Spirited Art - Friday, May 11th

On Friday night, May 11th, several of us closed the week out by painting at Spirited Art in Bearden.  At first the idea of painting your own masterpiece can be a little intimidating if you aren't "artsy."  You hear a lot of "doubting" words at first; but as people relax with the process and begin to see their own artwork take shape, you start to hear laughter and see smiles all around.

During the evening we had goodies and wine to keep us going. :)  All together there were about 36 people in the class.  Though most of our whimsical trees were similar, you could definitely see the differences that we each added to our own masterpiece! 

At the end of the night, the owners of Spirited Art donated over $300 to Nuestros Niños.  And I believe that everyone went home happy with their artwork and wondering when the next time we could do it would be!

Hat Day at Amherst Elementary

After TCAPs were finished, the kids and teachers were winding down the school year with lots of fun activities.  One of these also benefited Nuestros Niños and the children of Guatemala!  A couple of times a year the kids are given the chance to wear a hat of their choice to school if they donate money to the charity of the day.  This time Nuestros Niños was chosen as the charity.

Just by donating change they collected - some allowance money or money earned from doing a special 

chore at home – they will make a meaningful impact in another child’s life.  All together the kids raised 

$536.64!

Sewing Machines Given Out - San Jorge la Laguna, Guatemala

I was so happy to hear last week that 10 of the sewing machines were given out to women in the village of San Jorge la Laguna!  These are women that have been taught how to sew by Alberto, the Mayan Families sewing teacher.  With the help of several people - from those that donated the sewing machines, the donor that covered the shipping fees, and the volunteers that helped pack the sewing machines into boxes for shipment – a huge difference was made for 10 women and their families!  Thank you!

I hope you enjoy looking at the photos of the celebration.  I love the fact that Mayan Families celebrates the women’s accomplishments.  The women were treated to lunch and cake (not a normal occurrence as it is here!) and received a framed certificate to honor their achievement.  You can see their smiles as they had the chance to finally receive and begin to open their sewing machines!  Their new skills and sewing machine empowers them to help support their family.  What a great gift – and goes along with the Nuestros Niños motto of Service – Compassion - Hope.

Teresa Cojtin

Maria Concepcion

Alberto, the sewing teacher, travels to Panajachel from Aldea Chaquijyá, a rural area of Solola (similar to a state in the US).  He has nine children, and by working with Mayan Families, he is able to help others – and to make a living (cover his transportation costs, food, electric bills).  They live in a mud brick home with a small outside kitchen where they cook over an open fire.  Many of their children are sponsored for school through Mayan Families – as there is not “extra” money beyond the necessities - and they value education.  Mayan Families as of last summer had 43 employees with all but a few being indigenous Guatemalans.  This is just a glimpse into the life of one of the families that they help – that in turn helps others.  It is an amazing circle of giving…

Enjoy the photos at the below link!

https://picasaweb.google.com/mayanfamilies/Febrero10De2011FortosDeGraduacionDeLaClaseDeCosturaEnSanJorgeLaLaguna?feat=directlink#

Change a Life: School Sponsorship

Can you imagine not being able to send your child to school?  School is something we take for granted – but is not a given in many parts of the world.  I have been asked many times what I think will lift Guatemala out of poverty.  Education.  It is simple, children will have a much better chance of breaking the cycle of poverty the more choices they have in life.  They will be more confident and able to seize opportunities.  Each year of schooling allows for more choices.

Though education is supposed to be free – it truly isn’t.  There is an enrollment fee and other essential items needed.  For many families, the cost is prohibitive when you can’t even feed your children – or only make $20-50 a month.  There are many families that value it & hope for the chance for their children.  I have heard about a family that sent one child on certain days and the second child on the other days.  The reason they both couldn’t attend at the same time is that they only had 1 pair of shoes – and that was a requirement for going to school. 

What is amazing is an elementary child can be sponsored for school for just $180 a year.  This fee covers:

·         The enrollment fee,

·         School uniform,

·         Backpack,

·         School Supplies,

·         School Shoes & Sports Shoes,

·         T-shirt & shorts for gym.

To think, this $180 divided across 12 months is just $15 a month – or 4 specialty coffees a month – or less than one fast food meal for a family of 4 per month.  Quite amazing… 

A basico education (7^th-9^th grades) costs $380, and a diversificado education (10^th-12^th) costs $480.  Families can even co-sponsor a child together…

What I love is that with our partner non-profit, Mayan Families, you get updates on your sponsored child.  Mayan Families is all encompassing and trying to help the family survive.  I have just been going through and viewing all of the pictures of the children receiving their school supplies – what strikes me are the smiles.  http://picasaweb.google.com/mayanfamilies.  School signifies hope.

School is starting right now.  The year goes from January to October.  Historically, it has to do with the fact that coffee is harvested in November & December – so that was the school break.  There are over 1,600 students already sponsored, but there are still more that would love the opportunity to attend school.

Two are listed below….  If you are interested, please let me know and I will be glad to help you set it up.  And there are many more children like these two…  I will post more in a few days – or just contact me if you are interested in hearing about other children.

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Student #1667 Name: Lina Sucely Status: Needs Sponsor School Level: Elementary School Sponsorship Fee: $180

Lina Sucely is 6 years old.  She will be in first grade in 2011. She lives with her father, Jorge 36yrs old and her mother,Maria, is 40yrs old. She has two sisters: Wendy is 12 yrs old. She is studying Gricelda Noemi (student #497) was born on November 26, 2000. In Jan. 2011 she will be going into 3rd grade. The father works as a day laborer which means that he takes whatever work is available. He earns $33 US per week. The father is the only one working to cover all the costs that they have but what he earns is not enough to cover all that they need. They own their house. It is made of cement block. The roof is tin sheeting and the floor is cement. They have three rooms and a small kitchen. They do not have an onil stove. They do not have a water filter. They have a pila. They have two beds. They have one closet. They have water connected. They have electricity connected and pay $12 US per month.

Student #1676Name: Andres Status: Needs Sponsor School Level: Elementary School Sponsorship Fee: $180 <><> <> <><> <> Andres will be in elementary school in 2011. He lives in Panajachel with his mother and father and five siblings. His father does not have a job. Sometimes his mother sells handicrafts, when she does that she earns $4 U.S. a day but this is not regular work and she is lucky when she can sell things.  It is difficult for this family to be able to afford to send their children to school. Andres has 4 brothers and 1 sister. They are: Miguel 19yrs old is working as a builders assistant. What he earns is just enough to buy his own clothes and pay his transport costs, he is able to give his parents a very small amount. Tiburcio is 17yrs old and is working as a waiter in a restaurant. He earns very little. Manuel is 13yrs old and was not able to continue studying for lack of finances. He is working with his brother in a restaurant. Marvin is 12yrs old and also was not able to continue studying. He helps his mother around the house, washing clothes, going to the mill to grind the corn, taking his father lunch etc. Marta Cristina (student #163) was born on July 27, 2000.  She is in 5th grade in 2011. A one year old brother. They do not own their own house,. They rent a house. The house has three rooms. They have electricity. They do not have filtered water. They have one bed. They do not have a closet. They  keep their clothes in a cardboard box. They do not have a pila. (concrete sink) They do not have a stove. They would like one. They need help with food. They do  not have enough food right now because her father is not working and the mother does not make very much money.

The Sewing Machines are on their way to Guatemala!

It has taken some time to get everything together, but 42 brand-new sewing machines are on their way to Guatemala to help Mayan Families with their sewing program for impoverished women!  Through one of our board members, Sue S., we had the chance to meet Marcia F.  Marcia F. is on the board of another charity that has been helping a school and orphanage in Haiti for many years.  These sewing machines were on their way to Haiti when they were so terribly affected by the earthquake – and different needs overrode “normal” needs.  After talking, Marcia decided to donate the White brand sewing machines to Nuestros Niños! 

Matt taking the sewing machine to the Alberto's work area.

We wanted to be sure that Mayan Families could utilize them in their sewing program before sending them down – so Matt & I took one this summer in our checked suitcases.  Alberto, the sewing teacher, opened the sewing machine up in his “work area” – a 12’x12’ room that is also used for donations and meeting with families.  After meeting with Dwight, one of Mayan Families founders, & Alberto we were able to confirm they could use them!

Then it was time to figure out how to get them to Guatemala.  We figured out many years ago that it is not as easy to mail a package to Guatemala.  When Trevor was being fostered by his loving foster family, we sent down a cubic foot package.  For shipping & customs (which doesn’t seem to have “hard and fast” rules), it cost us over $400! That was a shocker!  We have since come across a company that will ship door to door – and deal with customs – for a set price for box – at a much better rate.  However, we needed to cross the language barrier and negotiate down the cost.  Thanks, John G. and Chelsea K. for the help with this part!  Finally after doing that, we needed to find the funding to ship the 42 sewing machines.  Thankfully, a corporate sponsor, Bailey Sales donated the funds to cover the shipping.

So, on a cold Tuesday morning (election day), Josie, Trevor, Allison, and I went over and got the sewing machines.  Wow, was the car packed!  The kids even had the machines crammed around them for the short ride back to the house.  It became a perfect opportunity to talk with the kids about why we were getting the sewing machines and how they were able to help also.  So – they pitched in and unloaded them into the garage with me!

We somehow figured out a way to fit all 42 sewing machines into the car!

The 3 Critters helping to unload the van.

Linda M., Beki B., and Jonathan B. came over one day last week and helped us pack the sewing machines into the boxes.  It was one cold afternoon in the garage, but it was nice to spend time with friends doing something to help others!  We also were able to pack many toys, stuffed animals, clothes, and bedding materials around the sewing machines.  Thanks to everyone that donated all of these items!   Allison had even decided to spend some of her money earlier in the day at the school’s holiday shop to buy a stuffed animal to send down – with no prompting from her parents. J  The purple princess bear made it into the package – and is now on its way to Guatemala!

Medrano Shipping picked up the boxes last Thursday, Dec. 2^nd, and Luis, the very strong driver, told me he thought they would be there by the first of January!  I can’t wait to see pictures of Mayan Families getting the boxes and hearing of the women that are helped with these sewing machines!

For more information on Mayan Families Sewing Program, there are several blog posts by Sharon Smart-Poage.

http://mayanfamilies-sharon.blogspot.com/2010/04/sewing-class-women-are-shining-in.html

http://mayanfamilies-sharon.blogspot.com/2009/11/sewing-class-in-san-jorge.html

Gifts with a Cause

The past month has been a busy month fundraising for our service projects!  We are always looking for new ways to raise funds to help with our service work, and this has been a wonderful way. 

Guatemala is a beautiful country, full of colors and traditions.  The women are talented and many want to improve their lives – they just have to be given the chance.  This is one of the reasons that I love this new fundraiser – we get to showcase the skills of Guatemalans, help them make a living, and raise money for our service work. 

Another reason I love it is, I get to meet new people and bring them happiness when they buy the products.  I don’t know how you can’t smile and feel good when you buy something so bright – and know it is helping others.  We have had several open houses in the past month – and have seen many friends!

 

Thank you for joining us!  We look forward to continuing to provide “gifts with a cause!” 

The Beginning...

It took some time – but the blog is up and running!  I have to say I never expected to be doing a blog – but here goes…  It is probably best to start at the beginning…

What is Nuestros Niños?  The group started out solely as an adoption support group for families that adopted children of Latin American heritage.  In my heart it grew to have a service component.  Over the months and years to come, I will hopefully give you insights through my words and pictures of what inspired me to give back to our children's birthcountry. 

Nuestros Niños is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit group with 3 primary purposes: 1) to help children and families in Guatemala; 2) instill a sense of service in “our children” through volunteering, fundraising, and service trips; and 3) to give children adopted from Guatemala a sense of pride in their birthcountry and culture.  By the way, Nuestros Niños translates to “Our Children.”  This originally referred to just our adopted children, but to me it really stands for the global idea that the children of the world are “ours” and we must work to help those less fortunate than us.

My 3 Children - "Inspiration & Motivation"

There are moments in life that move us & hopefully inspire us to do all we can.  Throughout my travels and service trips to Guatemala, here are just one or two:

In 2008, during our first service trip, we provided over 30 food baskets to families.  They contained:  2 Bags of Oatmeal, 1 bag of beans, 1 bag of rice, 6 spaghetti packs, 1 bag of soap, drink mixes, shampoo, toothpaste, cooking oil, jar of peanut butter, bag of sugar, and a dozen eggs.

I can still remember going to one home in Villa Hermosa and seeing this little girl.  For me, her eyes said it all – there was such sadness in them.  She appeared to be school-age, but probably her family wasn’t able to afford the necessary items for school.  

Villa Hermosa translates to “beautiful view” – and that it was.  These two children were at another home peering out a window overlooking this beautiful view – but what a ironic twist that their life may not be a “beautiful view” if they don’t have the opportunity to attend school or have enough food to eat.

 

 

On the other hand, I visited a preschool program in San Antonio Palopo near Lake Atitlan in July 2010.  This village had experienced such devastation from landslides and torrential rains, but a new preschool had been opened through the non-profit Mayan Families that we partner with.  This little girl was getting a nutritious meal and the opportunity to learn.  Her eyes just glowed…

I have so many more “moments, stories, and pictures” to share – and as my friends know I can continue on for pages – but I am going to “rein myself in” and save them for later.  So, please return often as I plan to update the blog several times a month.  I will give ideas on ways children can help others; successes Nuestros Niños is experiencing; inspirational “moments” during the service trips; information on current projects such as chickens, ONIL stoves, sewing machines, school sponsorships, and so on.  I will leave you with a picture or two of the beauty of Guatemala – both in the land and the people.

Volcan Toliman is in front of Volcan Atitlan - photo taken from the docks of Panajachel



Children from El Barranco performing traditional dances