El Salvador “fields of the fatherless”

I am  a woman  74 yrs. of age who has for the past 20 years been  helping the poor in Elsalvador. Since retiring i now live on  soc. security and am limited as to my giving.

I recently went to live there for 3 mts. and have begun to help woman with children who's only means  of income is to sell  beads and sunglases.

School age children after school roam the streets selling but it is so competitive that selling anything is most times impossible. By sundown they go home hopefully with a few dollars to provide the evening meal.

I asked one young man age 15 what if you dont sell, and he said we dont eat. And that  caused me to ask his mother what  one thing can i give you that would help you provide for the children so they dont have to sell trinkets. And she informed me that if she had a "Plancha" she could sell pupusa and be self sustaining to feed her own family with dignity and raise herself in time above the severe poverty level. 

Pupusa is a type of pancake filled with  either cheese or beans and somtimes meat, it is served with a tangy  cabbage slaw and toato sauce. eaten either for breakfast or  for the evening meal for some it is quite delicious i think!  

In years past I promted women to send their children to school and provided the uniforms and shoes. Most of the children I know through the years are in need of new shoes  @ a cost of 15.99 each. and because they grow are in need of  uniforms   My last trip which was from febuary to end of may  ended with being able to supply a family with a plancha, but as yet i have not been able to provide the  supplies she will need. i will be returning to elsalvador by july and hope to raise the funds for helping women  with children   by buying planchas for families and supplies to begin theire bussiness.    each PLANCHA  COSTS   $ 150.00  and supplies around $ 125.00 These woman live in   houses that consist of only worn out metal slabs that stand up held together by ropes  sticks and boulders. inside the metal   pieces is a dirt floor with only a water spiget and a bucket for drinking water and for bathing. no electric no gas A metal drum is used for cooking  there is also within this structure a closed wooden stick structure filled with wall to wall bedding,,with overhead ropes for hanging clothes.no tv no radio! And yet these people are content with theire lot and never complain.

The chidren are very appreciative of the privlege to be able to go to school. On my last visit my partner and translater friend were able to bring meals of chicken and hamburgers and spahgetti to people who rarely eat meat. i promised to return pronto .iam seeking funding to help these people live better.i can supply many photos of the families of interest and give updates as to what your funding has done in the lives of these children, thank you for your interest towards the fatherless.