A couple of weeks ago Javier Cárcamo, our Communications Coordinator in Rural Guatemala, visited a family that left a lasting impression on his heart. This is the sad story that he shared with us in hopes of making a difference.
René Corvera is a seven-year-old boy whose childhood was following its normal course in a humble home made of wood and laminate sheets in rural Guatemala. He was surrounded by his siblings and under the care of his parents, Doña Emiliana and Don Manuel, a hard-working man who earned a living buying and selling scrap metal.
This tough work consisted of going from house to house asking for old tin, batteries, cans or containers to sell by the pound at the recycling plants, an exhausting job at which he could make around $5.00 a day.
Sometimes his work meant making long journeys to other areas. When he had to travel, their father would lovingly leave what food that he could, money for unforeseen expenses, and kind goodbyes for his children and wife. Distance was no obstacle for Don Manuel, who constantly called his wife on a neighbor’s phone to tell her that he was fine and to send his best wishes to his children, especially to René, the child he was closest to. René would run to the neighbor’s house to just hear his father’s voice on the phone.
An irresistible opportunity to get a better price for the scrap metal he had accumulated motivated Don Manuel to leave one morning before dawn. He packed a hat and his favorite shirt, and before leaving his house, he hugged and kissed his children, except for René, who was fast asleep. It was perhaps four a.m., and the sun had not yet begun to light up the corn stalks they lived among. Don Manuel set off with an unknown course as his tired figure disappeared into the cornfields on the horizon.
The first day came and went, and there was no call. The children waited in vain for a message from the neighbor.
By the second day, Doña Emiliana was tormented with worry. René was sad because his brothers and sister thought that their father had abandoned them.
The third day destiny had its sights on René. Somehow the day’s newspaper found its way into René’s little hands. Not knowing how to read, and curious about the pictures, he began looking through the paper, page by page until a picture of a piece of clothing caught his eye. In his innocence, René was filled with happiness and he went running to find his mother excitedly shouting “My daddy! My daddy!” but when Doña Emilia saw the photo, she collapsed in an attack of nerves. There was Don Manuel on the page of the newspaper with a headline that read “Man Found Dead.”
Doña Emiliana’s painful cry was all the explanation that René received, and he took off running into the cornfield crying and screaming “Daddy! Daddy!” René’s sister ran after him until she caught up with him by the side of the road. René was suffering from a torrent of sadness.
How can I explain in words the sad cry of a child when it only comes out as a painful moan? René wasn’t able to tell me much. His smiling face changes when he talks about his father. “I loved him so much,” he tells me and he bursts into tears that he dries with his dirty sleeves.
Things have become very difficult for this family since that day. Three months have passed. Doña Emiliana’s work as a tortilla maker doesn’t bring in enough money to support their precarious home. They only owed just a little more to have the land that they live on paid off; slightly more than $100 which they still haven’t been able to scrape together as the interest on the loan keeps building.
Sadness, uncertainty, hunger and grief are destroying the family. The two sponsored children dropped out of school. The house is falling down, and the money that they make from selling their hens isn’t enough to pay for water or to put food on the table.
My eyes are about to spill over with tears as Doña Emiliana tells me her story and I look at that house. The heartfelt cry of the little boy is tearing at my head. As I put myself in René’s place, I feel undecipherable pain. The pain of losing the one you love the most, without having had the chance to say goodbye...And tomorrow? What will become of this little boy tomorrow? When I asked little René what he wished for the most, sobbing, he told me, “I want my daddy to come and give me a hug, like I dreamed last night.”
Rene needs a hug and the love of a caring sponsor. Javier tells us that the youth group and local university have been providing a few supplies and items of clothing when possible, but the family’s situation is extremely bleak. If you cannot commit to sponsorship, even a small donation could make such a difference in his life. Thank you for reading Rene’s story.
Email us at blog@children.org or call 1-800-888-3089 to contribute.
********************************************************************************** René necesita un abrazo
Hace un par de semanas Javier Cárcamo, nuestro coordinador de comunicaciones en Guatemala rural, visitó a una familia que dejó una impresión duradera en su corazón. Ésta es la triste historia que compartió con nosotros con la esperanza de hacer una diferencia.
René Corvera es un niño de 7 años cuya infancia transcurría normal, en una humilde vivienda de madera y lámina, rodeado de sus hermanos y al cuidado de sus padres, Doña Emiliana y Don Manuel, un hombre muy trabajador que se dedicaba a la compra y venta de chatarra.
Ese duro trabajo consistía en caminar de casa en casa pidiendo restos de hojalata, baterías, láminas, latas o botes, para luego venderlo por libra en las plantas recicladoras, agotadora labor con la podía reunir unos $5.00 diarios.
Esta labor implicaba en ocasiones realizar largos viajes a otros departamentos, ocasiones en las que el padre amorosamente dejaba los alimentos que podía, dinero para imprevistos y afectuosos gestos para sus hijos y esposa. La distancia no era obstáculo para que don Manuel llamara constantemente a su esposa, al teléfono de un vecino, avisando que se encontraba bien y enviando saludos para los niños, en especial para René, el más cercano de sus hijos, quien corría a la casa del vecino para escuchar la voz de su padre.
La irresistible oportunidad de obtener un mejor precio por la chatarra acumulada, motivó a don Manuel a salir una mañana de madrugada. Empacó una gorra y su camisa preferida, y sin más que dejar en su casa, dejó un beso y un abrazo para cada niño, menos para René, quien dormía profundamente. Eran quizá las 4 de la mañana, y el sol aún no alumbraba los sembradíos de maíz entre los que viven. Don Manuel partió con rumbo desconocido, hasta que su figura cansada se confundió con las milpas del horizonte.
Pasó el primer día y no hubo llamada. Los niños esperaron en vano un aviso del vecino. El segundo día, y ya la angustia atormentaba a doña Emiliana. René estaba triste porque sus hermanos pensaban que su padre los había abandonado.
Al tercer día, el destino quiso marcar la vida de René. De alguna forma llegó a sus manos el periódico del día. Sin saber leer, y curioso por las ilustraciones empezó a pasar hoja por hoja hasta que una vestimenta conocida lo detuvo. En su inocencia, René se llenó de alegría y fue corriendo en busca de su madre gritando –Mi papá, mi papá, pero cuando doña Emiliana vio la foto un ataque de nervios la desplomó. En la hoja del periódico estaba Don Manuel y el titular de la noticia era “Hombre aparece muerto”.
El amargo llanto de doña Emiliana fue toda la explicación que recibió René, quien salió corriendo entre la milpa llorando y gritando –¡papá!, ¡papá! La hermana mayor de René corrió tras él hasta alcanzarlo a orilla de la carretera. René estaba sufriendo una tomentosa tristeza.
¿Cómo puedo explicar con palabras el triste llanto de un niño, cuando es un doloroso quejido? René no alcanza a decirme mucho. Su sonriente carita cambia cuando habla de su papá. –Yo lo quería mucho, me dice y estallan en llanto que seca con sus bracitos sucios.
La situación se ha tornado muy difícil para esta familia desde ese suceso, del cual han pasado ya dos meses. El trabajo como tortillera que realiza doña Emiliana, no genera los suficientes ingresos para sostener su precaria vivienda. Una cuota apenas hacía falta para terminar de pagar el terreno en el que vivían. Una cuota de poco más de $100 que aún no ha logrado reunir y cuyos intereses siguen creciendo.
La tristeza, la incertidumbre, el hambre y el desconsuelo están destruyendo esta familia, los dos hermanos apadrinados dejaron de ir a la escuela; la casa se está cayendo también, y la venta de sus gallinas no es suficiente para pagar el agua ni para dejar alimentos en la mesa.
Yo, tengo los ojos a punto de explotar mientras doña Emiliana me cuenta su historia y veo esa casa. El sentimental llanto del niño me está desgarrando la cabeza porque al ponerme en el lugar de René siento su indescifrable dolor. El dolor de perder a su ser más querido sin haberle dicho adiós ¿Y mañana? ¿Qué será de este niño mañana? Cuando le pregunté qué es lo que más quisiera, y me dijo sollozante: -Que venga mi papá a darme mi abrazo, como lo soñé ayer...
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