Empower Solanni's Journey Towards Stability

Solanni's story revolves around Albert and Albelis who were both born under a pound in 2017.

Solanni, a 29-year-old single mother, gave her all to care for them. It was a challenge she took on with the help of St. Christopher Children’s Hospital in north Philadelphia. She was living in an apartment in the Harrowgate neighborhood of north Philly. In dire need, she received food and other assistance from neighboring churches. After seven months the babies were able to go home with an assortment of medical paraphernalia to sustain them including oxygen tanks and a heart monitor.

It took some time, but they began to get stronger. Their health was marginal at best, but what they lacked in wellbeing, Solanni made up for with her intense devotion to them. Three Catholic churches and a Mennonite church reached out to her to help occasionally with donations of food and money. Relatives helped as much as possible. Today, Albert and Albelis are 7 years old. Their mother takes them for weekly visits to see doctors and receive therapy at St. Christopher’s. At home, Solanni keeps the environment clean and free of dust because of the children’s breathing problems. In addition to the asthma that both twins have, Albelis has a hole in her heart and will require surgery to correct her pigeon toes; Albert is dealing with failing eyesight, retinal detachment and a chronic neurological problem. Both are diagnosed with autism.

Solanni spared no effort to find a school for them that would meet their needs. Indeed, one school, had to admit they were not equipped to deal with the children’s conditions. She is constantly searching for the best educational setting for them.

In addition to caring for her children, she has a vision to better herself. For example, undaunted by her limited English and her own health concerns and with the help of family members who cared for the children during the day, she took night classes and earned an associate degree from Esperanza College in Family Care. She longs to continue her education toward a BA degree in social work. Something else she longed for was to become a U. S. citizen. She studied the required materials and was granted citizenship in 2022.

But the dream of continuing her studies had to be put on hold. She needed a job. She needed money to replace her car which had been stolen and trashed. She needed money to pay for the damage caused by thieves who broke into the house. She got help from the city of Philadelphia to buy a house, but after 4 years it was repossessed for failing to keep up on payments. She just didn’t have a good job. During the pandemic she worked as a business manager in a restaurant, but the restaurant closed due to a lack of customers. Despite the setbacks she continues to take the children to weekly doctor’s appointments. The children’s father came home long enough for Solanni to get pregnant, but he was deported to the Dominican Republic. The third child, 5-year-old Sodelis, was born prematurely as well. However, she is a stronger child than her siblings.

Solanni loves her children intensely. For their sakes she has not given up. She even has gone so far as to apply to the U.S. Army. She took the test but failed the English comprehension portion. Now she is caring for a woman at night and sleeps when she can. When she fell and broke a finger, she had to work despite the almost unusable left hand.

What does the future hold for Solanni? With the help of friends and the kind people who learn of her plight, she is optimistic. The challenge of raising her children by herself only seems to intensify her resolve to achieve her dream.

Solanni struggles to pay the bills, continue learning English and achieve a better future. She is looking into becoming a Certified Nurse Assistant so that she can earn a living wage. She is always searching for something better—a better job, better education for her children, more adequate housing. With the help of friends, she will fulfill the dream of a home that suits her family and allows for her children to flourish.

Please help her achieve her dreams.