Hi! My name is Raj Gupta. In December 2023, I moved to Cuenca as an International Project Coordinator working with the non-profit organization, “They Have a Name,” which is headquartered in Hackensack, New Jersey, and has been a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization since 2019.
“They Have a Name” is an organization that is dedicated to providing assistance to individuals who have “fallen through the cracks” of governmental and societal safety nets. The organization was founded by Dr. Sara de Bernal, who is originally from Ecuador. (Read more about Dr. Sara de Bernal and the “They Have a Name” organization on their Facebook page.)
In addition to collaborating with and supporting several project leaders affiliated with “They Have a Name” organization in various regions of Ecuador, I am now a professor with the Special Olympics-Azuay, working closely with Señora Nelly Sarmiento, the Program Director for the Special Olympics-Azuay organization in Cuenca.
As you are aware, the Special Olympics works with disabled athletes, but Special Olympics-Azuay saw the need to also take on multiple other charitable projects in Azuay, primarily in Cuenca. Through Director Sarmiento, I have not only been exposed to the challenges and limited resources available to families with a member who is disabled, but I have also found many of these families to be living in crisis situations.
Moved by the situation of such a family that I met through the Special Olympics-Azuay organization, I felt compelled to offer this family some assistance. This family, which consists of a young, single mother with her 12-year-old disabled daughter, who can neither walk nor speak, and the young girl’s grandmother and aunt, is facing significant obstacles, since their meager income barely covers the costs for their food and utilities. They cannot afford to make any home repairs or improvements to aid the girl.
This family is in urgent need of assistance. The conditions within their home are dire. Their two-story home lacks stairway banisters, making it difficult and dangerous for the disabled daughter to be moved or carried safely between floors, particularly to access the kitchen on the main floor and the basement.
Furthermore, there is no designated sitting area in the home for the family and no play area for the young girl. The roof is leaking, the windows are leaking, the doors are insubstantial, and there are no window coverings, which allows light to come into the house at night and the family has no privacy. Without some home repairs and improvements, this family will continue to live in conditions that are unsafe and unsanitary, which will only become worse if repairs are not made.
I have already assembled a team of Ecuadorian volunteers, consisting of a contractor with three workers, who are committed to improving the living circumstances for this family by undertaking the needed critical home repairs. Fortunately, some materials have been donated; however, estimated funding in the amount of $1,500 is still needed to buy the materials to complete the improvements to this family’s home. With this funding, the contractor estimates it will take 2-3 days to complete the needed home repairs.
I hope you will find it in your heart to contribute to this project. You may contact me to do so at my phone number and/or my email address below. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Raj Gupta: 098 050 0245 / raj@katalystimpactgroup.com
City: Cuenca
