Asociacion Passion

"Poverty is not a personal fault but a fault of justice. Nobody can resolve everything, but we can all do something" - Dr. Mark Arellano Guatemala stands at the forefront of nations suffering from extreme poverty, malnutrition, and general lack of opportunities for Guatemalans. 1 of every 2 children less than 5 years of age suffers from chronic malnutrition, almost 3 million Guatemalans don't have access to improved sanitation, and only 4 of every 10 children that start school complete it. For mothers with no access to education, their children are three times more likely to suffer from malnutrition. Recognizing the interconnectedness of the problems afflicting Guatemala's ... read more "Poverty is not a personal fault but a fault of justice. Nobody can resolve everything, but we can all do something" - Dr. Mark Arellano Guatemala stands at the forefront of nations suffering from extreme poverty, malnutrition, and general lack of opportunities for Guatemalans. 1 of every 2 children less than 5 years of age suffers from chronic malnutrition, almost 3 million Guatemalans don't have access to improved sanitation, and only 4 of every 10 children that start school complete it. For mothers with no access to education, their children are three times more likely to suffer from malnutrition. Recognizing the interconnectedness of the problems afflicting Guatemala's disenfranchised communities, Asociacion Passion is dedicated to confronting the key factors in this intense social and economic exclusion in the country. What started as a focus on malnutrition has continued to grow into an organization that provides technical and literacy classes for all ages, arts classes, cisterns and sanitary programs, health clinics, technology centers, and much more. At Asociacion Passion, we view poverty as a cycle: a child born into poverty will suffer malnutrition, which will start a chain of processes leading to further disenfranchisement, lack of health, and general social exclusion and the lack of an opportunity for a better life. Viewing poverty as an all-pervasive and expansive problem, Passion focuses on four key "highways of development": Health, Nutrition, Education, and Entrepreneurship. Based on these four pillars, we have developed nine specific programs: 1) Program for the Prevention of Chronic Malnutrition 2) Literacy for Mothers (in conjunction with the "National Committee for Literacy") 3) Accelerated Primary Education (in conjunction with the Correspondence Adult Education Program (PEAC)) 4) Kitchen Classes (with the Municipal Centers of Human Capacitation and Formation(CEMUCAF)) 5) Program for Persons with Different Capacities 6) School for Fathers 7) Organic School Gardens 8) Social Entrepreneurship / Sustainable Clothing (with Nawal Boots) 9) Technological Education (with TOMI Digital) These 4 pillars, implemented through our current 9 programs, offer the tools for children, adolescents, and in vulnerable populations to have access to programs that allow them to better their quality of life, establish in themselves new skills and norms of coexistence, fortify their family units, and to generate their own mechanisms of social and economic mobility. Passion's dedication to its mission is shown through the fruits of their work. Passion has constructed community buildings that serve as centers for education, prevention of infantile malnutrition, and human development. In the communities where Passion is operating, the results have been telling. Already, around 200 families and 400 children have been served and have benefitted from our numerous programs. Cases of chronic and acute malnutrition have dropped and there has been a reduction in maternal and infant mortality rates. Our goal at Passion is to continue providing these services, reducing those factors that contribute to desperation in so many communities in Guatemala, and, importantly, to grow our organization to serve even more. In order to do this, we have allied with others institutions, such as the Ministry of Education of Guatemala, other governmental agencies and committees in Guatemala, and Alianza de Impacto Latino. In addition, we've made a commitment, through our mission and our programs, to work towards achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. Passion will continue to attack the myriad issues surrounding poverty and hardship in Guatemala through our hard work, clear mission for expansion and moving forward, and our results-based approach to the issue. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for the communities in which we operate, and we will continue to implement innovative and myriad strategies to achieve that mission.