Working to survive without stopping studying: the harsh reality

Many times we complain about the reduction in freedoms that we are suffering to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But while for many people the pandemic means locking themselves at home, turning forty and limiting socialization, for many children and young people in other parts of the world it means having to go out to work to survive . This is the case of Julia. When Guatemala recorded the highest number of infections, the young woman had to go out to work every day , since her mother lost her job as a result of the effects of the pandemic. She herself tells us how they lived through the hardest months: “The pandemic affected us a lot and other families too. We had no way to pay for food, water and electricity. We didn’t have basic foods, we had to adjust to mealtimes.” To try to alleviate this very difficult situation, Julia started working part-time from March to July in a restaurant as a waitress. Luckily, in her case, her bosses were flexible and let her take breaks to do her homework. She is studying high school and is one year away from graduating so she can go to university.

Let’s not let the coronavirus throw away years of work

The rural and extremely poor populations of Guatemala, like many others in other countries, are experiencing the consequences of the pandemic more harshly. The crisis has caused many children and adolescents to interrupt their studies to help with housework or work to help their families financially. However, Julia, despite social pressure, did not Thailand WhatsApp Number Data stop her studies . “My mother has always supported me, but the other family members told her ‘if you don’t have money, leave it there, studying is not important.’ These months with these criticisms have been difficult, there have been many people speaking, but the thing about other friends who are no longer in school has not happened to me.” The restaurant where Julia worked also closed due to the crisis, and the young woman could not continue working. Neither she nor her mother had a job, but she has never given up studying. The scholarship for her has been her salvation.

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The pandemic completely changed Julia’s routine

In addition to having to work for a while, distance school was a challenge. As she lived in a rural area without stable access to the Internet and without a computer to do her schoolwork. I contact my teachers Indonesia WhatsApp Number List through WhatsApp. It is not easy, especially when you have questions about the materials you send us or the tasks. Sometimes the teachers don’t answer us when we ask them. It’s not the same, this situation is very tiring and when. I worked it was worse,” the young woman tells us. In my community they don’t support young people to continue studying. But they also don’t support them to get out of crime. Instead of supporting people to achieve their goals, they lower them morally; My mother and I resist those comments. If I find another job I would take it, but at no time will I give up my studies, my goal is to be a nurse and I am going to fulfill it,” says Julia. This is a clear example of improvement .

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