Meet some Ayuda Families—
Ayuda.World sponsors single-mother families. Here are a few whose lives will be changed by your donations.
Francisca Tzaj Guarchaj
Francisca has been a faithful member of her church for years. She has two children, one of whom currently serves in their church's missionary efforts. Francisca is an optimistic, strong mother but could really use our help. Her prior husband and father of two children has struggles with substance abuse and is no longer in their family's life. In order to provide financially for her family she cleans the church and seeks other odd jobs. However, she still has a daughter at home which makes working difficult. She has seven kids in total, five of whom are no longer home. She hopes to have the opportunity to see her two youngest children graduate from high school. Her daughter Dana Chox Tzaj is in elementary school but needs financial support so she doesn't fall behind.
Magdalena Tambriz Tzaj
Magdalena has four children, Manuelito (8 years), Justin (7 years), Miguel (4 years), and Iker (3 years). Magdalena’s husband and father of four children went to the United States seeking work to create a better life for his family. Unfortunately, Magdalena and their children lost contact with their husband and father. Over time, the family has come to accept the sad news that their husband and father likely passed away on his journey to the states and will no longer be able to help support them financially. Their financial runway is wearing thin and the family needs financial support in order for all four kids to continue with their education.
Isabel Cuc & Francisca Araceli Guarchaj Cuk
Isabel has six kids. After several years, her husband left their family, with little financial support. Isabel has committed herself to devoting her life to keeping her children and raising them on her own. She currently sells hand-made traditional clothing to make ends meet, which takes her away from her village – and children – for days at a time. Francisca, Isabel’s daughter, became pregnant when she was 14 years old. She started cleaning houses to generate income. A couple of years later, she got pregnant with her second child. She now works side-by-side with her mother trying to provide for their children. Isabel and Francisca recognize there are better ways of living and hold hope for a brighter future for their children, with the education and tools necessary for them to attain it.
Lucia Tahay Ajpop
Lucia’s prized position is her sewing machine, which she uses to embroider traditional costumes and clothing, such as the one she is seen wearing in this photo. She sells her handmade pieces, and uses her spare time to work as one of the town’s laundresses to eke out a living. Her husband struggles with substance abuse and is not present in their home, leaving Lucia and her son Luis (12 years old) with very little financial support. Luis just started 4th grade and Lucia is struggling to afford payments for his schooling. Ayuda.World hopes to help Luis complete his schooling, to give him the boost he needs to help his mother and future family enjoy a brighter future.
Maria Guarchaj Perechu
Ayuda.World’s on-the-ground operations lead, Tono, grew up across the street from Maria and her two children. He remembers Maria’s children, Roland and Abdias, often begging for bread because they didn’t have enough food to eat at home. Tono’s family bakery has supported Maria and her children for many years. Unlike many families in Nahuala, Maria has gone above and beyond by trying to teach her children Spanish at home so that they can connect with outside communities to boost their range of opportunity. However, her primary language is K’iche, the local Mayan dialect and she only knows verbal Spanish. Her oldest son, Roland, is in third grade. He has fallen behind his peers because his family has not been able to afford sending him to school. Sometimes the boys’ grandfather brings the children to work in the fields to try and help support the family, but the only way to break out of their current situation is for the kids to finish their education and find jobs that allow for sustained upward mobility.
How can you help?
Women like Maria and Micaela need your assistance to help their families succeed.
Micaela Cocom Guachiac
Shortly after Micaela gave birth to her son, Bryan, his father left the family. Micaela tried to get governmental assistance, but didn’t have the means to travel to the capital to seek the help she needed. Now, she lives with her parents in a home borrowed from her brother. Micaela has built her life around seeking out greater opportunities for her son, and while she has hoped to enroll Bryan in school, the family’s financial situation has made this impossible so far. As a testament to his mother’s devoted parenting, however, Bryan has been described as “a very friendly and polite child, always eager to bring you a chair to sit on when you visit, and quick to say thank you when you bring him some candy”.
Roberta Guarchaj
Roberta has three children, Sidney (depicted above), Kevin and Anderson. Sidney was recently diagnosed with Gastritis and has a severe eye infection. Because of Sidney’s medical situation, the family has incurred significant medical bills. Roberta’s two youngest children are studying, but her oldest son (Kevin) dropped out of school to work, selling quesadillas and tortas, to help cover unexpected family expenses. Ayuda.World wants to help sponsor this family so that all three children can complete their education.
Maria Fatima Ajqui Ixmata
63 year old Maria currently takes care of her granddaughter, Asdrid, who is 9 years old. Maria works each day growing and selling vegetables throughout the town. Asdrid’s parents struggle with substance abuse and are unable to offer financial assistance to assist with their daughter’s care. Asdrid has been going to school, but her grandmother has had to choose between paying for basic school expenses and basic necessities. Asdrid also has a 12 year old brother living with another relative, whom she only sees every other week. Your donation would go directly to sponsoring both Maria and Asdrid, as well as Asdrid’s brother to ensure they are both able to continue their education.
Mary Tambriz
After her husband took his own life after facing steep financial pressures, Mary was left with two children of her own to provide for. Her oldest son is old enough to have graduated high school, but because of the financial burdens placed on the family, he has been unable to pay for his courses and has not graduated. This hardworking family raises pigs next to their home to try and make ends meet. Financial support from Ayuda.World will make it possible for the children to go to school, and for Mary to spend more time working to provide for the family.
Rosa Manuela Tahay de Tambriz
Rosa and her husband gave birth to their daughter when she was 15 years old. Because there was very little professional opportunity in the village, Rosa’s husband left for the United States to seek employment. It has now been 10 years since Rosa last communicated with her husband. Despite being a single mother with a child, Rosa worked hard to finish school. She was able to find a job as a secretary, but lost her job due to economic contractions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Ayuda.World began sponsoring Rosa’s family, her daughter has earned the equivalent of a 4.0 GPA. Your donations are transforming Rosa’s tenacity and dedication into life-changing results. We are excited to watch Rosa’s family progress.
You can make a difference.
Many Guatamalen families struggle to meet daily needs. You can help them succeed.