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Teresa Goutierez de Garcia

Guatemala City, Guatemala

Teresa Goutierez de Garcia is 65 years old. She works in the streets of Guatemala City selling various produce, including cilantro, other herbs and limes. She starts working at 5am in the morning, and continues until the produce is sold. She has been working selling produce in the street for 18 years, since her husband died. She works every day of the week. If she gets sick, she can’t afford to get medical treatment, as it is too expensive. She earns around 15Q a day (US$2). She is lucky that her son owns the house she lives in, so she only needs to earn enough to pay for the bills, such as water, electicity and rubbish removal. If her son did not provide her with a house to live in, she could not afford to survive on what she earns. She lives alone.