Mayerlin's fight for her children – a mother's love in the face of poverty

In the heart of Petare, one of Venezuela's most vulnerable areas, 34-year-old Mayerlin lives with her four children. She is expecting her fifth. She lives with her parents, who are also struggling financially. Together they try to share the little they have. With few job opportunities and a government subsidy of just over 100 kroner a month, every day is a struggle to get enough food.

– Sometimes I get help from my aunt, other times I get nothing, she says. 

Mayerlin sought out Caritas ' clinic when her four-year-old daughter María was severely malnourished. On the way, it turned out that María weighed only 9 kilograms, far below normal for her age.

– We have received special nutrition, folic acid, vitamins and deworming for María. We have both gained weight, says Mayerlin with relief.

But the challenges remain – food supplies are lacking for long periods, and two of her children cannot go to school. What worries her most is not hunger – it is the fear of what will happen to her children if she is not there for them.

“My biggest worry is my children. That one day I won't be here and they will be left in even greater need,” she says.

No mother should have to bear such fear alone. Your support for Caritas provides vital assistance to families like Mayerlin's – food, medicine and a safer future.

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