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.

Claudia's Story

Each child has their own story - whether it is here in the United States or in Guatemala.  They will each have their own triumphs - and their own tribulations.  I hope that our children will have many more triumphs and opportunities - and not have to face worrying about having family to rely on, hunger, shelter, or the chance for an education.

Here is Claudia's story.  This video was put together by two photojournalists that traveled to Guatemala, and hope to help us understand the challenges that children face.  Claudia is now sponsored through Mayan Families and has HOPE....

http://www.youtube.com/user/mayanfamiliesvideo#p/a/u/0/jAAqqSByt8w

Mayan Families Update, Sewing Machines, & One of Our Small - But Big Contributions

Mayan Families is one of the organizations that we partner with - and the one we will be working with this summer.  They are an amazing organization, and I hope you will take time to read Sharon's e-mail to the end as it puts our busy lives in perspective....  As Matt & I read it on Saturday morning, I teared up - and then I teared up again as I read her e-mail to me that night about an update on the sewing machines' journey & "the jackets."

Take a moment to share it with your spouse, a friend, or a child...  it is a great way to begin talking with a loved one about how you can make a difference in the life of another human being...

A note from Sharon, Mayan Families founder, on Friday, January 14th...


Hi everyone,




Today was the end of a very long week for us. We have been distributing school supplies to over 1,600 children....the lawn at the new office will never be the same. It will probably never be able to revive...we have had 1,600 students plus their mothers and siblings there every day. We have been working from 8.am. till 8p.m.



We have had 5 people trying to update the student blogs . interviewing as many students and their families as they can, translating from Kakchiquel, Tzutihil to Spanish and then to English.

We have had the Tierra Linda Jnr. High school officially open and we are registering students. We had the parent meeting yesterday, 50 parents anxious and hopeful that their children will be able to have an education and a better future than they have ever dreamed of.

We have organized the opening of the new pre-school in San Andres in partnership with Tom Heaton....Mission Guatemala.

We have held teacher meetings about the re-opening of the five Mayan Families pre-school/feeding programs. Panajachel, San Jorge, Tierra Linda, San Antonio and San Andres.

We have negotiated to open the 6th Mayan Families Pre-school/feeding program /community center in El Barranco...this will also be the home to the Folkloric dance troupe and we hope the beginning of many exciting opportunities for this community. 

El Barranco Folkloric Dance Troupe



We have organized the opening of the new Elderly Care and Orphan Care center in San Jorge this coming Monday.

This evening at 7.p.m. I was still in the office , trying to get out to join my husband, Dwight and daughter, Zoe at a restaurant for a Friday night pizza. I was feeling pressured and irritable. All I wanted to do was go home and relax.

I came out to the main room and saw Joaquin who was still working and still cheery, even though it was his birthday and he was working late.

He was working with a family who came from Tierra Linda. The mother was painfully thin and carrying a little baby on her side,and had a son who is about 10yrs old, a little girl who is going into our pre-school probably around 4-5yrs old, a little boy around 3yrs old and the baby on the mother side around 1yr old.
It was the little 3yr old who stopped me in my tracks. He was wearing a t.shirt that was full of holes and a pair of pants that were torn. He had no shoes on. It is very cold at this time of the year and the wind is howling. He was pulling at his mother and trying to get her to go to the door. I asked if he was cold and his mother said yes, he is tired , he is asking to go home.

Now to go home, this little boy would have to walk , barefoot for at least 20 mins to get to the now dark mountain path to Tierra Linda. It would then be an hour walk up the mountain to their village and I don't know how much further to their home.
 

Now imagine being 3 years old on a dark mountain path with no lights...cold, hungry, no shoes & walking for over 1 hour to get home...


I could see that the little boy was very tired. This is before he starts this mammoth trip home.

I asked the mother when she had last eaten....she said ...."oh we haven't eaten yet"...meaning all day.

I could not help but think how my 6 yr old would be reacting...cold, hungry , barefoot and a good hour an a half walk up a dark, mountain trail.

I had brought a bag of jackets down to the office just in case there were children without jackets in this cold weather. I went and got these children jackets that thankfully you all had donated.

The 3yr old was sitting on a chair when I came back with his jacket. I put the jacket on him and he looked up and gave me the sweetest smile. I felt his feet and they were ice cold and hard from walking barefoot all the time.

I sent for juice and snacks for each child, I arranged for the little boy to pass by my house, Berta would put shoes and socks on his feet and give the family a few bags of incaparina ( a cereal ) sugar so that they had something warm to drink when they got home.

I heard the mother talking to another woman about how some days she doesn't even have corn to make tortillas for the children.

I felt humbled by the life this mother lives. She has four children that I know of.

She sees these children hungry and suffering nearly every day. She walks long distances with them to try and get help. She was not complaining, she was smiling and grateful , thanking me for the help that they were receiving.

Me...who was feeling irritable because my computer connection was slow and I couldn't answer all the waiting emails, pressured because my husband and daughter were waiting to eat pizza with me....tired because I had been working long hours this week .......how could I even compare my life to this woman....who in the face of all that she has to endure , was smiling and gracious, her children were not whining even though they were cold, hungry and had at least an hour and a half walk to go home. This woman and her family renewed my desire to do as much good as we can here in Guatemala. I felt very fortunate that we are able to help her as much as we can. It is not perfect, but at least her children can go to school, two of her children will go to the preschool so for at least 5 days a week they will not go hungry. Tonight they all have jackets and a 3yr old is not walking up the mountain barefoot. If we are lucky, someone will sponsor this family for food.

Thanks to all of you for providing the help for this family and for the families like this in the future.

Sharon
The following is the note that I received from Sharon on Saturday night...

Dear Angela, I wanted to let you know that your 6 boxes of wonderful goodies arrived yesterday! We are so grateful for all these fantastic things that you have sent. The sewing machines are fabulous and thanks to you , we will now be able to open a sewing class here in Panajachel! The jackets and clothes you sent are fantastic. I am going to copy you a letter I wrote on our yahoo connections group last night.  These were the jackets that I got from your box! Thank you so much for all your help and your support, we are so thankful to have you working with us, best wishes, Sharon

So, I hope that you have made it to the end of this post & gained a greater understanding of what Nuestros Niños and Mayan Families are trying to do - but can only be done with the help of our friends.  These jackets probably came from someone reading this blog - and made a world of difference to a little boy and his family.  Just think that with each of the donations given - a similar story may be unfolding...  Thank you!

Tamales, Tamales, & More Tamales







Our family has incorporated a tradition from Guatemala –we make tamales each year and eat them on Christmas Eve with spaghetti – my grandmother’s recipe and another family tradition.  J  I think we have been doing this for about 5 or 6 years now.  Sometimes we have friends join us for our tamale making, and other times it is just our family. 



 

Matt making Tamales Negros

Tex Mex Tamales

Each of us have our favorites – Allison & Josie like the Tex Mex version with lots of cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder in them.  Trevor, Matt, and I like the Colorados – a fairly mild red sauce, smooth masa, and chicken.  Matt & I have also gotten to really enjoy the Negros – they are made with chicken and a sauce that has tomatoes, toasted pumpkin seeds & sesame seeds, chocolate, and cinnamon in it. The masa also is a little sweeter & a prune, 2 raisins, and 2 green olives are put in each one.  The Negros are considered an “expensive” tamale and a true celebration tamale.  This year we added a Potato Tamale to our list – it tastes almost like a garlic seasoned mashed potato side dish – quite good. 



Ingredients for Tamales Negros



Last weekend we made over 325 tamales!  It took some time and one very late night (bed looked really good at 4am on Sunday morning) to get them all made and steamed.  J  What we realize though is how lucky we are to be able to make our tamales.  It is a tradition to eat them on Christmas Eve in Guatemala, but many families can’t afford basic food to start with – so tamales are not an option without the help of others.

One of the groups that Nuestros Niños works with is Mayan Families in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala.  Mayan Families started putting together tamale baskets in 2005, after hearing that two of their sponsored children were knocking at doors asking for a tamale as their single mother couldn’t afford the ingredients for this traditional dinner.  They determined that many families were in this same situation and began putting together tamale baskets – honoring the tradition and the people that would receive them. 

This year, they hope to be able to give out over 1,500 baskets - though only about 700 have been donated so far.  Each basket costs $35 and includes enough food for a festive Christmas Eve dinner:

·         A reusable basket

·         Oil

·         Rice

·         A block of drinking chocolate

          (the traditional drink at midnight)

·         A Loaf of bread

·         Raisins

·         Grapes

·         Apples

·         Sugar

·         A Chicken

·         Tomatoes

·         Coffee

·         Leaves to wrap the tamales

·         Cloves

·         Pepper

·         Sesame Seeds

·         Pumpkin Seeds

·         HOPE & LOVE

In our family, we always talk about the “special ingredient” that is in every recipe that we make – LOVE.  When a tamale basket is donated, it gives the nutritious food – but it also shows COMPASSION, HOPE, and LOVE.

Mother Teresa said, “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one…”

If your family might be interested in donating a tamale basket, you can click on the “Donate” button and make a donation of $35 through PayPal.   All donations for tamale baskets must be received by Dec. 19^th & all donations are tax-deductible.

Wishing each of you a wonderful holiday season!

Angela



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