By Patricia Gonzalez | Community relation manager
We want to share with all of our donors of Global Giving the story of Laura Munoz, a woman and a mother who despite all her problems never gave up and became a life example for everyone today. We are pleased to see how her life inspires many women in the Foundation to keep working and to let them know that dreams really come true.
Due to the economic situation in which we were living, my mum mistreated me a lot, and it got worse when she got to know a guy who also abused me a lot and she said nothing to him. A few months later I left home not thinking I could end up in the"cartucho" (a bad place)… the door to hell…Once there, with the freezing cold of the night, hungry and soaked from crying, a little boy arrived, I think the same age as me, 7 years old is what he told me:"Smoke this and you'll be fine" he said. It felt good. The same kid took me to his "parche" (slang for his hood), and, there I got to know many 'friends'. that's when I got to know life on the streets. I learnt to fight, to steal, even to kill, because in the streets one has to defend oneself or die.
There in the streets is where I met my angel -‘Papa Jaime’ who always came to the "parche" to bring us food, or doctors to cure our injuries from "punches". I dont know how many times he saved my life and each time he offered for me to go to the foundation with him. In this "parche" I got to know John, my first man who in fact they killed right in front of me. I had to bury him alone not knowing yet that I was pregnant with one of the most important people in my life.
After his death, I gave in to my vice, without thinking of the danger to my baby.I lived dangerously, I saw thing nobody could even imagine. One day I decided to seek out papa Jaime and ask for help. I wanted out of that life for my baby.
Papa Jaime helped me to leave. I returned to my mum's house and that's where I had Leydi, my first daughter. The situation was very hard. The first month after giving birth I had to work in the outskirts of the city picking potatoes. I met the father of my other 2 children there and I thought this was my real opportunity to form a family, but, it didn't work out either, as always I had believed it would. But, I have no regrets because, today I have Brayan and Brenda, who are my greatest inspiration to keep going forward. Since that moment, with my childrens, I began to dream to have a house where we could have a quiet life. I asked God´s help and Papa Jaime appeared, he helped me with a popular housing project, with his help I had my house in August of 2011. This was a great start for us as a family and a moment I will never forget.
Today I have the support of the foundation. I work doing general services at one of the foundation homes based in Bogota. I am grateful for my life and thankful to God for setting me on a good path and for such good people, especially for papa jaime. My dream is to study Social Sciences and continue helping in the foundation to all the girls and boys that had through the same circumstances as me. To achieve that goal, for four years I have been finishing my school and I will graduate with God´s will the next year.
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