My name is Sister Sara, I live in the village of Caia, and I have been a member of the church for many years. I met Elder Pinto a long time ago when he served here, and he knows the difficulties I have been facing, not just myself but also many others. When you left Caia, I was selling tomatoes, and my daughter was selling roasted corn, but since then, the production has not been enough, and we have ended up not knowing how to survive. The cost of living has risen, food is inaccessible, and the drought worsens every day.
Today, I am a widow and have no one to support me. My situation has become increasingly difficult. I have gone to the homes of brothers and sisters, asking for food to feed my children because I have no other way. Life has become unbearable, until I met a man who had a wife, but in my desperate need for help, I ended up getting involved with him. He worked in fishing, and for a time, he helped me with fish to feed my children. I knew he was married, but out of necessity, I could not refuse.
What I didn’t know, and never imagined, is that he was deceiving me with a purpose. He ended up getting me pregnant, and my situation worsened even more. Now I have another child to care for, and life has become an endless struggle. To feed my family, I have to grind corn to make flour and prepare porridge, but even then, sometimes we don’t have enough. I am so weak, with no strength left, my health is failing me, and my advanced age only makes everything harder.
I have lived like a beggar, depending on the goodwill of others. I can no longer afford to feed my children, let alone keep them in school. I have been forced to take them out of school because I cannot support their studies. The school, in turn, does not offer the necessary conditions for their learning. So, to help, my children carry firewood and do work for others, even though they don’t want to, because hunger is stronger than everything. They do it, even though it hurts their hearts, because an empty stomach offers no choice.
Please, I ask for your help. Life has been a constant struggle, and I no longer know who else to turn to. My strength is gone, and I see my children suffering, unable to give them even the minimum dignity. Each day is a pain, and each day is a fight to continue.