María Rosario Sarango is a 48-year-old Ecuadorian woman who lives with her husband Luis and their three children in conditions of high vulnerability. Her family faces multiple challenges, both economic and personal. Her husband works occasional jobs in a parking lot, earning unstable income and without access to health insurance, while María is primarily dedicated to caring for her children, especially her daughter Paola, who is 20 years old and has an 86% intellectual disability associated with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome.
The responsibility of caring for her family has significantly limited María’s opportunities to generate income. Although she completed high school, she has not been able to pursue higher education or technical training. Her husband, on the other hand, only completed primary school, which also restricts his job opportunities. This situation has led the family to live in very difficult economic conditions, even facing shortages in their daily food, with limited access to essential items such as meat, fruits, and dairy products.
In 2025, María joined Fundación Pan de Vida, where she began receiving support through different areas of the ministry. Her family was supported with food assistance, access to medical appointments, and spaces such as VBS for her children, which brought relief in the midst of their needs. This support allowed the family to begin experiencing the holistic care that the Foundation seeks to provide.
Despite these challenges, María is a resilient woman with a deep love for agriculture. Even before joining the program, she found ways to grow small vegetables in pots at home, with the desire to improve her family’s nutrition, even though her resources were limited.
Seeing this potential, the Pan de Vida team invited her to join the Urban Life Gardens program in 2026. Since then, María has actively participated in training sessions where she has strengthened her agricultural knowledge and skills.
Through hands-on workshops, she has learned how to prepare her own soil substrate, create seedbeds, transplant her plants, and produce organic fertilizers and natural insecticides. In each session, participants not only learn but also take home what they make, allowing María to immediately apply each lesson in her own garden. In addition, she received a donation of 15 seedlings along with recycled pots, helping her expand her home garden.
Today, María continues to develop her garden with dedication and hope. This process not only represents an opportunity to improve her family’s nutrition, but also a way to move forward despite difficult circumstances. Her love for agriculture and her perseverance reflects an active faith and a trust that God can work through every opportunity.
Although the challenges remain, María has found new motivation through this journey. Her story is a reminder that even in the midst of difficult situations, God plants seeds of hope that, with care and perseverance, can bear fruit.
“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” — Psalm 126:5–6
