Attached is the report and photographs:
Search Report for Kim Gjerde
June 2020
By Fidelina Chavajay
Birth Mother:
Lilian Bernardina Yac López
SOCIAL REPORT
Family Situation
The family consists of:
Lilian Bernardina Yac
López, 37. (November 20, 1982). DPI: 25488
9123 1017
Her partner: Manuel
Guarchaj Guachiac, 68. He is from Nahualá,
Sololá.
The couple have lived
together for 12 years in Guatemala City.
Their daughter:
Susana Lidia Yac Guarchaj
Yac, 11. (July 26, 2008)
The family is of the
K’iché ethnic group and speaks Maya K’iché.
Susana says she understands K’iché but doesn’t speak much as everyone in
the city speaks Spanish.
Lily’s Parents:
Juan Pablo Yac Chávez, he
has another family and lives in Santo Tomás la Unión, Suchitepéquez.
María Candelaria López, she
died many years ago.
Lily’s Siblings:
Juan Adan Yac López, 40.
He is married to: Yanira del Carmen Ramirez Alvarado. They live in Asentamiento Esquipulitas Zona 21.
Marcelino Yac López. He is separated from his family. He lives in Guatemala City but Lily doesn’t
know where.
Roberto Yac López. He has a family. Lily doesn’t know where he lives.
Irma Yac López. She has a
husband and 4 kids (twin girls and 2 boys). They live in Santo Tomás la Unión,
Suchitepéquez.
Vilma Yac López. She is
married and has 3 kids.
Juana Yac López. She is a
single mother of one daughter and lives in Guatemala City.
Abraham Yac López. He left Santo Tomás la Unión when he was
young and they never heard from him.
María Yac López. She is
Lily’s youngest sibling. She lives with her aunt, Carmen Velásquez, in Cantón
Samaché Chiquito, Santo Tomás la Unión, Suchitepéquez.
Lily says: “ When my
mother died everything changed. We had a
stepmother who did not treat us well and would beat us for any small
thing. She was very violent and abusive
to me and my siblings. Each of us looked
for a way to escape her house and my brother Abraham was kicked out of the
house. I don’t remember what he did but
he disappeared and we never heard from him again. My mother died when Maria was born and my
aunt Carmen came to get her and she lives with her and is fine.
I asked Lily who in her family
knew about the adoption. She said just
her husband, Manuel, and her daughter, Susana.
Lily’s birth father is
named Victor and he is from Jutiapa.
Lily Bernadina met him in Guatemala City when he was working as a truck
driver. He was tall, thin with light
brown skin and straight hair. He knew
she was pregnant and then disappeared without saying goodbye and she never saw
him again.
Economic Situation
Lily and Manuel belong to
an Evangelical church and they preach in the streets. They live off of the tithing of the church
members. They rent a room that has water, electricity, and a cement floor for
Q500 per month.
When they save enough money
they visit family in Santo Tomás la Unión each December for 3 days.
Education
Lily is illiterate.
Susana is illiterate and
does not go to school. I asked her why
and she said that her parents enrolled her one year but she needed to spend
Q200 on school supplies and her parents did not have the money so she stopped
going. Now she is embarrassed to go as
she is too big to be in 1st grade.
Manuel can read and write
a little.
Juan Pablo, illiterate.
María Candelaria, illiterate.
Juan Adan, can read and
write a little.
Marcelino, learned to read
and write in Guatemala City.
Roberto, learned to read
and write in Guatemala City.
Irma, can read and write a
little.
Vilma, illiterate.
Juana, illiterate.
Abraham, never went to
school.
María did go to school but
Lily doesn’t know how far she got.
Education
Lily is healthy. After Susana was born she asked in the
hospital for a tubal ligation.
I noticed that Lily has
lost two upper teeth and has a wart near her left eye.
Susana is healthy.
Manuel is healthy.
María Candelaria died in
childbirth.
Juan Pablo suffers from
swelling and pain in his feet.
Lily’s siblings are
healthy.
ADDRESS
Asentamiento Arenera Zona
21
Ciudad Capital
Tel. 3126 6083
MESSAGE TO LILY
Lily, I love you very
much. I have always thought about
you. April is a special month for me and
every year I say to your sister and Manuel that my daughter is another year
older and that I hope she is well and celebrating and what a shame we did not
have news of her. I hoped that her
family loved her and understood her when she was naughty. I cried with joy when I saw your photos. It made me so happy to hear from you that you
are well. I love you.
MESSAGE TO KIM AND OLAV
Thank you for looking for
me and for having Lily in your home and for being her parents. It is a blessing to me to have news from you
and to hear about her activities. Thank
you for sharing.
You are in my
prayers. Of course, I am open to having a
relationship with you and hope you are open as well and that Lily is
comfortable with that.
We are so happy to have
news of your family. For the moment I do
not have any questions for you. It is
enough to know that you all are well during the pandemic. May God protect and care
for you.
SEARCHER’S COMMENTS
I spoke to a woman named
Marta in Santo Tomás Suchitepéquez who knew Lily. I sent her the photo of Lily
and she said she knew her from when they were little and we agreed to meet on
June 16 in Santo Tomás la Union, Suchitepéquez.
When I arrived the Lilian Bernardina that Marta brought was not the
birth mother. She resembled her but she
was only 24 years old.
Marta took me to visit the
Yac López families in the area and we found the house of Pablo Yac but he was
not home. We were told his name was Juan
Pablo Yac Chávez and he would return home before the curfew at 6pm.
I showed the DNA photo to
the woman who answered the door and she said it was Lily when she was young and
that now she lived in Guatemala City but she didn’t know where. I left my phone number. Later Pablo went to Marta’s house to ask why
we were looking for his daughter. They
called me and I explained it was on behalf of a charity project in
Antigua. Don Pablo gave me Lily’s
address and phone number.
I called Lily and she was
friendly as her father had told her about my call. When I told Lily the true reason for my call
she said she was Lily Rosemery’s birth mother and that she had placed her for
adoption because of her poverty and she thought it would mean she would have a
better life.
On the phone with Manuel
listening she told me she had been forced to do the adoption. I told her we would talk more in person and
it was important she be truthful as I saw the photos of her with Lily and Kim.
On June 26 I was able to
get permission to enter the Capital so called Lily and asked her to meet me.
The taxi driver did not want to take me to her house as it is in a “red zone”
where there are a lot of gangs and assaults.
I got Lily to come meet me at the Dispensa Familiar where I bought her
groceries. Note: normally we do not buy groceries as part of
the search but now it is necessary to say this is the purpose of the visit in
order to get permission due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Lily was happy to have
news of Lily and cried when she saw the photos and when I read her the letter. Susana asked if one day they would meet her
sister with tears in her eyes.
Lily asked if you wanted
to meet her. I told her of course. Manuel said that he could see in the photos
that Lily was doing well with her family and that made him happy that she had a
loving family.
