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Build Dates: June 24-28, 2015
Family Information:
Mother- Erika
- Age 28
- Profession: Sells Secondhand Clothing
- Weekly Salary: $41.65 (for 3 days)
Children-
- Fernanda, age 6, 1st Grade
- Cristofer, age 5, Kindergarten
Property Information:
Colonia- Fracc. Santa Cruz
Time with property-
Electricity- No
Running Water- No
Family Story:
Erika is a single mother who has suffered a lot but has been able to overcome those difficult situations. She comes from a family where there had been a lot of abuse. At the age of 20, she became pregnant by her then boyfriend, but he didn't want to take responsibility for it and ended the relationship. She was left alone with her oldest, Fernanda. She was living with her father on a ranch and for a time, had been working as a maid cleaning someone's house. During that time, she met another man and went to live with him in a free union and became pregnant again.
Erika never felt loved and accepted by the father's family and they had many problems, including the father not wanting to work, so they separated. She later met Pedro, her third "husband" which she thought would be the last and that they'd be together for life; Erika was happy and everything seemed to be going really well. But after almost four years together, he left leaving only a note for her that said he left because he couldn't stay with her and all the responsibilities with the 2 children that weren't his biological kids.
For a third time, Erika found herself alone with the responsibility of two children to care for. Sometimes one of the men send her 300 pesos ($20 apx.) for food. Erika lives next to her father who also tries to help her out and giver her moral support. Erika works selling secondhand clothes and has no set income to rely on. She works three days a week and makes around $40.
She is paying off her land that a friend sold to her, which has allowed her to be able to pay whatever she can when she can as long as she pays $35 each month. Erika and the kids live in a very small house that is made of pieces of scrap wood and tarps/canvas. For her it is very difficult to build herself a home.