Story of Change: Rosa Barahona

Rosa Barahona - KK Peru Recently we were invited by Rosa, a participant at KK Peru, to join her family and friends in celebrating her son’s birthday. Now that you’ve seen a picture of Gustavo you’ll know we couldn’t resist the offer. I mean look at this kid! We wanted you to meet this wonderful woman so we asked her a few questions: Tell us about yourself: Well, I always used to be very serious as if I had nothing to smile about. Now I see my pictures and I realize how much I have changed. I take pride in what I do because I'm a new person. I've been participating in the program for just under 2 years. What did you do for work before join KK Peru? I mostly worked odd jobs before the program. I used to clean a party venue whenever they needed me. I also used to help my mom sell food that we cooked from home. What are you most proud of? I am proud of all the changes in my life. I used not to smile and I was reserved. I didn’t have many friends. Then I met people that think differently, people with life experiences that made the decision to be happy. Now I am happy. What does this party mean to you and Gustavo? I don’t have any memories of my birthdays growing up, which is why this is so important to me. I want to celebrate his life. I want him to feel loved every day and especially on his birthday. You sure know how to throw a party! At first, I knew I didn’t have enough money to throw the party I wanted to. I’ve learn to get my priorities straight and that has helped me when it comes to saving money. When I told my family that I wasn’t going to spend a lot of money on the party they supported me and help make the party great anyways. It was a very special party. Only my closest friends were there and we had so much fun. What does the future hold for you? I decided to go back to school and get my degree. I will be done by February of next year. After that I don’t know specifically what I want for the future because I have realized that I have so many options. All I know is that now is that I have so many reasons to be happy about. What are you doing now to prepare for the time when you graduate out of the program? I am participating in the savings group that KK Peru runs. I have some money at this time but I don’t have plans for it yet. All I know is that I want to continue saving as much as I can and be capable of accomplish all my life goals. You can send Rosa an encouraging note on her profile.

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