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the police headquarters and the guerillas. At night, I hid with my children under the bed as
bullets flew. For ten years, the war put us in never-ending fear. Mothers feared the forced
recruitment of our sons. Finally, we arranged a peace. But the peace accords didn't benefit
us poor people.” She explained how this “peace” was no more than an acknowledgment
of the futility of a continued struggle.
About her life, she said, “My house becomes a lake in the rainy season. Still, we are
thankful to have this place. Our land was very cheap. We bought it from a man receiving
death threats. He fled to America. While we make $144 a month in the city, the minimum
out in the countryside is much less—only $70 a month. Nearly half the families in our
country are living on $1 a day per person. To survive, you need a home that is already in
your family. You have one light bulb, corn, and beans. That is about all. Living on min-
imum wage is more difficult now than before the war. Before, electricity cost about $1 a
month. Water was provided. Today electricity costs $19 and water $14—that's about one-
quarter of my monthly wage. My mother has a tumor in her head. There is no help pos-
sible. I have no money.”
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