ESCAPING VIOLENCE AND ADDICTION THROUGH STEADFAST SUPPORT
Gloria and her children work on homework at their kitchen table in Bella Vista, Honduras. Photo by Sebastian Guerra Fuentes.
SURVIVING TOOK PRIORITY
Before they came to live in Agros’ Bella Vista village in Honduras, Juan José and Gloria’s family lived in a slum in the murder capital of the world: San Pedro Sula. Each day was a battle from sun up to sun down. Their finances were always stretched thin. Gloria remembers, “We were only working to pay for our clothes and what we were going to eat.”
Surviving took priority. Gloria didn’t have time for concerns beyond her children’s immediate well-being: what would they eat for dinner tonight? Were the kids hanging around with anyone with gang connections? How could she protect them from the random disappearances and shooting that marked daily life in the slum? Normal mothers’ priorities, like sending her children to church and school, were far from her mind. She focused on keeping her family alive.
Living constantly in survival mode left no room for planning for the future or faith: “Before coming to Agros, I didn’t have a vision for my life,” remembers Juan José. “It was ugly,” he admits. “Sometimes I came home drunk…. I spent my time on my addictions: on alcohol and cards. I didn’t spend time with my family.”
A FRESH START
Surrounded by hopelessness, Juan José clung to the escape provided by drinking and gambling. When Gloria learned of Agros, she begged him to agree to move to Bella Vista to start a fresh life. He wasn’t sure that he was up for the challenge.
But in the end, he decided that his family came first: “Thank God, here we are today, working the land, trying to pay it off so that we can give something to our children, something from which they can earn a living.”
Juan José has shaken off addiction’s shackles, away from the slum’s temptations, and their family has escaped poverty thanks to their crops and livestock. But until his family is truly resilient, with diverse crops, a savings account, and steady paychecks from their farm, they’re vulnerable to backsliding if drought or a medical emergency strikes – it’s a constant battle, much like addiction.
Juan José, Gloria and their family. Now that they’ve escaped the slum, they have a new plan for their futures, but they haven’t reached their goals yet. Photo by Sebastian Guerra Fuentes.
“MY HUSBAND LEARNED TO LOVE ME”
That’s where the support of Harvest Partners, our monthly donors, steps in. Thanks to the stability you offer to Agros through your monthly giving, we can provide support when our families hit bumps in the road.
Out of the slum, immersed in a community that cares and holds him accountable, Juan has shed his addictions and become a loving husband and a man of faith. “Thanks to Agros, my husband learned to love me,” says Gloria.
Life before was so grim that neither Juan José nor Gloria even dared to dream. Today, Juan José and Gloria have big dreams. “My dream is to pay for the land… build a beautiful house… and [see] my kids graduate,” says Gloria.
INVEST IN A FAMILY LIKE GLORIA AND JUAN JOSÉ: BECOME A HARVEST PARTNER
You can join our monthly giving program, and invest in a healthy and dignified future for a family like Gloria and Juan José. The cost of sustaining one family like Gloria and Juan José is $8,000 based on Bella Vista’s 2-year plan.
Our goal is to support two families with new and increased monthly gifts by June 30th.
Harvest Partners walk alongside our families from seed to harvest, through every season of their 5-8 year journey with Agros. They provide steady, flexible support that mirrors the Agros model of long-term, holistic partnership.
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