Keeping Two Argentine Children and Their Grandma Out of the Rain

In the riverside town of Colonia San José, Gloria runs her aged hands over the newly laid brick walls of her modest house. Her grandchildren, Jorge, 11, and Ivana, 10, point enthusiastically to the windows, widely ajar to ease the oppressive heat of the Argentine summer. "It used to be that all the walls had holes and I had no money to feed the children. On stormy days, it rained inside my house," says Gloria.

Since the time they were infants, their grandma, Gloria, has raised Jorge and Ivana on her own. Their mother died of a rare disease and their father left before the little girl was born. Gloria, a widow herself, took the orphan babies into her care and got a job at the San José cold storage plant in order to feed Jorge and Ivana.

Though Gloria's income wasn't enough to afford pencils or notebooks for her grandkids' schoolwork, she remained committed to their education. Jorge and Ivana travel three miles from their home each day – through surrounding farmlands and the intoxicating smell of eucalyptus trees – to an elementary school in their rural province of Entre Ríos.

But in Argentina's economic crisis of 2001, Gloria lost her job and all of her savings were obliterated. She struggled with the uncertainty of how her family would survive the coming day. Jorge and Ivana's education was in jeopardy because they were hungry and without adequate clothing to wear to school. Both kids also suffered from bronchial illness due to the dampness that remained in the wooden walls of the house for weeks after each rain.

Gloria turned to the JDC, who provided her with food vouchers and later a supermarket debit card to help her afford nutritious food that Jorge and Ivana needed to grow strong. With basic materials and a healthy diet, her grandchildren would again be able to study.

Through a strategic JDC program that provides special assistance to children at serious social risk, the family home was renovated. The dinky walls and metal and cardboard roof of the kids' rooms were reinforced with brick, and windows were added for ventilation. When construction began, everyone was very enthusiastic. "My brother made me come running back after school so we could help the bricklayer," says Ivana. The children are thrilled to finally have a home that protects them from inclement weather.

Gloria hopes to eventually find a new job so she can add an extension onto the house. "I don't want my grandchildren to feel deprived of anything," she explains. There is no trace of self-pity in her voice as she watches the sunlight filter in through the new windows. "I am a happy woman. The JDC helped us get what we needed. And now whenever it rains, I just laugh."