Manuel, 73 years old, lives alone in Quito. He has faced significant difficulties in his economic situation. Manuel is a widower and has four children. Two of his children live outside of Quito and do not maintain good contact with Manuel. His other two children are both single mothers and only are able to provide him with food. Manuel was not able to complete his education past primary school because of his family’s economic situation. This limited his abilities to find work as an adult.
As for his greatest stressor, the condition of Manuel’s home is poor. He lives in a small home that is in danger of collapsing due to the unstable ground that it was built on. The zinc roof frequently leaks, and the leaking from the roof has recently worsened due to the current rainy season in Quito. Manuel has attempted to fix the roof himself but has been unable to. Because of this, he doesn’t have lights. He also does not have a mattress. He sleeps on a homemade bed made of cardboard. The house is also cold, as the walls are made of adobe and stone and do not keep in heat.
Despite being of retirement age, Manuel still works. During the day he collects recycling that he sells to earn his income. At times he receives help from his neighbors or his daughters, but that help is limited. Additionally, due to their work schedules, he is not able to spend much time with his daughters. Pan de Vida plans to support Manuel in his wishes to better his quality of life. By providing groceries, hygiene kits, and doctor’s appointments, Pan De Vida can help Manuel save up money to afford more permanent improvements to his home or purchase a mattress to sleep on.
Despite all of the hardships that he has faced in his life, Manuel has maintained a desire to work hard and create a good life for himself. Through trying to make home improvements himself and trying to maintain a connection to his daughters, he has shown a lot of resilience. 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 reminds us that “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all”. Please partner with us in supporting Manuel, so that together with Manuel we can show our renewal in Christ.
