“Being involved in the project makes me feel that I am not alone, that I can get ahead and be a better mother.”
Catalina spent more than a decade on the streets following the break down of her family. She recalls, “Everything started for me when my parents separated. I lived with my father, and he used to beat me a lot.”
Hoping for a fresh start, Catalina returned to La Paz to live with her mother, but their relationship remained strained. "I didn’t have a good relationship with her - I ended up on the streets, taking refuge in drinking with my friends,” she shares. For years, this lifestyle exposed Catalina to both physical and emotional risks.
Things began to change after the birth of her second child, Marcos. Determined to create a better future, Catalina joined a Toybox-supported project run by local partner Alalay. She shares; "I was partly motivated by my son, there are also people there who have a similar story to me. Quitting drinking is not easy but when you have moral support and care from someone, it is better."
Before she became involved with the project Catalina recalls feeling fearful and insecure, convinced no one loved her because she’d never received the affection she longed for as a child.
Through the project, Catalina has received psychological support as well as assistance in securing ID documents for her son. She shares, “As I got to know the project, I felt a bit more at ease. I could try and talk to someone —express how I really fel — and I felt that support. Being involved in the project makes me feel that I am not alone, that I can get ahead and be a better mother. I want to be well, stable, and calm, without worrying that tomorrow I will have nothing or be like I was before - thinking that nobody wanted me.”
Catalina has distanced herself from her former life and friends on the streets. She is now renting a living space with her partner and has a job selling tickets for a transport company. Reflecting on the biggest challenges she sees facing others on the streets she shares; "Being out on the streets isn’t great, for a while the sadness goes away, but being at peace is better. Part of the risk is that they could die of pneumonia, or an infection they might catch... when they're drunk, there's no telling who might take them away."
Looking to the future, Catalina dreams of starting her own small food business, using her culinary skills to generate a steady income. She shares; “At the project I like to learn more about how to run a business — how you can develop your company or small business. Everything can be achieved; you just need to align your thoughts and be confident in yourself — believe that it truly is possible.”
Pictured below: Catalina with her son, Marcos.
