The truth is, I don’t remember much, but I do remember coming home sometimes, and there was nothing to eat. I couldn’t complain because my dad didn’t leave us any money, and when he got home, he was angry and would hit us. We couldn’t do anything. 

My mom couldn’t leave because she had nowhere else to go. My mom, as far back as I can remember, was a normal person, but after a while, I think all the beatings made her sick. She started talking to herself, stopped cooking, and didn’t do anything anymore. She just lived her life in a daze, always crying. Those are the consequences my mom suffered from the beatings. My mom says that my dad claims it’s something hereditary, but that’s not true. I remember clearly that there was a party…my dad took my mom…outside, and my dad picked up a stick and hit her on the head. She started bleeding, and that’s what damaged her mind and her head. It wasn’t hereditary.

To everyone who has supported us and continues to support us, I want to say thank you. Thanks to you, we can continue our studies, and I hope that in the future, more children can have what I have. Thanks to the education (counseling) I’m receiving, I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve been able to understand and process why my dad hit my mom. It’s very difficult because I was only seven years old, but thanks to the people who have helped us, I’ve been able to understand these things.

Here in this home (village) we are a family, a team that supports each other. If someone strays, we try to help them understand and guide them so they don’t ruin their lives. We help them to learn to value things and put in the effort because not all children in this world have what we have. 

We are very fortunate to have come to this place and to have met Gaby. Gaby has helped us from a young age, helping us get dressed, brush our teeth, and all the things she’s done for us cannot be repaid. 

Gaby doesn’t have children of her own, so we are like her children. 

She teaches us to take care of ourselves, and she says we are like brothers and should love each other as such. She’s right because we should care for each other, help each other, so we can be stronger. 

There’s a saying that “the less you destroy, the stronger you are”. It’s true because we have always stayed united, and that makes us stronger. At school, no one messes with us…!

Gaby is a person who has shown us love, and you won’t find someone like her anywhere else in the world. She is unique. Gaby has taught us to work, to respect others, and to live with others. She is like our mother, and I respect her very much. I have never disrespected her, and if I ever did, I would always ask for forgiveness. It’s thanks to her that I’m here giving this message because she has taught me how to express myself and how to be grateful. 

I also want to thank Bryan and Kristen…They’ve taken us to many places, including tourist spots that not every child gets to visit. I’m very grateful to everyone who supports us. 

Maybe I don’t know all of you, but I want to thank you.

I’m now in high school, and I want to go to university and study psychology. I want to show my diploma to those who have sacrificed (and given) their money (to support) me, my siblings, and all the children here. You have been a great support to us, and even if we don’t know you personally, it’s clear that you believe in this place and know that one day, we will bear the fruits of the seeds you’ve sown.

As I was saying, over time, I’ve learned many things, and one day, I think that psychology would be good (to study) because there are people who suffer like I did, from abuse and violence, and some who can’t afford to pay for therapy. That’s why I want to study psychology, to offer the same help that was given to me. 

Gaby didn’t have everything overnight; she didn’t have the things she has now, and thanks to the support she received, she is now able to support us. 

That’s why I want to study psychology, because I believe it’s important to help the mental health of people who suffer and who can’t escape from their minds because they have things that harm them and don’t know how to get out. That’s my goal because it’s the only way I can give back to those who helped me and showed me love, so I could feel good and move forward to achieve what I want in life. That’s my goal, and I hope to achieve it. 

I know I will because when you want something, nothing is impossible. 

Especially in this place, where no one obstructs your goals. They say if you want it, you have to fight for it, and the last word is yours because you will work and fight for what you want. In the end, it’s not about material things; it’s about life, love, and health so that you can enjoy the material things. Having everything materially is useless if you don’t have life, health, or love because those things cannot be bought with money.

There aren’t many people in this world willing to support those who have little. It’s hard to be born into a family that has nothing to live on, so all I can say is thank you.