On the occasion of the International Day of People with Disabilities, we tell you the story of Luis Garcìa.
It’s 5 a.m. in Araya, a small town on the northeastern coast of Venezuela. The houses are quiet and dark, except for one.
Luis García has risen early, as usual. It will take him an hour to prepare breakfast and get the bathroom ready for his son, Luis Enrique. By the time the father manages to have Luis Enrique impeccable and ready to head out the front door, it will be almost 8.
It could be the beginning of a normal day for any family, anywhere.
But Luis García is 72; and the son he taks care of is a 52-year-old man with a cognitive disability — who is beginning this morning his very first day at school.
Beyond an education, Luis Enrique is also certain to receive a World Food Programme (WFP) school meal.
For over half-a-century, Luis has kept his son at home, “well protected, where no one would hurt him.” he says. What changed his mind? Why now?
“I was convinced that I could give him everything he needed at home. But not anymore,” he says. “Especially the food.”
When times were better, Luis would have weekly plans for the meals. “Now,” he says, “we eat what I can get day by day.”
Hard choices
In Venezuela, eight out of ten families sacrifice their most valuable possessions or their entire income to secure just one meal per day. Some stop sending their children to school because they have nothing to give them for breakfast. This is often the case for families in which a member has a disability, which can increase household expenses.
These families love their children and do everything to ensure that they have opportunities. Often, they make tough choices: medicine or food. Education or food.
Source: WFP.org
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