i l2l O BO K
The Book of
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Ismael
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who needs clean water 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073 954-427-2222 www.FoodForThePoor.org
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Click the image above to view a short video about Ismael.
i The Book of
Ismael
The story of a little boy who needs clean water
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This is Ismael. He is a 9-year-old boy who loves to go to school, whenever he can. His favorite subject is Science.
“I like to study and do homework. I like Science because it’s easier than other subjects.�
Ismael and his family live in a tiny shack in rural El Salvador. Their primitive gutters catch rainfall, but during the dry season, there is little rain and Ismael must walk hours to fetch water. Because he must get water each day, he misses a lot of school. Sometimes, it takes almost all day to get water because he has to make two trips a day. The water he struggles to collect is dirty and contaminated with parasites and bacteria from animal waste. 3
“I’m a man. I carry it on my shoulder.” Every day during the dry season, it’s Ismael’s responsibility to get water for his family. It’s an arduous journey for this little “Superman.” The walk takes up to two hours each way. The container is heavy, but he does his best.
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His grandmother, Valentina, looks after
Ismael, his siblings and his cousins while his mother works. Valentina, 74, prays to God constantly and has deep faith in Him.
“Aside from God, water is the other thing you can’t be lacking.”
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Valentina trusts in God to provide them with the water they need. “We always pray for rain. I always pray for food, too, that we never lack for food.”
In the rainy season, the family is mostly able to get by with the water they catch from the makeshift gutters attached to their house. But when there is little rain, they must make the long trek to fetch water from the polluted stream. “We really suffer in the dry season,” Valentina said.
Valentina wishes Ismael and her other grandchildren could attend school more, but the need for water makes this wish impossible. “If they had the opportunity to go to high school, they could be anything they want to be.” she said.
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Ismael also accompanies his grandmother with his container on the day she washes clothes. The clothing his grandmother carries is heavy and she is only able to make the trip every eight days. “It’s too much on my shins, and knees and hips,” she said.
“I have to stop and sit several times. The clothes are very heavy.”
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Ismael gets exhausted from the burden
of carrying the heavy cántaro (container) filled with water. The one-way, two-hour walk with the heavy container makes his underdeveloped muscles ache.
“It feels like my legs are on fire,” he said.
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Ismael thinks about what it would be like to be grown up, and he dreams of having a job where he can earn money. “I would like to work in a store when I’m older.” But without the hope of going to school fulltime, the possibilities are limited because he has to help collect water every day for his family.
“The water is really heavy. Coming down is easy, but going back up is hard.”
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Courageous and determined, Ismael tries the best he can to provide water for his family. But it is backbreaking work for this little boy. Poverty has robbed Ismael of his childhood.
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“I carry the water on my back. It makes me tired. �
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The water Ismael collects is gray and dirty,
but despite this fact, he and his family must drink it, even if it makes them ill. “It’s very important you drink the water because without it, your body will dry up,” his grandmother said. No matter how heavy the family’s burden, Valentina continues to pray to God and thank Him for all His blessings. “As long as my feet are here on this earth, I will continue to give thanks and pray to God,” she said.
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Ismael has a dream. He dreams of going to school every day instead of walking for hours to get drinking water.
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needs you to make dream come true.
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THE SOLUTION CAN START WITH YOU.
With your help, Food For The Poor can dig and install water wells to give clean, safe drinking water to children like Ismael.
And since a few generous friends of Food For The Poor have offered to match any gift for water we receive, YOUR GIFT WILL BE DOUBLED!
Through this special matching offer, your gift for water will go twice as far to help families in great need!
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Before
Once, fetching water was a daily struggle for 11-year-old Choupette, and the water was always dirty. But now, thanks to your generosity, she has clean, safe drinking water from a rain reservoir at her home.
After
— Jadel, Choupette’s mother
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“We feel so much better now. We can get water anytime we want.”
Thanks to you, Choupette and her family not only have clean water, but she no longer has to walk for hours to fetch it. Choupette has been given her childhood back and she can now attend school.
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Your compassionate generosity will provide clean, fresh water for Ismael and many other struggling families.
www.FoodForThePoor.org/ismael
Please scan here, or visit the above website to view a short video about Ismael.
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You can give Ismael his childhood back.
i l2l O BO K
The Book of
u B O O K
Ismael
T W O
'
who needs clean water 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073 954-427-2222 www.FoodForThePoor.org
•