A House for a Worthy Cause!
A community-based group saw the plight of a bedridden, single mom and took up the cause to build her a home. News Five traveled to Cow Pen to learn about the heartwarming community effort to help one of their own – and why they need your help to get them over the hill to achieve their goal by the New Year. Reporter Andrea Polanco tells us more in the following story.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Martha Elizabeth Molina is in bed – unable to do anything for herself. She has been bedridden since March or so of this year. When the year started, she was working on the banana farms but then she suddenly suffered three back-to-back strokes which left her paralyzed. She was unable to see or speak for a while but she has regained her sight and with a small medical deviceshe can now talk. But this thirty-year-old resident of Cow Pen Village is a long way from getting better. And this temporary structure that she lives in is dilapidated anddoesn’t provide any protection from the elements.
Martha Elizabeth Molina
Martha Elizabeth Molina, Resident, Cow Pen [Translated]
“It will make ten months since I have been bedridden.”
Andrea Polanco
“And you can’t walk, you can’t do anything?”
Martha Elizabeth Molina
“Nothing but thank God now I can take a bath. The children help me to sit up and I bathe myself because before I couldn’t sit or do anything. Every day I ask God to help me – to give me the strength to get up out of this bed very soon because my kids need me. When it rains in here (this house) gets very damp – everything; in here we don’t have floor or anything. But I am thankful that my sister has left me this house to stay in.”
As a bedridden a mother of six children – the eldest fourteen and the youngest four-years-old – Molina is in desperate need of a proper roof over her head. This single mother’s plight captured the attention of Juan Carlos Martinez of the Bella Vista United Group. He leads a community-based group that helps underprivileged families in Bella Vista – but Molina’s touching case pushed him to extend that support to this resident of Cow Pen.
Juan Carlos Martinez
Juan Carlos Martinez, Founder, Bella Vista United Group
“I quite remember the first time we came, I was very shocked and my heart was broken. I said we have to go back and do something.”
Andrea Polanco
“Why were you shocked and heart-broken over what you saw?”
Juan Carlos Martinez
“First of all, I was told that she is in bed for nine months more or less and she wasn’t able to do absolutely nothing for herself. I saw her little kids try to bring her from inside the house under a tree and even ants were dropping on her and she wasn’t able to move her hands and I said wow – this is not what a human being deserves and that is why we started on the initiative of building a home.”
So, on Saturday we met the builders hard at work trying to complete this new structure. With the guidance of Martinez’s construction expertise, they hope to get this done before the start of the year but also to quickly alleviate Molina’s suffering and provide a safe and stable environment for the children.
Juan Carlos Martinez
“I believe that whenever we give, we have to give the best. Sometimes we think we don’t have but let me say this, sometimes what we don’t have is the ganas – the willingness to give. So, I mentioned to the group let’s do a concrete house once and for all. As we speak, you guys can witness what we are doing. Let me say that this house has ten days of work only.”
Andrea Polanco
“That’s a lot of work happening in a short time?”
Juan Carlos Martinez
“Yes – very. Believe me the first day we started from chopping the area and doing landscaping. We aim to have two bedrooms; a small internal bathroom; small living area and kitchen. We said that it might be hot during the dry season so we need a verandah – and we say that we don’t even have to finish the house but we said God will provide and now we have a verandah of twenty-five by eight feet.”
And Martinez isn’t the only one helping out. Molina’s neighbours have been supplying her with mealsand hygiene care for the past several months.The Cow Pen Village Council also chipped in big time when they identified a small parcel of land for Molina’s new home. Chairman Victor Juarez also got residents to volunteer their labour to help a fellow villager.
Victor Juarez
Victor Juarez, Chairman, San Juan/Cow Pen
“Our guys trying to give free labour which is one of the most challenging situations because everyone is trying to be financially stable. However, I am happy for the youth because we have a lot of young guys who are willing to come out and help. I think this is as a result of myself serving as an educator in the community. On a day like today we have an average of fifteen to twenty and so that varies on the amount of people who are willing to be around. Some come a little later and some come for a little while and others stay for the whole day.”
Now these donors are hoping to finish this project as quickly as they can. They started less than two weeks ago – with donations here and there and they have managed to do the bulk of the work needed to get this house ready for Molina but they need the public’s help to turn this house into a home for Molina.
Juan Carlos Martinez
“Guys, let me say we have the ganas and the willingness to create from absolutely nothingso whatever you can give to this needy family. It will be so appreciated. Our goal is to deliver this house new year’s and that is our goal – it is not an easy task. There are days we have no cement or materials. We wish to go bigger; do tiles and paint it but again, I would call just the most needed for the home but if there is the possibility to do that I would be glad. But I want to ensure the public and the lady that we are doing our best.”
Victor Juarez
“There are many challenges and we are certain that this specific advance and this specific project that is going to give her the opportunity to call home for herself is going to be a very strong determining factor in her full recovery or giving her peace of mind with her challenges but somewhere she can call home.”
Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
The team is need of construction materials and home furniture and appliances, so if you can give towards this project, get in touch with Juan Carlos Martinez at 671-0765 or Victor Juarez at 623-4296.
