June Impact 2015

IMPACT JUNE 2015

Evelyn and her father, Laureano, take a break outside his carpentry shop.

Evelyn enjoys helping her dad with his projects and, when time allows, working on her own creations.

FAMILY

CRAFTING A BOND BETWEEN FATHER AND DAUGHTER

I

“At first my father sold firewood, but then he realized

n Latin America it’s common for fathers to train their sons in the family trade, while daughters learn domestic

that he could use the wood to make things,” she said. “This

skills from their mothers. It’s more unusual for fathers to

is how my dad started making woodwork. He did not have

mentor their daughters.

any tools and he did not know how to make tables, but he

Evelyn, an 11-year-old sponsored child in Guatemala, is

just did it.”

While it’s too early to know if Evelyn will one day earn a

one girl whose father, Laureano, has no issues with teaching her his woodworking craft.

“I never thought that she would be interested,” Laureano

living as a carpenter, for now she enjoys learning from, and working with, her dad. Laureano likes having his daughter

said, “but she liked the things I was making and she wanted

with him, but he insists that she keeps up with her other

to learn. She would come and ask, ‘Dad, can I help you?’ So I

responsibilities, especially her education, which is support-

would give her small tasks, and she would observe and ask.

ed by her Unbound sponsorship. “[Sponsorship] has opened the possibilities for my little

This is how she picked up the skill. And she learned well.”

That ability to learn well is something Evelyn has in

girl to have a good education,” Laureano said. “This is my

common with her father. Laureano’s carpentry skills were

priority, for her to be educated and have better opportuni-

largely self-taught, but he has been successful enough that

ties. I tell her that she can come to the shop to work only

now he has his own shop.

after she has finished her homework and studies because

Evelyn spoke with admiration about her dad’s development

our priority is education.” (continued)

as an artisan.

NO PACKAGES, PLEASE

WAY TO GO, DADS!

Our international offices will no longer accept packages. Gifts sent in packages may incur high custom fees or get lost or stolen in the mail.

The best gift you can give your friend is a letter or card with some encouraging words. Children and elders often say getting a letter from their sponsor is their favorite part of sponsorship. For more information, contact us at (800) 875-6564 or mail@unbound.org.

The Unbound office in Quezon, Philippines, conducted an evaluation of a parenting seminar’s impact on fathers of sponsored children. Approximately 78 percent of mothers and children surveyed reported that the dads were more nurturing in their family relationships after attending the seminar.

“This is my priority, for her to be educated and have better opportunities.”

- LAUREANO (continued from front) Along with her mother, Florinda, and her four siblings, Evelyn helps Laureano with his projects whenever she can.

“I help my father sand the wood pieces for chairs and tables,” she said. “My dad says, ‘I will teach you at a young age because no one taught me.’”

When homework and chores are done, Evelyn gets to use whatever scrap pieces of wood are left for her own projects.

“My favorite thing to make is the little wooden toys and the etchings on wood,” she said. “I am the only one who makes these things.”

But as much as Evelyn enjoys making the items, what she likes most is that, by selling them, she earns spending money that she uses to purchase things she needs.

“When my mother says, ‘You need new shoes,’ I tell her, ‘Don’t worry, I can buy them with my wood money.’”

Evelyn’s mother supports her daughter’s passion.

“I believe she can pick up any skill,” Florinda said. “She is very intelligent, she is skillful, and I would be proud of her if she decides to continue doing this. It’s not common to see a girl doing this type of work here in our community, but I believe girls have the same abilities as boys.”

Florinda likes how Laureano and Evelyn developed a shared interest, which helped the two grow closer.

“Their mutual love for working with wood has provided great communication between them,” she said. “They talk about homework, dreams, ideas, friends at school, teachers, everything.”

But mostly, they talk about woodworking.

Evelyn carefully saws a piece of wood under the watchful eye of her mother, Florinda.

When customers are waiting, finishing a furniture project becomes a family affair.

Evelyn enjoys making miniature table and chair sets that she sells in the marketplace. She likes the feeling she gets from being able to earn her own spending money.

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