This is Patricio. Patricio came to Escuela two years ago. His brother, Franco, had just graduated and Ana, their mother, wanted Patricio to follow in his footsteps. She liked the idea of a cooperative preschool where families commit to each other and to contributing their time rather than tuition. Little did she know how much the concept of a community-based cooperative school would mean to their family. Ana and her husband Roberto work in the community. She is a housekeeper, and Roberto is a butcher at the local meat market. | |
Last fall, Patricio developed symptoms of a childhood cancer. He often missed school and was lethargic when he came. He sat by himself and often had his head on the table. Ana and Roberto were worried but couldn't afford the medical tests that were necessary for a diagnosis and treatment. | |
Escuela families connect every day on a text stream. They receive photos from the teachers after school of their children and the day's activities. They also hear when someone needs help. They quickly pitch in to help with family emergencies.
When they learned about Patricio, they organized raffles to raise money for his clinical tests and travel to the clinic.
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