Today started out with a trip from the hotel to Mayan Families (MF) in the back of a pickup piled not only with people but all the tubs of donations everyone brought to donate. It's the Guatemalan way!!
After sorting and reloading the trucks with donations, food and people we were on our way to El Barranco. El Barranco is a farming community where many impoverished Mayan live and work. They struggle to feed their families let alone cloth and educate them. MF started a preschool there a couple years ago to help feed and educate the children at risk for malnutrition. Guatemala is fourth in the world for chronic malnutrition so at the preschools the children are feed a hot nutritious breakfast, given a snack, get their teeth bruised and given a vitamin everyday, 5 days a week, 12 month a year.
This program has saved children's lives. In the preschool they are not only given nourishment but are taught Spanish. The people of this village speak a Mayan dialect but when the children go to public school it is only in Spanish so they struggle to make it in school. There are at least 6 of these preschools that MF has started and the impact they have made in these communities is immeasurable. In El Barranco (EB) some of the parents have worked at keeping their traditions alive by teaching the children the folkloric dances of their Mayan ancestors. It is always so much fun to watch the chidden perform them. While we were waiting for the children to all arrives along with their families we went to do some of the home visits since most of the people of this group already sponsor children in school.
Student sponsorship is our main focus but not a requirement of the trip. The children love to have their sponsors come visit and the sponsors are always so moved by the visit also. It can be very emotional especially when you see up close and personal the real poverty these children live in and yet they are most always smiling and happy. I used to be able to go to all the home visit but now so many not only sponsor one child they sponsor more than one child so we always have lots of visits and multiple teams doing it so I try to go to the homes I haven't been too or the ones that it has been a long time since I have been there.
After lunch the chidden performed their dances and then we handed out the donations we brought. It is always so hard when there are not enough shoes for all those who need them to find a pair.
Along with clothes and shoes they received tooth paste and brushes and soap and shampoo. Then off to more home visit and back to Pana to freshen up and go to MF for a talk by Julio Cochoy who speaks about his experience as a boy living through the revolution in Guatemala and the effect it had on him and others. Then off to dinner and to bed. A long and exhausting but rewarding day. As usual all the pictures from each day can be found on the Picasa link to the right of this page.
After sorting and reloading the trucks with donations, food and people we were on our way to El Barranco. El Barranco is a farming community where many impoverished Mayan live and work. They struggle to feed their families let alone cloth and educate them. MF started a preschool there a couple years ago to help feed and educate the children at risk for malnutrition. Guatemala is fourth in the world for chronic malnutrition so at the preschools the children are feed a hot nutritious breakfast, given a snack, get their teeth bruised and given a vitamin everyday, 5 days a week, 12 month a year. 
This program has saved children's lives. In the preschool they are not only given nourishment but are taught Spanish. The people of this village speak a Mayan dialect but when the children go to public school it is only in Spanish so they struggle to make it in school. There are at least 6 of these preschools that MF has started and the impact they have made in these communities is immeasurable. In El Barranco (EB) some of the parents have worked at keeping their traditions alive by teaching the children the folkloric dances of their Mayan ancestors. It is always so much fun to watch the chidden perform them. While we were waiting for the children to all arrives along with their families we went to do some of the home visits since most of the people of this group already sponsor children in school.
Student sponsorship is our main focus but not a requirement of the trip. The children love to have their sponsors come visit and the sponsors are always so moved by the visit also. It can be very emotional especially when you see up close and personal the real poverty these children live in and yet they are most always smiling and happy. I used to be able to go to all the home visit but now so many not only sponsor one child they sponsor more than one child so we always have lots of visits and multiple teams doing it so I try to go to the homes I haven't been too or the ones that it has been a long time since I have been there. 
After lunch the chidden performed their dances and then we handed out the donations we brought. It is always so hard when there are not enough shoes for all those who need them to find a pair.
Along with clothes and shoes they received tooth paste and brushes and soap and shampoo. Then off to more home visit and back to Pana to freshen up and go to MF for a talk by Julio Cochoy who speaks about his experience as a boy living through the revolution in Guatemala and the effect it had on him and others. Then off to dinner and to bed. A long and exhausting but rewarding day. As usual all the pictures from each day can be found on the Picasa link to the right of this page.
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