CHALLENGING CHILDHOOD
Through Their Eyes
Click the links below for stories about childhood poverty and how it affects those who live its harsh realities.
Grateful for a home
Middle schooler Bridgette Ervin, of Palatka, lived in a tent with her family before moving into public housing.
Bridgette says even though her house in the projects of rural North Central Florida is a tight squeeze, it beats sleeping outdoors and drinking water out of buckets.
Like other children in her situation, she sometimes struggles in school and faces tough decisions off campus.
Click here to watch Bridgette's story.
Beating the streets
After his father left the family a few years ago, 10-year-old Kevin Mendoza watched his mother's life spiral out of control.
She lost their home, most of their possesions and ended up homeless with three kids to raise.
Kevin says he remembers trying to sleep in a chair behind a Miami Beach hotel, while his crying mother begged a security guard to let them stay.
He says he is happy his mother finally found an apartment and hopes she'll keep making enough money to pay the rent.
Click here to watch Kevin's story.
A helping hand
On Saturday mornings, volunteers for Orlando Children's Church drive a fleet of school buses around Orange County's poorest neighborhoods.
They pick up about 300 children and take them to a church in Maitland, where the kids eat breakfast and play games.
Amya Anderson, 5, is one of those kids.
She says she likes hanging out with friends, eating candy on the bus and praying with the volunteers.
Click here to watch Amya's story.
A family effort
Brian Herrera suffered his first seizure when he was just a few months old in Argentina.
Ever since, his mother and siblings have made sacrifice after sacrifice to care for his condition, including moving to the United States to find better treatment.
Brian has a rare form of epilepsy that causes dozens of seizures a day and requires expensive medication -- costing his family about $300 per week.
His mother says she works several manual labor jobs to pay for Brian's medication and keep a roof over her family's head.
But sometimes that's not enough.
Bridgette Ervin, 13, Palatka
Kevin Mendoza, 10, Miami
Amya Anderson, 5, Orlando
Brian Herrera, 14, Hialeah