Poverty

Poverty
Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty has many faces, changing from place to place and across time, and has been described in many ways. Most often, poverty is a situation people want to escape. So poverty is a call to action.

Everyone knows that poverty exists in the entire world, no matter the country. Sometimes it is produced because people don't have a job, for overpopulation in the family, lack of resources and others. But sometimes, this occurs because people forget to keep trying. They just feel sorry for themselves and want help from others.

However, there are people who had overcome poverty as my family did. When my mom was a child, they were really poor but she worked to get success in her life.
One story is that Mary is a successful farmer with a business of “baby or mini vegetables” in Pacayas, Cartago. She was born in a small town within a very poor family where she had to work with her brothers from the age of 7 years old. Every day, she had to get up at 4 am in the morning and immediately take the field with the other brothers and her father to milk the cows and grow tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, potato and carrots. And at noon they were back at home so Mary had to clean the dirt floor, clean the bathroom of "hole", hand washing and helping her mother to prepare the coffee of the 2:30 pm and the dinner for 5:30 pm. Mary and her brothers went to bed at 6:30 pm and the next day should have the same routine. She and her siblings did not study at school. It was not until Maria was 15 years old when she could learn to read, write. At 20 she made her way to school and when she was 26 years old completed the fifth year of college. Mary wanted to grow so she sought help from a women's association which started with micro-project promoted by the government. Gradually came into the business of “baby or mini vegetables” and today sells her products in major supermarkets in Costa Rica and exports along with other farmers (Export Cooperative) to Mexico and the United States. In an interview she said that those born poor are able to thrive if they want and that poverty is in the mind! What wisdom has the words of Mary!
Actually poverty is a situation that lives a lot of people, not only Costa Rican people; around the world poverty is a big threat. I met a woman who had only two children; she worked in a restaurant, she was very nice, she lives well. But one day she was in a traffic accident. From that day her life experienced a big change, she didn’t have support, and she was alone and with two little children. She had a mutilation of her leg. She hadn’t anything, nothing of money, nothing for eat. She needed to change her home; she went to my neighborhood and decided to start a new life. She talked with all people that live in my quarter and everybody choose to help that woman. She began cooking hamburgers, pizza, tacos, patty and many funk food. She went house by house selling meals. After several months she was able to get success like rent a better house. And now, she has a soda call "La esperanza". So this is a story of life, an example of effort and love. I know nowadays opportunities are scarce but the simple fact of wanting to live and overcome is the inspiration to overcome poverty.