Taken from Listín Diario
As a Christmas present, this 70-year-old domestic worker just wants to be able to pay off the 250 square meters she bought on credit. She has paid 13 years of the 20 years negotiated by her now-deceased husband.
HIGUEY.- At 70 years old, she still works as a domestic worker to survive. She has no roof over her head, but she does dream of one day being able to finish paying for a plot of land she bought with her husband 13 years ago. He has since passed away, and with his death, Elucinda Castillo Torres's hope of paying the nearly 250,000 pesos she owes on the property was dashed.
Elucinda's plot of land, a sort of makeshift shelter, is located in the Beron II subdivision of the municipality of Verón in Higüey, the city where she moved more than 30 years ago with her husband and children, seeking a better life.
They purchased the 250-square-meter plot on a 20-year payment plan. However, almost thirteen years have passed, and she has been unable to pay off the debt because she and her family have faced numerous hardships that have prevented them from achieving their goal. Today, as a Christmas gift, she simply asks God to help her find a way to settle her debt and secure a roof over her head in her old age.
During this time, her husband, Felix Valdez, suffered a stroke that left him incapacitated until his death. Elucinda had to assume sole responsibility for the family's upkeep and support. At Elucinda's request, the real estate agency issued a statement indicating that as of August 2020, she owed RD$244,926 for the property, a debt that must have increased this year.
What he has experienced
No one would wish Elucinda's experience upon themselves. During the years her husband was bedridden, they endured many hardships. Their youngest son fell into a deep depression from which he has been unable to recover due to a lack of proper treatment.
Elucinda is one of thousands of elderly women who, at 70, continue to struggle in the informal economy by selling goods, washing, ironing, and working as domestic servants, but their efforts are not enough to guarantee them a dignified old age.
