The 22-year-old mother makes the last of the cereal for breakfast and butters some toast that has to last her daughter Genesis all day.
Jennifer, who fled from El Salvador in May when her husband's life was threatened by a gang and now relies on benefits of just £25 a week while their asylum claims are processed, said: "Every week we run out of food and every week I say to my husband we must make a miracle. We turn to a local food bank on a Friday but weekends are the hardest. We go to the park because it's free. There is no other space to go, nothing else we can afford."
Recently though, Jennifer found "a new space" run by Solidarity Sports which holds a weekly group in west London for under-fives and has been transformative. "We live in a depressing hotel room but at Solidarity Sports, I can change the environment and Genesis can mix with other children. When I go there, I bond with other mums. It's like a second family and it lifts my spirits."
Solidarity Sports is one of the charities eligible to benefit from our On the Breadline Christmas appeal in partnership with The Childhood Trust and Comic Relief. It helps 240 disadvantaged children a year, ranging from newborns to 16, and most of its activities involve after-school and holiday programmes.
This story is from the December 09, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the December 09, 2022 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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