So far, we have helped dozens of people make a lasting and significant change in their life. We have listed a few of our favorite success stories below. All names have been changed to protect the privacy of our recipients.
Josie feeds her family and her neighbors
When Josie’s husband left her and her 4 children to fend for themselves, Josie didn’t think she would make it. At first, her situation felt so desperate that she didn’t even know what to ask for. However, through our application process, she realized that she wasn’t the only one in her area struggling to feed her children. She asked La Mano Amiga for a gas stove, a tank of gas, a few spatulas, pans, and basic ingredients. At first, her plan was to sell a few different lunch and dinner items to her neighbors. However, her business became so successful that she has expanded her menu and even sells breakfast to many of the neighborhood children on their way to school. Because most people where she lives cannot afford to go out to eat in the nearest city (and stoves are a luxury), she is able to provide a much needed service and is proud to be a successful contributing member of her community.
Abby’s children will grow up with the comfort and dignity that she never had
Abby’s children took turns sleeping on the floor or the old, tattered couch that Ida told us “belonged in the trash.” As a child, she never had nice things and has had a hard time feeling like she needs them as an adult. It wasn’t until one of her children commented to her about the couch that is she realized it was about more than the furniture. She reached out to us asking for a bed and a new couch so that her children could grow up with the dignity that she never had. With a little bit of help, Abby can now teach her children to be proud of where they live and help them feel like they deserved to be comfortable in their home.
Elizabeth and her family feel safe in their home
Elizabeth reached out to us after her home was broken into and she was attacked. The intruder entered through an opening in her wall where she had attached a blanket as a stand in for a window. She told us that she felt like an easy target because most of her neighbors had bars on their windows, but she could not afford this as a single mother and she was sure the man who had broken in would be back. By buying her a secure window (with bars) and helping her install it, she and her children can finally feel safe in their home.
Nathaly’s clothing business
Nathaly has a keen business sense. She is a trained seamstress but has had trouble finding work. We were able to connect her with a warehouse that sells bundles of used clothes (called “fardos”) and pay for her first bundle. She is now able to support her family with her own used clothing business and continues to buy new fardos with her earnings when she runs out.
Tonya’s running water
Tonya is one of the few people we have helped twice. Initially, we bought her a tortilla maker and some masa so she could sell tortillas out of her home. She worked hard to make her business a success, and with the tortilla maker she was able to sell enough tortillas to feed her family. However, we learned that she still had to walk for miles each day to and from the nearest water source to get the water she needed to make her tortillas and care for her children. With her new business, she could now afford her monthly water bill, but getting physically connected to the main water supply in her town was just too big of an obstacle to overcome. By buying her the pipes and tools that she needed to do this, we were able to give her running water which allowed her business and family to thrive.
Brianna’s children can now go to school
Brianna was living in poverty on a small farm. She had one cow, but the labor that was required to get enough milk out of it to feed her family didn’t leave her with the time or money to do much else. By buying her a cow milking machine, we were able to significantly increase her cow’s milk production and free up her time to do more work around the farm. With this advance, she can now afford the uniforms and school supplies that she needed to send her children to school and is saving up for a second cow.
William’s “dream come true”
William’s business expansion is a dream come true. For years he has been selling school supplies to children in his area, but he had a hard time keeping much inventory on hand as the only space he had was a small closet in his home. He is a hard working and resourceful young man though. With our help to pay for the building materials only, he was able to put an addition onto his home and expand his business into it. Months later he sent us amazing footage of his fully operational paper products store which he called his “dream come true” and he hopes will be in his family for generations.
Katarin’s new ride
Katarin has worked hard to find a job (which is no small feat where she lives!) However, in order to get there she had to take public transportation, which is slow, unreliable and unsafe at certain times of the day. Katarin was at risk of losing her job because of her transportation issues and she was afraid that the danger she was placing herself in on her commute home in the evening may not be worth it. A car was way out of her budget (and may have made her a target as it would have stood out like a sore thumb where she lived). However, she figured out that she could afford the monthly payment needed for a moped if we made the downpayment, and she could keep it safely inside her home. Now, she feels safe travelling to and from work and is secure in her ability to get there and back home to her family on time each day.