Maria, one of our Beginners' Level ESL students, is due to have her second child in November 2011. Her first child, Brittany, is living in Mexico with Maria's mother due to economic hardships. Maria and her husband, Jorge, plan to keep their child and raise him/her in the US. Neither one of them is fluent in English at all. Neither one can receive health benefits from the government due to their immigration status. They currently live below poverty, but still send remittances to their families in Mexico. With this in mind, we know that it will be a challenge to pursue with the pregnancy while ensuring the mother's and the baby's health, to raise a child in a disadvantaged neighborhood, and to one day reunite with their first child, Brittany.
In lieu of birthday and graduation presents, Cinelle and Stephen ask that you donate an amount to help cover diapers, food, milk, formula, medicine, clothing, carriers, medical visits and labor expenses. Maria is not picky at all either! She will gladly accept hand-me-downs.
In all honesty, Maria does not even want us to do this for her. She says it is enough that we are her friends and that we translate for her when she is at the pregnancy center. But to us, the child in her womb is one child we could help shape the future of way before it is even born. So let's shower this baby with love!
