Family of the Month February 2019

  • February 16, 2019November 30, 2019
  • by admin

Meet Maritza and Her Family   

Little Natalie who has just turned one year old delights the family with her happy nature and easy-going personality. Her mother Maritza, in her mid-twenties, is a single mom with no current income, but she does most of the cooking and laundry for her large extended family. Maritza lives with her mom and seven nieces and nephews whose ages range from six to thirteen. It’s a busy, bustling household and both living space and food are in short supply. All of them look forward to the Buenos Vecinos monthly visit that brings them not only nutritious food, but also some friendly encouragement from their familiar BVB volunteers.

Family of the Month- November 2018

  • November 15, 2018November 30, 2019
  • by admin

Meet the Case Family

Catalina and Amado live in a house of wood and tin on a dirt road amid the sugar cane fields.  In their early 40’s , they struggle to raise their four school-age children, two boys Jovany 14, Jonny 11 and two girls, Diana 9 and Janeth 5. Recently, this struggle has become even more perilous; in the past few months, Amado has been afflicted with a debilitating stomach disorder which has made it difficult for him to eat and therefore has also made him very weak.  He has needed help to even walk, and so he is currently unable to work to support his family.  Neighbors alerted a Buenos Vecinos member to this serious situation and Buenos Vecinos responded with an immediate provision of non-perishable food. Janeth grabbed the can of KLIM powdered milk and broke into a smile at this unexpected gift.  In addition, Boquete Health and Hospice is providing some medical equipment to assist Amado in his home.

Family of the Month October, 2018

  • October 15, 2018November 30, 2019
  • by admin
Meet Yeisel and her Family
Yeisel, eleven years old, lives with her parents and four siblings in a modest house on the coffee farm where her father works. Last year she suffered a serious accident. The damage to her spine affected her mobility and now, even though she can walk, her gait is uneven and she must soon undergo surgery and fittings for a brace. Although her once-a-week physical therapy session is provided at no cost to the family, they are still responsible for the expenses of transportation and medicine. Pictured here are Yeisel, her younger brother Sebastian, her little sister Keisel, and her mother Norissa. Norissa expressed her gratitude for the help and support from FPI (The Handicap Center) and for the monthly bags of food from Buenos Vecinos.

Family of the Month September 2018

  • September 10, 2018
  • by admin

Meet Benilda´s Family

A large tree hides this bamboo house from the road and the outside play area is worn down to the dirt by many feet. The family who lives here, Benilda and her eight children still miss the father who abandoned them more than a year ago. Benilda struggles to find work, but earns only $50 a month cleaning houses and ironing clothes; $32 of those dollars are already designated for monthly rent and water.

Her oldest child, 18 year-old Alexander, is now in trade school learning how to be an electrician. He wants to help his family, and he is optimistic that he’ll be successful. His sixteen year-old sister, Yamileth, will finish high school next year. She wants to learn accounting so that she can help support the family, as well. Her fourteen year-old sister, Yaneth, has confessed with a smile, her own vision of someday owning a beautiful dress. The other children, Reinaldo, 12, Juan, 10, Jeronimo, 9 and Maria, 7, also attend school.

Six year-old Jhahicha is very excited to start school next year when she will proudly wear a uniform like her brothers and sisters. Until then she spends her days at home with her mother. When Mom works, a sibling stays home with Jhahicha.

Family of the Month August 2018

  • August 10, 2018September 10, 2018
  • by admin

Families care for one another and, in this case, a strong woman has stepped forward to care for two generations of family members. Elidia takes care of her daughter and her two grandchildren, Osiris, a 13 year-old girl, and Noel, an 8 year-old boy. All three suffer from developmental delays. Elidia also raised her husband’s youngest children from his previous marriage after his wife passed away, and now Elidia helps care for two of their children. Elidia’s husband is a trusted worker on the finca where the owner provides this family of nine a two room house with running water. The finca is an ideal setting for these four youngsters to explore and to play together. Osriris and Noel receive their formal education with the assistance of a teacher for the handicapped but, because their developmental delays are so severe, there is little advancement. Elidia also makes sure they have social activities and educational stimulation every Saturday at Fundacion Pro Integracion (FPI) also known as the Handicap Center. Buenos Vecinos works closely with FPI to make sure Elidia and her family get their monthly allotment of non-perishable food, and she expresses her gratitude for the help BVB provides.

Family of the Month June

  • June 10, 2018September 10, 2018
  • by admin

When the families of Fundacion Pro Integracion gather on Saturdays to provide social interaction and support for their handicapped member and for one another, Benita makes sure that her oldest child is there to join in. Ana Elizabet was born 19 years ago with cerebral palsey. Although she is wheelchair-bound and cannot speak, Ana understands what people tell her and responds with a smile and wonderfully expressive eyes. She is a portrait in joy.

Ana and her four younger brothers and parents live in a one room house for which they pay rent and electricity. The other biggest expense, besides the anti-seizure medicine Ana must have twice each day, is food to feed the family. Benita explains that the food Buenos Vecinos de Boquete (BVB) provides each month helps them meet those needs and they truly appreciate it.

Family of the Month March

  • March 7, 2018March 9, 2018
  • by admin

Family of the Month

Meet Abraham and His Family

In the Volcancito area, Abraham and his wife Felicidata raise a large family with kids ranging from eighteen to three years old. Abraham works as a maintenance man at a nearby business, and Felicidata handles the domestic work of this big family. The older children attend school, and get good grades they proudly tell me!

Felicidata admits that with eight children, not all of them favor the nutritious Manna pack provided by Buenos Vecinos de Boquete, but that most of them enjoy it, and she believes the product contributes to the overall good health of her family. The other food items contributed by Buenos Vecinos are eagerly anticipated each month.

Pictured in the photo are Abraham and Felicidata and their children: Daira (18), Edgar and Belisario (13 and 12), the twins Marzuela and Macario (11), Rene (9), sweet little Christina (7) and baby Abraham, a growing 3 year old.

If you would like to help families like this and the efforts of Buenos Vecinos de Boquete, your financial support would be most appreciated.

DONATE ONLINE: https://buenosvecinosdeboquete.com/how-you-can-help
We use PayPal for easy and secure transactions.

IF YOU PREFER TO DONATE BY CASH, Please contact Louise Orr (panamaleo@gmail.com) for arrangements.

When you make that important decision to help feed the less fortunate in our community, you have truly become a “good neighbor”. When you donate $360 a year or $30 a month (about the cost of a daily latte), your name will be added to our “Coconut Foundation” as an acknowledgement of your concern and generosity.

Buenos Vecinos de Boquete’s wholesale purchase power enables us to furnish our clients more food than they could purchase on their own in the store with the same amount of money.

Thank you!

Family of the Month August 2017

  • August 19, 2017February 19, 2020
  • by admin

Meet Eva and Her Famiy

 

Even though Eva was pregnant with her second child, she was very excited a few months ago when she found a job cleaning once a week in Potrerillos, a short bus ride from her home.  With a little training she became quite proficient.  Her employer found her to be a diligent worker and an enjoyable companion. But with the recent birth of her daughter, Sophia, Eva could no longer work and provide a little income to help support Henry, her six year-old son, herself and the baby.  The children’s father does not help them and has moved from the area, so Eva has turned to Buenos Vecinos for the non-perishable food we supply on a monthly basis.

Eva and her little family share a three-room zinc-sided dirt-floor house with her cousin Marina, who has three children (but also no support) and with her aunt and uncle and their four children. The house has no indoor water or electricity.  But Eva has plans; she wants to learn a little English, gather more experience and eventually secure more housekeeping jobs. She hopes to someday build her own tiny bamboo house next to her aunt and uncle’s dwelling.  But for now, she is just grateful to have the housing assistance from her extended family and food from BVB.

Buenos Vecinos de Boquete depends on your support to feed and nourish families like Eva’s

Family of the Month July 2017

  • July 19, 2017May 11, 2020
  • by admin

Meet Elibia

Buenos Vecinos de Boquete provides non-perishable food on a monthly basis to over 100 families and individuals. Included in that count are 58 clients who additionally receive the services of the Handicapped Foundation (Fundacion Pro Integracion). Pictured here (in blue) is Elibia during a home visit by FPI volunteer Loesje.

Elibia was born with autism, cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder. She is now 16, and lives with her mother, several siblings and an extended family. Her father is deceased.

The food provided by Buenos Vecinos de Boquete (BVB) takes some of the financial pressure off Elibia’s family, who are obviously burdened with the care of this young woman. This food is also nutritionally valuable to the family, particularly with many children to feed. Fundacion Pro Integracion (FPI) steps in with physical therapy, necessary medical transportation, and assistance with medicine. Together our two organizations address critical needs of some of the community’s most needy members. We hope you will decide to support our efforts.