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 Carolina Gamez
Carolina remembers living on her Aunt's front porch when she was young. It was the only space that her family could afford until someone offered them a room--first month rent free. Her father was an agricultural engineer, able to provide for his family, but unable to control his use of alcohol.
When Carolina was in 9 th grade she got pregnant and dropped out of school. She always wanted to go back to school, but with two kids and a husband, finishing high school became a daunting task. That task became even more daunting with the devastation of the earthquakes in 2001 and the onset of seizures in her son, Eric (13).
The determination that Carolina saw in her mother seems to have made a significant impact on her. In the face of many odds, Carolina has returned to High School and is taking classes on Saturdays. During the week she sells cosmetics at the market and spends a considerable amount of time as the President of the Board in Regalo de Dios.
As Carolina looks into her future and the future of the community she is excited by what she sees. She wants to better herself and the community and says, "One of the things that I have learned in this community is that we cannot keep what we learn to ourselves." Future Hope wants to participate in the development of Carolina and her community.
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 Joel Afaro
At 5 o'clock every morning Joel gets up and begins making ice cream--Coconut ice cream to be exact. It's a skill that his older brother taught him and they have been so successful that they have been joined by their brother-in-law. The business is going so well that they bought a truck to pick up and deliver supplies.
By 4pm he has sold all of his ice cream, he parks the bike/ice cream cooler that he designed and built himself, and heads of to the University where he is working on his thesis in Industrial Engineering. When he gets home his wife, Rosila, and two kids, Josephine (5) and Claudia (2) are waiting for him.
Joel dream isn't to deliver ice cream on his bike for the rest of his life. He dreams of owning an ice cream factory. Future Hope wants to help him gain the skills that he needs.
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Kennedy Somoza
Kennedy was just 9 years old when the 1986 earthquake shook El Salvador. His family lived in Usulatan, one of the hardest hit areas in the campo. In 1993 his family was forced to move to the capitol, San Salvador to look for work. They were far from family and friends, and jobs were scarce.
It was a slow start for Kennedy. He began 1 st grade when he was 6 years old and he did so well that they had him repeat the class again. . .and again. Three times must have been a charm though, because by fourth grade, Kennedy was first in his class. He began dancing, and between dance and school, Kennedy had room for little else.
At age 18, now, Kennedy says that he devotes his life to dancing and studying. In his spare time, on Saturday afternoons at 3:00pm he teaches Bible to 40-60 kids, ages 3-13 yrs old in the community. When asked if he had any curriculum to help him he answered, "I have my Bible and God. What else do I need?"
His dream--to be a dancer, but since that probably won't pay the bills, he would like to be a lawyer. Future Hope wants to encourage Kennedy in his dreams and give him computer skills that he needs to practice law. The dancing. . .we'll leave that to someone else.
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Lea Flores
When the earthquake struck El Salvador in 1986 Lea was 1 month old, laying in a hammock. It was the hand of God that saved her. . .no one knows why, but the walls of the house fell out, rather than in, and Lea's life was spared.
In 2002, the earthquakes again changed her life. The community that her family was living in was unstable, a ravine ready to collapse at any moment. Lea's family was one of 176 families that were selected to move to Regalo de Dios. Her mom and dad, are aging and not able to help her pay for school.
At 18 Lea has finished high school. She teaches Bible classes in another community on the weekends. Her dream. . .to work--to gain the computer skills that she needs to actually use the business administration skills that she has learned. Ultimately, Lea would like to be able to go to the University and so far, she's done everything possible to make that happen. Future Hope wants to help her get to the University.
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Maritza Henriquez
I won't forget the picture of tenderness that Maritza described that morning in Regalo de Dios. Her father, after a long day of working on the farm, would come back to the house and make school supplies for his kids. That is what Maritza remembers--her father making school supplies, friends giving them shoes. Without these two things, school was impossible.
Years later, it was a combination of things that led Maritza to drop out of school just before finishing high school. She fell in love, married, and had a baby girl, Zenayda (8), but not before she had gained some secretarial skills at a typing school.
For three years Maritza has been working with the community leadership in Regalo de Dios and for the last year she has been the Secretary of the Board. Maritza has a vision for leadership in the community. Her dream. . .to teach others the things that she has learned--to gain the skills that she needs to be successful and then to be a role model to the girls in the community, to keep them from making the same mistake that she did. . .dropping out of school. Future Hope wants to assist Maritza in her achieving her goals and providing leadership to the girls of Regalo de Dios.
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Yesenia Cortez
By the time Yesenia was 6 years old she was an experienced coconut saleswoman. Her mom would send her and her sister to the soccer field to sell coconuts on the weekends and during the week she would go to school, walk by herself, come home, and go out to sell coconuts.
Apparently Yesenia learned how to maximize her profits and her time because now, at 24, she is married, raising two children, Ricardo (6) and Kimberly (3), going to law school, and funding it all with her coconut sales and the money that her husband makes when he can get work at the body shop.
In 4 ½ years Yesenia will have her law degree. Future Hope wants to help her be competitive.
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