William: A Story of Second Chances…
Meet William, a 5 year old boy who enrolled in the Center in February of this year. His mother, Doña Vilma, is a single mother of four children. William’s story may be one of the most moving stories in the history of the Acorn Childcare Center.
William’s story begins five years ago, on the Mexican side of the border with Guatemala. A teenage girl in very poor health, gave birth to a baby boy in her humble home where she and her 90 year old grandmother lived. Just minutes after he was born, the young mother died. The grandmother, poor, advanced in age, and with no other relatives to ask for support, abandoned the baby in the road.
Only a little time passed before people in their small community saw the abandoned baby. On this exact day, by chance, Vilma, a single mother herself with three children at home, was traveling through this community for her work as a seamstress. Upon learning of the situation, Vilma asked the people in the community about the options for the baby. No one in the community took responsibility for him and instead encouraged Doña Vilma to adopt him. She did.
Vilma was granted legal guardianship by the community leadership and William became a member of the Zapet family. All who know Vilma attest to her strong work ethic and sense of responsibility in her role as a mother. As William approached age 5, she became worried that playing alone by her side while she worked all day was not allowing him to develop sufficient social and developmental skills for a child his age. Upon hearing that the Acorn Childcare Center supports the educational development of children, as well as their families, she contacted us.
When William started attending the Center in February, he could not speak well or carry on much of a conversation. He could not complete a variety of tasks that a child at his age should be able to do. However after just 5 months at the Center, William has made significant improvements in fine and gross motor skills, as well as, social skills including making friends and sharing.
During quarantine at home, William has been working hard on his school projects and is always happy to share photos of his work with his teachers. He is a very happy child, benefiting from the affection and care of his mother and three older sisters.
Vilma is very grateful for the continued services from the Center. She shares that every day William waits excitedly for the instructional video. He also now eats a lot of vegetables, which was something he did not do before attending the Center. Doña Vilma also shared that the financial support she and her children receive for food each month is very important, especially during this time when work and resources are very limited.
We have your generosity to thank for sustaining families like Vilma and William through such difficult times. Thank you.
EVERY DOLLAR COUNTS
Every donation helps ensure that we can continue transforming the lives of families facing extreme poverty.
Maya Childcare Inc is run entirely by volunteers, thus 100% of your donation goes directly to the Acorn Childcare Center.
The fact that the Acorn Childcare Centre is able to offer such crucial, life-changing support to children and families living in extreme poverty, is thanks to the work and the generosity of many people, doing and giving what they can to help. Every contribution matters, and together all these efforts make a huge difference.