Born: Alejandro was born in a poor neighbourhood in Caracas, Venezuela, where he lived until the age of 36 when he finally decided to move to Europe to find a better future.

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School: Alejandro is an intelligent man; very gifted in mathematics. He excelled in most of his subjects in high school.  He lived with his parents (he is an only child) and his pet labrador, Lolo. After graduating with excellent marks, he began working in a garage which his father owned. His father had taught him about cars since he was a child, so by the age of 18 when he graduated he was already adept at fixing cars. He enjoyed the work but after 5 years his heart wasn’t in it anymore; he had always dreamt of being a rich man and living in abundance, and this job did not provide that opportunity. His desire for richness, combined with his talent for mathematics, drove him to decide to study finance. He took the money he had saved up during those 5 years (living with his parents meant that most of the money he earned he had saved) and used it to pay for a university program in finance. He continued to live with his parents during the 4 years of his program. After his program he immediately started working at a local bank.

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Wife & Children:

One day, shortly after beginning his work at the bank, a young woman came in to make a deposit and Alejandro fell in love. They married a year later. After getting married they immediately had a son, Luis, and 2 years later a daughter, Daniela. 6 years later Alejandro and Andrea decided to move to Barcelona, where Alejandro had a job waiting for him in a bank.

 

Story in Barcelona:

Alejandro moved to Barcelona in 2007 with his wife and children, and immediately began working in a bank. Everything seemed to be going perfectly. However, 1 year after they arrived, Alejandro and Andrea divorced, and Andrea got custody of the children as well as possession of the house. Alejandro was devastated. Still in love with Andrea and outraged at the thought of not having custody of his own children, his world seemed to be falling apart. But Alejandro is an admirable man, who faces adversity with a tenacious attitude, and despite this injustice he continued to live his life, working hard at his job and visiting his children when Andrea allowed it. Alejandro is a proud man, and despite Andrea not giving him 50% custody which seemed logical, he continued to provide for his children in any way he could; buying them clothes and gifts whenever he visited. Gradually his life seemed to be getting better; Andrea allowed him to see the children more often and he was also promoted to bank manager. His spirits were lifted and he saw his future being bright again. However, with the stock market crash in 2008, his bank shut down, and he was out of a job. Alejandro panicked; he had a little bit money saved up but if he didn’t find another job soon he would be unable to pay the rent for his apartment. So he started looking for work, anything he could find which would give him financial stability, but no one seemed to be hiring. With the collapse of the economy, companies were firing, not hiring. However, he persevered, telling himself that somewhere out there was a job vacancy; he just needed to find it. But time ran out. After 2 months of pouring all his energy into finding a source of income, all his savings ran out and he was evicted from his apartment because he was unable to pay rent. Alejandro’s world went dark. He was a positive man but this seemed to be the end of the line for him; he had no home, no money, and nobody who could help him. Since the day of his eviction 9 years ago Alejandro has been on the streets. His son and daughter are now 18 and 16, respectively, and he has not seen them since he became homeless. He does not want them to see him looking like he does, as he would be ashamed. However, he has not given up hope, and continues to this day to try to better his life. He sells scraps of metal for cash which allows him to survive, but he still has not found a job. He smells bad because he has nowhere to shower, and his hair and beard have not been shaved for years. He has tried to apply for work but he gets sent away every time due to his smell and appearance, as he does not have the resources to keep a presentable image. Alejandro really wants to find a job, as he desperately wants to see his children again, but he just needs a little help