Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
Being a teenager is overwhelming. In that space between childhood and adulthood, the stakes are high. But for teens in poverty in Guatemala, the temptation to quit school and work often traps them in generational poverty.
That was the reality that Verenice de la Cruz faced. She had her first job at just 5 years old, sweeping floors while her mom cleaned houses and businesses in their community. But when Verenice saw her friends going to a Compassion center in her neighborhood, she begged her mom to let her go with them.
“If anyone is still wondering if they should [support] a child, I can only say yes, do it!”
- Verenice
“My mom did not want to take me to the center at first,” says Verenice. “We did not have enough money for food and my work helped provide for my family. When I told her that I really wanted to start going to the center, she had to think for a long time, because it meant that she would lose my income. I insisted so much that she finally enrolled me.”
Verenice loved her time at the center. She made new friends and learned Bible stories. But as she grew older and watched how hard her parents worked, the teen began to wonder if she had made the wrong choice.
“I wanted to work again,” Verenice said, “But my parents wanted me to study to become a professional one day. My sponsor also encouraged me to study and I did not want to let her down. She told me that I was a special girl and I had to strive to be a good person.”
Verenice began taking baking classes at the Compassion center several years ago. The skills she has learned at the center have enabled her to start a small business, which will help her pay for college.
Thanks to your gifts to Youth Development, Verenice was able to start baking classes, which helped relieve some of her guilt as she was able to start a small business to help her parents buy food for the family.
“I was excited because I realized that I could sell the things I learned to bake,” says Verenice. “I started selling cupcakes to my neighbors and people from church. Soon, I was getting orders for big birthday cakes!”
But Verenice’s dreams didn’t end with her baking business. As a teen, the staff encouraged her to apply for high school and university scholarships through Youth Development. She finished high school at the top of her class, and is now preparing to enter medical school at the National University of San Carlos.
“After I become a doctor, my dream is to open a free clinic in my community and help save lives,” says Verenice.
From sweeping floors to a promising future as a doctor, Verenice has valued every opportunity she was given, and now her future has been changed.
“If anyone is still wondering if they should [support] a child, I can only say yes, do it! They could help a child who, like me, just needed someone to give them an opportunity. The opportunity of being [in Compassion] changed my life, my family and my future,” says Verenice.