MA Breakaway- Cruz Perez Family

Build Dates: July 8th-10th

Family Information:

Father- Armando

• Age: 43
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $68 appx.

Mother- Eloina

• Age: 42
• Profession: Homemaker
• Weekly Salary: N/A

Children-

• Luis Fidel, 13 yrs, 5th Grade (boy)
• Emmanuel, 7 yrs, 1st Grade (boy)

Property Information:

Colonia- Maneadero
Time with property- 13 months
Electricity- No
Running Water- No

Family Story:

Armando and Eloina are originally from Oaxaca. They came to Ensenada over 23 years ago, looking for better work opportunities. They worked in the fields, worked at different ranches that offered them a place to stay with other ranch hands. Only people who have no other place to live choose to live on the ranch because the way of life offered to them is very hard. They lived in these conditions for years before renting a room of their own. Finally in June of 2015 they were able to get a piece of land and move to their own place. They are still paying off their land, monthly payments are about $62. Armando and Eloina had 5 children, one of them died when he was only 8 months old. Rene and Jose Armando are the oldest and moved back to Oaxaca to be with Eloina's family when her father got sick. He passed away, but they decied to stay in Oaxaca and are both married now with their own families. With them live Emmanuel and Luis Fidel. Emmanuel was born without fingers on one of his hands and suffers from hemoglobin hemorrhage. Their home is a small wood house with a tarp roof and dirt floor. Armando is the only one who works. Emmanuel is currently on medication and is regularly taken to the hospital to get his levels checked.

MA Arise Youth: Hernandez Serapio Family

Build Dates: July 8-10

Family Information:

Father- Jose

• Age: 26
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $63

Mother- Teodora

• Age: 21
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $11 per day

Children-

• Ivan, 8 yrs, 3rd Grade (boy)
• Esmeralda, 6 yrs, Kindergarten (girl)
• Gabriela, 2 yrs (girl)

Property Information:

Colonia- Las Brisas
Time with property- 11 months

Family Story:

Teodora and Jose met here in Ensenada. Jose's parents met Teodora and asked for her to marry their son. It took 2 1/2 years until they were married, but they were living together. This is part of the Oaxacan culture, the parents typically find the spouses for their children and invite them into their home. After getting married, they lived in Maneadero (just outside the Ensenada city limits) and Teodora was pregnant with their first child. She had Ivan when she was only 13 yrs old. Jose has always worked in the fields in Maneadero. They later had a second child when Ivan was 2 1/2 yrs old. After their third child was born they decided to get a piece of land on credit where they currently live and pay about $62 a month. Their house is made from plastic and dirt. They only have a small table where they put a stove and a sheet of wood where everyone sleeps. In the winter/cold months they suffer a lot from being cold. They don't even have enough blankets to keep them all warm. Jose continues to work in the fields, he currently puts boxes of produce together. He works 6 days of the week. Teodora started working in January and gets paid about $11 a day for the days she can work. Most of what they earn goes to making payments on their land. This family is in great need and unable to build themselves a home. The older children go to school regularly. Teodora drops them off at school and then goes to work. The youngest stays with Teodora's sister.

Olivia's Basket #14- Garcia Mendoza Family

Build Dates: July 1st & 2nd

Family Information:

Father- Lorenzo

• Age: 41
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $40 approximately

Mother- Martha

• Age: 25
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $40 approximately

Children-

• Michel, 7 yrs, 1st Grade (girl)
• Martha's sister also lives with them, along with her husband and 6 month old baby

Property Information:

Colonia- Tinajitas
Time with property- 2 years
Electricity- No
Running Water- Yes

Family Story:

Martha and Lorenzo met while working in the fields. Lorenzo went and talked to Martha's parents and asked them for their daughter's hand in marriage. He moved in with Martha's family and they lived there for 8 years and during that time, Michel was born. One day Martha's parents decided to sell their land and Lorenzo and Martha had to buy their own land on credit. They used materials from their parent's old house to build the house where they currently live. Martha's sister is living with them along with her husband and their new baby. They all work in the fields while Martha's sister Alicia stays home with her baby and Michel. They have been living in this house for 2 years and pay $118 a month as a payment. For this reason they all work and they still struggle to cover all their costs of living. Their house is a room made from pieces of wood. They have a small stove and all sleep on the floor in the small bedroom. They haven't even been able to buy furniture because so much of their earnings go to paying off their land.

Harvest Fellowship- Lopez Tobar Family

Build Dates: June 27th-29th

Family Information:

Father- Jesus

• Age: 31
• Profession:
• Weekly Salary: $58 approximately

Mother- Claudia

• Age: 25
• Profession: N/A
• Weekly Salary: N/A

Children-

• Leyni, 2 yrs (girl)

Property Information:

Colonia- Behind Villas I
Time with property- 2 years
Electricity- Yes
Running Water- No

Family Story:

Jesus and Claudia are a family who have been together for 9 years. Jesus is originally from Sinaloa, he works at a where he receives a weekly salary of approximately $60. With this he provides for his family's needs for food, clothes, and basic necessities of the home. Claudia stays home and cares for their daughter Leyni who is 2 years old. They have been living in a small trailer with very unfavorable conditions. Last year their daughter dealt with bronchitis due to the cold weather and their living conditions. The trailer is an unsafe place for the small girl. Because of having bronchitis more than once in only two years, the doctors have said that if they do not make things better for their daughter she is at risk for developing asthma.  As a family, they have tried to make things better for their daughter and one of their desires is to have a home and a safe place to raise their daughter.

CCIC South Valley- Penaloza Ortiz Family

Build Dates: June 15th-17th

Family Information:

Father- Gerardo

• Age: 34
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $48-60 depending on work

Mother- Cristina

• Age: 32
• Profession: N/A
• Weekly Salary: N/A

Children-

• Gerardo, 14 yrs, 6th Grade (boy)
• Ana Cristina, 10 yrs, 4th Grade (girl)
• Yaeli, 2 yrs (girl)

Property Information:

Colonia- Brisas
Time with property- 10 months

Family Story:

Cristina and Gerardo met while working in the fields of Ensenada. They began dating and started out as a couple moving from place to place in search of work. After 6 years, they moved back to their hometown and were married. They now have 4 children, but their 9 year old daughter Elda lives with the grandparents. They were in Guerrero fro a time trying to establish themselves, but it was difficult for them to find work and the kids struggled at school where the main language spoken was the dialect Mixteco. They decided to move back to Ensenada where they got a piece of land and found work again. Note: The photo shown includes extended family, the family is supposed to turn in an actual photo of just the 5 of them.

Damascus- Lopez Perez Family

Build Dates: June 15th-17th

Family Information:

Father- Jorge

• Age: 38
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $44 approximately

Mother- Teresa

• Age: 39
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $44 approximately

Children-

• Lizbet, 3 yrs (girl)
• Marco Antonio, 14 yrs, He doesn't study because he cares for his little sister

Property Information:

Colonia- Todos Santos
Time with property- 7 months
Electricity- No
Running Water- No

Family Story:

Teresa is from Oaxaca. She came to Ensenada in 1994 looking for work and money. She found a job working in the fields where she met Jorge. They started a relationship and decided to live together. Before meeting Jorge, Teresa had already been married and had two children. Her first husband was never committed to her and the care of his children, so she decided it was better to leave him and be alone. The father of her oldest two children is currently living in Oaxaca. Lizbeth is the child Teresa had with Jorge, her current husband. Teresa's oldest daughter is living with the grandma in Oaxaca because she liked living there better than Ensenada. Teresa and Jorge got a piece of land on credit where they built a room to live in. Half of the room is made of wood, the other half is made of plastic. They have only a small 2 burner stove and sleep on the dirt floor. Marco Antonio stays home to care for Lizbeth while Teresa and Jorge are at work. They do not have the funds to pay for Marco Antonio to go to school and have someone take care of Lizbeth, so Teresa said no to letting Marco Antonio study. Their land has no running water and they have to buy it 3 times a week. 

Olivia's Basket #13- Martinez Rendon Family

Build Dates: June 24th & 25th

Family Information:

Father- Hector

• Age: 25
• Profession: Field Worker
• Weekly Salary: $56 approximately

Mother- Brigida

• Age: 25
• Profession: N/A
• Weekly Salary: N/A

Children-

• Alejandro, Turns 2 in August (boy)
• Giovanny, 4 yrs, Kindergarten in August (boy)
• Hector, 6 yrs, 1st Grade in August (boy)

Property Information:

Colonia- Durango
Time with property- 2 yrs 8 months
Electricity- Yes
Running Water- No

Family Story:

Brigida was born in Oaxaca, but her family moved to Ensenada when she was about 8 years old. Brigida met Hector here in Ensenada, they were married and have had 3 sons together. After they were first married, they lived with Hector's father. Hector's sister then moved in as well with her 3 children and for this reason, Hector decided to look for land and he and his family moved out of his father's home. They currently live on their land and have been for over two and a half years. Hector's father gave them wood in order to help them to build a small room to live in. Hector works in the fields earning around $56 a week. He receives a little more when he works overtime. He works 6 days of the week, having Sunday to rest. Brigida doesn't work because she stays home to care for their children. Giovanny has a problem with his skin that he has had since he was six months. He is currently being treated and they were told that it could be due to an allergy he has. This family on their own has been unable to build a better home. Hector is the only one who works. Every month they save in order to make their land payments and they do whatever possible to make sure they can make the payment.