GUATEMALA – A devoted wife and mother of two young children, Ofelia stood at a crossroads. Household expenses continued to mount while her husband’s daily wage as a field worker barely covered the basics needed for their kids. Ofelia had taken up weaving to help stabilize their income, but sales were slim, and each item barely turned a profit. For now, hope for a future free from generational poverty looked dim.
She held up the colorful garment before her. There was no doubt it was beautiful, but would it earn the money needed to help her struggling family? They had long endured a relentless grind for survival, but now they faced the possibility of being separated from one another.
Burdened by the weight of responsibility, Ofelia’s husband contemplated a drastic measure. He could leave his family and home in a desperate search for employment opportunities outside of their impoverished nation. The idea of saying goodbye to his wife and children was heartbreaking, but he couldn’t ignore the painful truth that his meager earnings simply could not give his family a sustainable future. Sadly, the best way to ensure that his wife and young children were taken care of seemed to be leaving them behind.
Trapped in a Vicious Cycle of Suffering
Desperate tales like this are woven into the fabric of Guatemalan society—stories of families torn apart by economic necessity and parents forced to make agonizing choices. Facing the cruel reality of generational poverty, should they pursue a better life for their young ones elsewhere?
Ofelia could feel her family slipping away. She turned to God for an answer, for some way to ensure that her children would grow up knowing the love and care of their father.
Then you stepped in and helped answer those prayers—with feathers and eggs!
YOU Are Helping Them Overcome Generational Poverty
You provided the family with a poultry business, a microenterprise designed to help families like Ofelia’s free themselves from poverty—not just for a day or a year, but for a lifetime. By providing cages full of clucking hens, bags of chicken feed, and the knowledge offered through invaluable training, you gave Ofelia and her family more than just resources; you lit a path leading out of the oppressive shadow of generational poverty. Offering a meaningful hand up rather than a fleeting handout, you blessed Ofelia and her husband with the opportunity to free their children from the soul-crushing cycle they had endured through many long years.
Hope for the Future
Now, as the sun rises over the hills of her village in Guatemala, its golden rays fall upon Ofelia’s bustling poultry business. She said, “I collect around 170 or 175 eggs a day and those sales have helped me to buy fruit, juices, and food for my children.” With each egg gathered and every carton sold, your love is on clear display to a family that was nearly broken apart in a desperate attempt to make ends meet.
“I thank God every day that the business is growing,” Ofelia began. “I am grateful to God … and to Operation Blessing and the donors for giving me the opportunity to have a project because it has been a great help.”
During a time when poverty throughout Latin America has created an immigration crisis, your generous heart ensured that Ofelia’s family was able to stay united and work toward a better future for their children right in their homeland. As Ofelia tends to her thriving business, collecting eggs and counting her blessings, your generosity serves as a reminder that the bonds of love—even those shared with a caring soul far away—can transcend borders and boundaries.
