Betty

Betty lives in the centre of Zone 4 of Guatemala City, not far from one of the largest markets in Central America. It’s so big that often, it’s referred to as a city within a city.

Here, informal commerce is the main source of income for many of the families who live in its shadow. Unlike other markets in the city, this market has evolved, and many families not only depend on it economically, but have also turned it into a place to live, sleep and entertain, among other things. Many people have migrated to the area looking for better opportunities, whether it be for income or for housing.

Betty is one of the children whose family depends on the market for survival. As the youngest of two siblings, and her older brother are cared for by her grandmother, Esmerelda, since her mother passed away after she gave birth to Betty. Betty’s childhood was difficult as her father blamed her for her mother’s death, making a relationship with him very difficult – she has had to deal with hurtful comments and rejection from him for as long as she can remember, even though they now see him infrequently.

Because of this, Betty’s grandmother is very protective of her and her brother. She is a street vendor of spare parts in the market, but some poor health has meant that recently Betty and her brother have been stepping in more to help her out with her business more in order to earn enough money. Each day, the family travels the 10km into the market from their home on the zone’s outskirts.

A keenness to support Betty in her education is what led to her starting to attend the activities of Puerta de Esperanza, Toybox’s newest partner in Guatemala. Betty has always been an outstanding student at school and enjoys having the extra input through the project at the market. With her grandmother’s ill health, she balances her education with helping out.

“After attending my classes and Puerta de Esperanza, I help my grandmother prepare the the parts she will sell in the afternoon, then we go together to collect the money for the parts they sell. During the day, my brother helps to unload trucks with fruit such as oranges, tangerines and melons which are sold at the market.” Betty

Betty has been attending the project since her first year of primary school when a friend invited her along to do skipping with her, along with some other activities. As soon as Esmerelda learned about the project, she wanted Betty to be fully involved so after finding out more, she encouraged Betty to go as much as she could. Before long, she was a regular at the project and is always inviting other children from the market to come along too!

Over the last few years, the project has been a vital support to Betty to keep her in school. During the pandemic, keeping up with all her classes was a real challenge for her because she didn’t have a computer, printer or the internet at home – all of which basically excluded her participation in any lessons. It was difficult for her as she loves learning. However, as soon as Puerta de Esperanza opened up their space again, she ramped up her efforts and was determined every day to learn. Now she has caught up and is doing so well at school again. She’s also enjoyed being able to get to know her friends better.

“I realised that even though I used to spend every day with my friends at the project, I didn’t know them very well. Now I try hard to know interesting things about others and tell them things about me so we can all learn our different points of view. It doesn’t make use weird or different in a bad way – it’s just really worthwhile to listen carefully to others to learn from them about what they like and dislike.”

In the future, Betty dreams of becoming a teacher so she can teach others – she is particularly keen to reach out to children who maybe are not yet ready or willing to learn to show them the benefits of learning. She hopes her story will be a role model for them so they keep persevering.