It was a dark, rainy and cold night. On the top of a hill, inside a straw hut, with the company of some llamas, Marta gave birth to Pablito (little Pablo) when she was only 14 years old.

In the countryside of Bolivia, it’s normal to have your baby at home with the help of relatives or neighbors rather than going to a hospital. But being only six months pregnant, Marta wasn’t prepared. She had gone to the hut with her brothers to put her family’s animals away when she went into labor. Her two little brothers didn’t know how to help. They were scared and cried. Marta had her baby alone in a hut.

Marta, the second child in her family, lived in the countryside of the city of Potosi, Bolivia. She helped her family with the cattle and the household duties. Marta was only able to study part of the first grade because her father didn’t want her to attend school and didn’t want to buy her any materials.

“I wanted to study very much but the teacher got mad at me because I didn’t bring notebooks. I had a hen so I sold the eggs and was able to buy a notebook. However, my teacher didn’t want me to take the notebook home — he didn’t want me to lose it — so my father thought I wasn’t learning anything and he took me out.”

Marta had a difficult childhood. She had to live with the frustration of not accomplishing her dreams and work hard to help her parents and grandparents take care of their animals and other obligations.

At a community party Marta met a man, a widower who at that time was 37. Marta got pregnant and became a very young mother who didn’t receive support from her family.

Six months into her pregnancy, Marta went to get some roots to cook. She almost fell into the river and hit her stomach with her knee. Two days later, her premature baby was born.

“He was very small and thin, he didn’t have any hair. Since I didn’t have clothes for him I covered him with a plastic bag.”

At first Marta lived with her parents, but since baby Pablito was sick he cried all the time. Marta’s mom told her to leave. Marta went to live with her grandfather, who performed many strange rituals in order to heal the baby.

Rather than go to the doctor, many in rural Bolivia go to witch doctors who practice an indigenous religion. They use herbs and massages to heal, or even at times people must drink the blood of animals.

To heal Pablito, Marta’s grandfather killed a black chicken and covered Pablito with the blood. But nothing worked.

Some months after Pablito was born, Marta found out that her baby’s father was back in town, so she found him, and they moved to Cochabamba.

Andres, now 39, is a widower with two children, Noelia, 12, and Emilio, 16. However, he doesn’t live with them anymore. His family, which now includes Marta’s second child, shares a rented room on a hillside in the south part of Cochabamba.

In spite of the difference in ages, Andres seems to care for Marta and his four children very much. He encourages Marta to improve. Marta is learning how to build a better life for her family through her participation in our Child Survival Program (CSP).

“When we met Marta, she was extremely shy. She hid behind her stepdaughter. However, she agreed to be part of the program.

“Now we can see a sociable Marta, and she isn’t afraid to speak in front of people. She is very responsible and loves to attend the CSP meetings. She is also very punctual,” says Rosalia, the CSP Coordinator.

There are even greater accomplishments with Pablito. Because of the conditions he was born in, he has always been sick, and there is a great difference between him and Marta’s 3-month-old baby, Elena.

“Elena is very lively. She already has a strong and firm body, the opposite of Pablo. When he was 6 months old he couldn’t keep his head steady. Elena did that when she was only 2 months old. It was very sad to see him like that. When he was 6 months old, he started to have convulsions. He was lying down, and suddenly he had convulsions and his eyes turned white. But Elena isn’t like that,” says Marta.

Pablito was undernourished, which affected him in many ways. The left side of his body wouldn’t function properly. He had infections, diarrhea, chronic anemia and was dehydrated. He was pale, had convulsions and needed blood.

Thanks to the Child Survival Program, Pablo received a blood transfusion and treatment for his malnourishment. Strengthened by the medical interventions, Pablo learned to walk and is developing in a healthier way.

“He still needs to gain a little more weight, and that’s our challenge. Also, with Marta we are at 80 percent. We want her to learn to read, write and study a technical career. We also want her to receive Christ as her Savior. She attends church, but we want her to become a member,” says Rosalia

Marta enjoys being a part of the Child Survival Program, including everything she is learning and the benefits she is receiving. She likes to learn about the Bible and knows it is good for her. She can affirm there is a great change in her life.

“I want my children to study and not to be like me. I want them to study because I don’t want them to suffer. I want them to be better in life. I can’t even get into the bus to go somewhere because I can’t read what number it is, but now I am learning.”

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Because of this Pablo faced depression and nervous breakdowns while growing up. His mother, Petronila, was his support during this time of adjustment. Perhaps the most difficult time for him was school time; the idea of attending school without hair was a hard situation for Pablo.

For six months, his mother Petronila accompanied him every day to school from 8 a.m. to noon until Pablo was able to adjust step by step to this new environment.

“I remember that I went with him for a long time as he was afraid of the children picking on him for his condition, and it was right when he was in 2nd grade that he started to show positive changes. God placed a Christian teacher in his path that helped Pablo adapt at school.”

With time passing, his parents decided to look for medical attention for Pablo, first with a pediatrician who was not able to give a specific diagnostic for his problem and then to a dermatologist who examined him and diagnosed that he was suffering from an illness called Alopeccia Ariata.

The specialist suggested hair implants for the Pablo and informed his parents that the process would have to be carried out in Colombia. Due to the lack of economical resources, his mother placed this situation in God’s hands and decided to trust the Lord that He would have a special plan for Pablo’s life.

It was in this precise moment in which Pablo was being registered at the Compassion child development center, and right away he and his family started to receive support and courage from the center.

Pablo started to get involved in the center and church activities, and later on he started to change his attitude toward his problem. In the first place, he got to recognize his problem and start to accept himself by knowing that God has a perfect plan for his life.

Pablo has persevered at church and has been an example for other young people.

“I do really enjoy being at church, and I’m also part of a discipleship group that we have at home. I also participated in a church retreat, and it was a great blessing for me.”

Pablo never misses the church services with his mother and his sister, Ingrid. His father does not come to church very often as he is always busy working.

Ever since he was a little child, Pablo enjoyed seeing his father working as a barber as he wanted to do the same thing as his father someday. Later on, his father took the time to train Pablo and taught him how to use all the equipment, and that is how he was able to learn this occupation.

Today, Pablo is an active member at church and he has a discipleship group at home. He has been able to make some friends and is not an isolated boy anymore.

He is very grateful to God and the center for all the support ,and that is how a great idea came out from Pablo’s heart. He felt that he had to give something in return, so he approached the center director and asked her to allow him to cut the hair of the children.

His request was granted, and every Wednesday and Thursday he cuts the hair of children, about eight boys per day. He is also an outstanding 8th grade student, and he is getting very good grades. His goal for the future is to become a doctor and help others in his hometown.

“My school average is 90 percent, and my friends at school always ask me how I manage to get good grades, so I tell them that I always pray to the Lord and study hard to pass my exams. God has never let me down and that is why I’m doing fine.”

His life, in spite of his problem, has changed through the support of Compassion and Pablo’s willingness to open himself to get help and seek the presence of God in his life.

“Thanks to God for Compassion because I can tell you that this has been a blessing as they helped my son to lift his self esteem because my son received counseling and the word of God that strengthened his life.”

Pablo had been receiving treatment, but he stopped the treatment because of side affects. His hair will never grow back again, but he has learned to accept himself.

Pablo and his mother have become best friends during this difficult time. His mother is very proud of him because he likes to help others and he is always willing to get involved in every project activity.

Like any active boy, he enjoys playing soccer with his friends. He is also helpful to his sister Ingrid, who is in 6th grade. Pablo is a very intelligent young boy who enjoys playing soccer with his friends. He is very punctual with his school work, and he always helps around the house with some domestic chores. (He helps to clean his room, washes dishes, and so forth.) He likes to joke with his friends and enjoys reading the Bible and attending church. He is a well organized boy with his classes and school work and helps his father at the barbershop from time to time.

“I thought that I was going to lose my son when all this started and always cried but knew in my heart that God had a special purpose for him. Now I’m witnessing the work of God in his life”.

Pablo has found peace in his heart and has been released from his sadness and fear in the name of Jesus.

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