
Libertad Alcaide had been an Educo sponsor for nearly 15 years, between 1998 and 2013, when she finalized her collaboration due to old age and illness. Still, we always kept the neediest in mind and that is why she chose to continue to support our projects by including Educo in her last will and testament. Libertad left us in April 2015, but her footprint of solidarity lives on.
Libertad was born in June of 1931 in Requena (Valencia). The Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed only two months earlier and the republican notions of liberty and fraternity, in addition to being reflected in her given name, accompanied her throughout her live and left their mark on her personality forever.
Upon marrying, she and her husband moved to Barcelona, where they lived for the majority of their lives. After being widowed in 1993, she decided to return to Valencia to live closer to her brother Miguel and other family members. A few years later, she decided to take her commitment to disadvantaged people one step further and became an Educo sponsor. Over the course of these years, she sponsored several children and saved the photographs and artwork that she received from them periodically at home, where they reminded her of how important her collaboration was in improving the living conditions of the most vulnerable children.
The people close to her describe her as “a good, friendly person with a high level of civic-mindedness when it comes to others”. It was precisely this generous spirit and solidary attitude that led her to leave a part of her inheritance to Educo. “Just one more civic action that was so in keeping with who she was".
We would like acknowledge this gesture and convey to Libertad, wherever she may be, our most sincere gratitude and that of the people who continue to benefit from her kindness.
That box of crayons
Erlinda was one of the girls that Libertad sponsored. Today, at 22, she shows great maturity and capacity for overcoming adversity. From her home in El Salvador, Erlinda tells us how she learned the value of working hard from a very young age. “When I began school, my mother always told me: ‘I am giving you until the third grade and that’s it’, but I always dreamed of graduating. Money was the most difficult part, because even though my parents wanted to give me an education, they didn't even have enough to pay for school supplies. That is why I began to work when I started the fourth grade”. And that’s when Educo came into her life. “They gave us school supplies, they taught us about good health, they fixed up the school and they were always there to help us with what we needed. This is what made me stay in school”.
Erlinda was sponsored by Libertad between 2005 and 2010, when she was in primary school. “For me it was a privilege to be sponsored, because that box of crayons, that pencil sharpener, those health sessions... were a blessing. Educo has been like a bridge to help me continue moving forward towards success". Thanks to her effort and determination, Erlinda finished secondary school and got her high school diploma. She currently works as a secretary and is studying Legal Science at the university. She aspires to becoming a lawyer so she can help her community defend their rights; but above all, she wants to set an example for children who live in the same conditions of poverty that she did and show them that, with a little effort, they can go far.
Looking back, Erlinda has words of gratitude for Libertad: “This amazing person will be rewarded for all of her good deeds. I truly appreciate the sacrifice she made for me”. The money that Libertad left Educo in her last will and testament will go to support the rights of children who, like Erlinda, live in harsh conditions and without access to quality education.