Help Mario Chafoya care for his famiy
Donation protected
Mario Chafoya lives with his wife and child in the village of San Juan Chiquito, Santa Ana, El Salvador. Like many other San Juaneros (people from San Juan Chiquito), Mario is a hard-working man who preoccupies himself with the welfare of his family.
Unfortunately, Mario lost one of his legs while working and has been compromised in his ability to provide a secure livelihood for his family ever since. This reality is compounded by the lack of a social benefits programs to offset the impact of his injury.
Despite this, and with a bravery and work-ethic characteristic of many San Juaneros, Mario faced this challenge head on. As you can see from this video, he has had to learn how to fashion a foot out of firewood in order to help him ambulate and continue to make ends meet. It deteriorates after regular use, requiring Mario to fashion one yet again, until the cycle repeats itself.
At present, Mario continues to work, albeit at a reduced pace, in order to maintain life as normal as possible for him and his family. His effort has even inspired his son to create toy trucks from cardboard which he sells in order to help with the family expenses. These efforts are not enough, however, to meet the cost of ensuring the structural repair to his home (see video) and he is concerned that the ceiling may cave in on them at any moment.
I had the good fortune of meeting Mario and his wife (my Aunt Mimi - second from the right , below) during my visit to El Salvador in March 2020. They are loving, strong, hard-working people who would benefit from whatever kind donation you are moved to share.
Unfortunately, Mario lost one of his legs while working and has been compromised in his ability to provide a secure livelihood for his family ever since. This reality is compounded by the lack of a social benefits programs to offset the impact of his injury.
Despite this, and with a bravery and work-ethic characteristic of many San Juaneros, Mario faced this challenge head on. As you can see from this video, he has had to learn how to fashion a foot out of firewood in order to help him ambulate and continue to make ends meet. It deteriorates after regular use, requiring Mario to fashion one yet again, until the cycle repeats itself.
At present, Mario continues to work, albeit at a reduced pace, in order to maintain life as normal as possible for him and his family. His effort has even inspired his son to create toy trucks from cardboard which he sells in order to help with the family expenses. These efforts are not enough, however, to meet the cost of ensuring the structural repair to his home (see video) and he is concerned that the ceiling may cave in on them at any moment.
I had the good fortune of meeting Mario and his wife (my Aunt Mimi - second from the right , below) during my visit to El Salvador in March 2020. They are loving, strong, hard-working people who would benefit from whatever kind donation you are moved to share.
Organizer
Rolando Aguilera
Organizer
London, ON