Dear Friends, Family, and Colleagues,
We are sending Ricardo to Cobán tomorrow to handle matters related to the health of Olivia and her children. Olivia’s 9-year-old son – Maya’s biological brother – urgently needs psychological assistance and must be placed in a home for boys. Ricardo needs to leverage his connections in Cobán in order to establish what resources exist, to set up meetings regarding the boy, and to assist with his transfer and psychology appointments.
Through several phone calls with Ricardo, we have determined that in addition to a safe house, the boy must have education, a sport, or something else to occupy him positively.
Because of circumstances, the nuns need the boy to vacate immediately. Olivia is considering leaving with him and returning home to Chajmaic, but that would result in the loss of the gains she and her 2-year-old daughter have made since they arrived at the safe house in early July. (See photos.)
The plan is for Ricardo to travel tomorrow, Sunday, August 21 and stay until Friday, August 26. We had to borrow the funds for him to travel. If you can contribute $100 or more, or even $50, $25, or $10, would you donate to Ricardo ? It costs $2,330 to send him to the area for a week and to cover Ronaldo’s medical care, and room and board.
We have come to an agreement with Ricardo: We are expending resources that need to be used for the chili pepper project. We need to return to that project as our primary goal. Therefore, this is the last time Ricardo can travel to Cobán for this year. Olivia must commit to stay in the safe house to get better for her sake and that of her children. She needs to be healthy and strong in every way so that she can participate in the chili pepper project.
To that end, Ricardo asked us to compose a letter that he can read to Olivia when he meets with her. We wrote that we love her and that, for the sake of all three of her children – Maya included – that it is imperative that she remain in the safe house until she is strong enough to manage on her own. We expect that she will be one of the workers of the chili pepper project and earn her living.
Ricardo will send us updates with photos as soon as he is able, and we will share this with you. Thank you again for your past support and for your support going forward.
Please continue to keep Ricardo, Olivia, her children, and the chili pepper project in your thoughts and prayers.
In deep appreciation,
Fern and Ginny