Juana and Daniel and their children, Isa, Daniel and Carlos, live in the neighborhood of Jose Torres. It is a sparsely populated area high on a hill overlooking a recycling dump. They work scavenging items to sell from the dump and barely make $20 a week. The conditions they lived in were so bad that their children often stay at Daniel’s parents house instead of with them. Juana has a tumor in her head and has had 4 operations, she needs more but they can’t afford it. She always wears a hood, or a wig.
The two boys, Carlos and Jacob, want to be a fireman and policeman. Sixteen year old Ilse however, wins educational awards at her school and has hopes of becoming a doctor. They have big dreams but the main one is very basic, a solid house to call home
At the beginning of 2020 when we met them, Juana expressed their dreams of a better home; “A decent home will mean we can all be together and live as a real family again.”
The Cruz Santana family was scheduled to receive their home from Chula Vista (noon) Rotary Club on April 25. Then the coronavirus arrived, borders closed and construction stopped. But this past weekend, September 5, our Mexican crew built their house in the name of, and sponsored by, Chula Vista Rotary. We are so grateful for their support of our program and this family. Daniel and Juana both simply say: ” Thank you. We don’t have words to tell you how we feel.” Overwhelming joy, would be one way to describe this gift of a home.
