Serving in Guatemala: April 2008

Serving in Guatemala

In February 2008, we moved to Guatemala, Central America, to live out our dream to help the poor communities living in this developing country. It is difficult to leave our family and friends but we know that this will be a decision that we will not regret.

Almost 60% of all Guatemalans, or 6.4 million people, live in poverty making less than $2US per day. Approximately 16% of this number are in extreme poverty living on less than $1US per day. Furthermore, more than 50% of the children are malnourished and have no hope for a better future. Reasons for the continuous poverty in Guatemala include illiteracy, lack of access to health care and low levels of education. The Arms of Jesus Children's Mission (AOJ), a private non-profit organization, has responded to this need by creating a school with specialized educational programs, meeting the daily nutritional requirements of the children, and offering social support to families. We feel very fortunate to be working with an organization that is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of the poor communities in Guatemala. For more information on AOJ, you can visit their website through the hot link on the bottom right.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Library Update!

Our library project started last month and we’re making excellent progress! When we first started, we only had enough books that occupied a small amount of space (see blog entry: “Help Us Create A New Library in Parramos!”). Now we’re receiving more and more books through the generous support of our donors. We have a beautiful building (pictured below) that is surrounded by trees and gardens and can be easily be expanded to 2 levels.

As soon as the first books arrived, we started to use the library right away! When we first opened our doors, the children peeked through the doors out of curiosity but they didn’t touch any of the books. This was the first time where there was such a place where they had free access to books and they weren’t sure what to do. First we were disappointed that they didn’t come in to read but we patiently waited. Then one day, one girl shyly poked her head in and asked if she can go in the library and take a book to read. “Of course!” we both exclaimed at once! We were both really happy and even more happy to see her followed by more children shortly after. Below are pictures of the first students who came into the library and seeing them take out books on their own to read for the first time in their lives really touched us.

Sandra also created a reading program for the children in every grade. Each class needs to spend at least 30 min a week in the library either listening to the teacher read to them or doing literary exercises where the children have the opportunity to express their ideas and discuss issues based on books they read in the library. These type of activities are truly valuable for the children as this is the first time for many of them where someone has read them a book. It is also the first time they have had the chance to express themselves, giving them an opportunity to tap into their creative potential.

We’re really proud of our first project here in Guatemala but with your help, we can do more. From the pictures you can see that the bookshelves are still somewhat empty. Also, only a quarter of the space in our building is being used due to lack of furniture and books. But with your help, you can really help us fill the rest of the library with much needed books and furniture.

If you’re interested in donating to this cause, please contact us at Tharakan.steve@gmail.com. Together, we can bring the gift of reading to this poor community - a gift that will last a life time!