Help Estephany & her family into an Apartment!

Erik DeSando is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi my name is Erik john DeSando and I have a Venezuelan family living in Colombia i have decided to sponsor. The story is I met 10 year old Estephanie and her mom Yesica on the streets of San Cristabol Colombia selling lollipops. Stephanie had a huge smile and great attitude (see the picture below the exact place we all met).

After meeting them on the street i couldn't stop thinking about this amazing child and this awesome energy she emitted so much so that later that day I went back with a princess watch I bought her at a local shop. I told her she had to pay me in a hug for the watch and after the best hug u can imagine i left never thinking I would see them again. Understand there are many people on the streets selling lillipops so its a pretty normal occurrence esp. with Venezuelans that cant work without papers.

So I went to San Cristabol over the next 2 weeks hoping to see Stephany and her mom but to no avail. Then one faithful day there they were sitting on that same stoop on the steep street. I called out "Princess Stephanie" and saw her big smile. When I went over to see them i noticed Steph had on the princess watch and was wearing a worn but pretty pink dress. She then told me the $5 watch was her prized possession.

So this time i got their cell number and told them i wanted to meet again soon. I text Mom to meet me the next day at a local restaurant in San Cristabol for breakfast and picked up a pink princess shirt and backpack for my new 10 yr old friend.

It was special to me to see them having a full breakfast with just about everything on the menu including a big ice cream sundae! We talked about their journey from Venezuela walking 13 DAYS to the capital of Colombia Bogota without food, water, lodging, or money. Their father had abandoned them and Venezuela had become too dangerous to stay. Stephany has a 14 year old sister who needed medical treatment thus the reason they came and a 13 year old brother. At this time they were living in a seedy hotel downtown Medellin in a very dangerous area and Mom was working part-time at a store and selling lollipops when there was no work at the store. They were taking the bus to San Cristabol which took 2 hours each day because it was safer and the police weren't so tough on street venders.

Yesica told me the kids weren't in school because they couldn't afford the school outfits required to attend. on top of that there were dealing with medical issues for Stephanie and her sister. Stephanie and Mom had been sleeping on the floor for months without a bed. NEVER did they ask me for any money and always it was me asking questions to find out how HARD their lives were. It was obvious to me that they needed:

1) medicine

2) housing that was safe with beds and kitchen/bath of their own

3) school outfits

4) a safe caring community to grow up in

5) enough money coming in so they weren't in financial stress everyday

6) School classes for Mom to be a cook to get a real job

7) A real friend who cared

So first thing I did was moved the family to temporary housing at a farm my friend had. It was somewhat expensive but very safe and a cheap bus ride to San Cristabol where I thought the family should live. I made sure they had food and beds as we stared to look for permanent lodging and schools for the kids.

I realized that they had been thru so much HELL that they just need to feel normal and safe. So we all went horseback riding and it was then I saw that the kids and Mom began to see that they would be safe in my care. Laughter and enjoying there first time on a horse took months of stress right out of the family. I could really see the changes in their demeaner and there seemed to be a lighter banter to there moods.

So now we are at a crossroads as I need to get them into an apartment and school along with getting mom into cooking classes and make sure they have money for food and school outfits etc. I just don't have the money at the moment to keep the support up as I'm starting a new business here in Colombia and don't have sufficient money come in to support the family and myself.

So I'm asking friends family and people I've known for years to support this family with anything they can. I have never done this before so I'm hopeful those in my circle that have means will help. The money will give them 6 months of rent, furniture, food, and school clothing. I will help them with anything else that is needed and in 6 months ill have the means to support without asking.

Thanks for reading this remember to be thankful for what u have as there are so many like Estefanie and her family that don't!

The apartment (that to them is Shangri-La) in San Cristabol that we are hopeful Estephanie's family will move into soon!