Dora Santos lived in a simple home with her parents, her son (Abner Vladimir, 33) and grandson. Four years ago their window and door was broken into, and they were robbed of the few possessions they had. Her son went out to look for those responsible, and he was killed by them. Along with the terrible burden of grief, Dora became the main breadwinner for her household. Her meager income that came from selling beans, corn and tomatoes on the street was not enough but they all worked hard to manage. A year later, her father died after struggling with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease for two years.

ENLACE Church Coach, Gerzon Gómez is no stranger to complete and utter heartache. When he was young and the problem of gang violence was part of his daily context, his mother was killed by a stray bullet. His father hadn’t been a part of the family and so when she died, Gerzon and his 9 siblings were left orphaned. It was a scary and uncertain time, one that Gerzon still grieves over.

However, a loving uncle took Gerzon in and provided a place of love. Uncle Orestes not only took the children under his wing, but he also paid for Gerzon to attend school and taught him about God. Gerzon responded to this by working hard and ultimately winning a scholarship from the Mayor’s Office of San Vicente to study at the prestigious Salverio Navarrete Institute.

The scholarship helped but didn’t cover everything. Instead of giving up, he got a job as an assistant bricklayer during the day and took classes at night. His effort didn’t  go unnoticed by his peers who applied for a grant for him which won him a stipend that covered basic expenses and food. Because of that, Gerzon was able to go back to school during the day and complete his studies.

Written by Martha de Mancia and Michelle Negron Bueno.

Norma and her husband, José, lived in a very run down house in the community of Sirigual. Their situation was very desperate, as they tried to care for two young children, Zenaida and Erick, in a one-room home with crumbling walls and dirt floors. But they were managing their struggle. However, with her third pregnancy, Norma faced a situation all mothers fear. Six months into her pregnancy, she gave birth to twin, premature boys, Osael and Antony. For many weeks, Norma and her young sons had to remain in the hospital. During that time, Antony grew stronger while his twin, Osael, did not.

Flor and her little son FranklinIn many ways, Flor and José Hernández are a typical family in rural El Salvador. They have two young children and live in a simple home on a small plot of land. They work very hard but are very poor. Like most families in their village, they lack indoor plumbing. They haul water from a community well and use it for all their cooking and cleaning needs. And instead of indoor bathrooms they dig pits near their home.