And now we take you to the Trial Farm area of Orange Walk where an elderly woman has fallen to extreme poverty and is living in grim circumstances. 75-year-old Rosa Menjivar lives in a home with no bed, furniture, or appliances. She has little possessions outside of a few clothes and has to sell sticks or pints to afford food to survive.
Two women have now banded together to help her improve her living conditions, but they rely solely on donations from the community. Now, they are asking for support to build a new home for the woman they affectionately call "abuela."
Courtney Menzies visited Rosa today and has this story.
Rosa Menjivar, Needs Assistance
"She said she's not feeling too well because she thinks everyday about the rain, if it rains she get wet, so she's very very worried about the rain. So we're praying it doesn't rain anytime soon. Because if it rains everything in her house gets wet, there's no way to escape the rain."
And the rain is only one of Rosa Menjivar's worries. The 75 year old woman has been living in dire conditions without so much as a proper bed to sleep at night.
Instead she slept on this sofa with a pillow case full of old clothes to rest her head.
But that was before she met Maria Maaz, a good Samaritan who helps people in need. Maaz told us she particularly seeks out children and the elderly, so when she found Menjivar, she knew she had to do something.
But in this case, she needed all the help she could get so, with the help of another resident, Joannie Leiva, they set out to get donations.
Maria Maaz, Helping Hands Program
"After that well, I had no other option than to post it on social media. Obviously we had covered her face because of what's going on. Joannie, I am so so grateful to Joannie, lots, because she help so much, without her we wouldn't be able to do what we did because I try to help a lot of people but I depend on people from the community and it's just never enough. When Joannie dipped in, she made a big difference, a huge difference on gran's life, we manage to get her the mattress, she got her a bed and everything, we had the ball rolling already so that we could be able to assist her."
The bed was the first step - and being that Menjivar probably spent years sleeping on a sofa, she was not used to the height of the bed. She also did not expect the deep sleep she now enjoys.
Rosa Menjivar, Needs Assistance
"She said she felt good because she was tired. She said that because she wasn't used to sleeping on the mattress the first day she let herself drop from high. She has been sleeping in the sofa for a good while. Actually the sofa is outside as you see. She says she sleeps good and she doesn't even know when it's dawn already."
But Maaz and Leiva's work with Menjivar is far from over since they now want to develop a cement structure that they found in the yard into a brand new home for her.
Maria Maaz, Helping Hands Program
"That is our main concern, to fix the place so that she could have a secure place. At this point we have an offer from Belize City and I think we have another offer from Corozal, so we're waiting on those. A lady from the US contact us that they will be installing security cameras anytime soon between now and Saturday because of safety reasons. Her house is not secure and we don't want people to think stuff is piling up here."
The task is a tall one, and the duo are now asking for Menjivar's family to step up if they can.
Maria Maaz, Helping Hands Program
"As far as we know, we have been focusing on getting her help, so we know she had two kids, we don't know if she has more, if she has grandkids, if she has family, so far no one has shown up and claimed her like to say oh she's my mom you know. We have no kind of idea, and we hope if they're looking and watching to come forward because she will need a lot of help because she cannot work anymore."
In her younger days, Menjivar would clean houses and do chores for others. Now, she rakes yards and sells sticks and pints to afford basic food items to survive.
And by posting Menjivar's story on social media, there was an outpouring of donations, and desperation from people - like Rosa - who need her help. While she normally keeps her work on the down-low, she is now asking for support.
Maria Maaz, Helping Hands Program
"I depend on the community, the community gives us everything that we need, but let's say we 20 offers for donation but only 5 come in, then we cannot do enough, we can only do a certain amount of families. So far the community has been very helpful with me in the program that I have which I call helping hand program. It's difficult when we don't have a registered organization because we cannot ask for help from big business."
"So if there is anyone or anybody out there who would like to join us, the help is really really appreciated. They're more than welcomed. So far we were speaking with Joannie and we were talking about getting more help because with this we have seen so many people."
In Menjivar's case, Maaz and Leiva are asking for simple household appliances - such as a basic washing machine.
Menjivar cooks on a fire hearth and has recently gotten a new refrigerator - small things that make a big difference for this abuelita - but she's still in the clutches of pure poverty.
Menjivar has two sons - one of whom lives with her but is unable to work due to an undiagnosed sickness.
If anyone would like to donate - whether financially or with groceries and other appliances - they can contact Joannie Leiva at 660-0129.
