saw him and my brothers yelling at my mother and hitting her. She cried a lot and when I defended her, they beat me too. When I was younger, I think I was 6 or 7 years old, one day the teachers told me that my mother was not taking good care of me and they are going to take better care of me in a childrenshome. It scared me because I love my mom very much. That day they wouldn't let me go home. Then I met someone from the foundation who accompanied me and my mother. Then we started talking to other people who they call La Junta , and they told us that we should leave grandpa's house so I could be safe with my mom. I remember that day when we went with you (DCF) to find a room so that we could live there.
When we were no longer with my grandfather, they helped us with food and came by regularly. I got to know Casa de Paso, where I played with other children and I also saw that my mom didn't cry so much anymore. They also always take us to the doctor and I see them talking to my mom a lot. There are days when we go to a hospital because the foundation wants my mother to hear better. I also see that there is another doctor in Quito who asks her a lot of questions, because he wants to know why my mom doesn't understand some things. The people of the foundation talk to me, dad Hernando and my mother. I feel like there is someone who cares about us. I hope that I can always go and play in Casa de Paso because it is a very nice place with lots of toys and everyone treats me well there.
* The boy in the story and his family, mainly his mother, were supported by the Families Network program for a period of three months from March this year and were integrated into the Family Support program in June.
GRATEFUL
We are very grateful to everyone for all your support over the past year, in whatever form. Thank you for believing and trusting that change is possible. We wish everyone a very special Christmas and a blessed 2023.
Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable and receives the impossible. (quote Corrie ten Boom)
Warm regards, Alex, Barbara, Nicoline and Helma - Daniëlle Children's Fund
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How to support the work of DCF?
Do you want to give color and light to the lives of children like Adrian, then feel free to (continue to) support our work. Thank you very much! With your contribution you help us enormously to make this important work possible.
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IBAN: NL23ABNA0621779652
Daniëlle Children’s Fund
Noordwijk
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