Changing the World, One Child at a Time

The Season of Giving is Here!

Dear Friends of Casa Guatemala,

It is once again that time of year when we are starting to make our plans for the holidays and the new year to come. Next week is our graduation where we will see our grade six students finish their studies with us as well as the kindergarten kids prepare for the first grade! It is always a very special day for our staff, parents and of course the children. For some families, they will be the first to have finished elementary school. They make such big sacrifices to achieve their goals and we are so proud of them all. 

This year, our vacation program will be focused on the students who don't live on site since they had to work from home for most of the last three years. Sadly, there is a marked difference in their levels of learning in comparison with the children who benefitted of living at Casa Guatemala while classes were cancelled earlier this year and throughout the pandemic. So for the next two months they will be given the one-on-one attention they all need to bring them up to speed for next year. 

As we wind down our classes, we are just getting started with our year end fundraising! With the rising costs of food and fuel, we know that we need to raise more funds than ever at a time when resources around the world are already being stretched thin. It can seem daunting, but we have so much faith in the hundreds of donors from around the world who always find a way to contribute to our programs and help us to carry on. 

The month of October always starts off with one of our happiest days of the year: Children's Day. In Guatemala it is truly a big deal! From dawn to dusk, the day was all about bringing joy and happiness to our kids! Special meals, fun games, delicious snacks, relays, piñatas and goodie bags!! Our amazing staff go above and beyond to personally collect all the donations to make the day special! It is such a memorable occasion for everyone and it is so nice to see the joy that it brings to their faces! Even the oldest kids lose themselves in the fun and act like little kids, running around and giggling in a rare escape from the universal throws of adolescent angst!

Our grade six class are only days away from completing one of their first major milestones: Graduating elementary school! May not seem out of the ordinary, but here in rural Guatemala, only 40% of children will finish middle school! In celebration of all their hard work to make it this far, our kids were invited to enjoy an afternoon at the beautiful La Granja Ecological Encantada in Morales thanks to our dear friend Seño Ligia! They got to enjoy the beautiful hobby farm where they visited with the animals, had pony rides, took a train around the property and had a delicious lunch. It was a great experience and one that will last in their memories forever. Next week is their graduation and we are excited to see them all continue on their educational journeys. We are looking forward to expanding our higher education program so that more kids can stay on site and go to the middle school in Las Brisas. This will mean increased costs for us, but we need to make it happen. With your help, we can ensure that all of our kids have the opportunity to continue their studies and have a chance to graduate high school in the future.

Our high school kids are also in the last days of their final exams. This year, Glendy will be graduating and we are so proud of her and all she has accomplished. Because the high school kids live at our Hotel Backpackers where I also live, we spend a lot of time together and I have the chance to see them become outstanding young adults throughout the years they are here working and learning. It is a special bond that inspires me every day and gives me the energy and strength to continue our work in the face of all the adversaries we seem to face more and more each year. 

None of these amazing things could happen without your support. We rely on so many small donations from our Casa Guatemala family around the world. Our monthly donors and those of you who give to our year end campaign. We appreciate all you do to make the dreams of our kids and their families become a reality! 

We are so grateful to all our supporters for always being there for us. Last month with the extreme storms, we were overwhelmed with the outpouring of support that allowed us to make the needed repairs quickly to return the grounds to safely. This month, we were once again hit more bad weather when Hurricane Julia passed through the region. Thankfully, there was only minimal flooding in Casa Guatemala and we were able to act fast to ensure there was no damage to our equipment but, here at our Hotel Backpackers, 10 days later, we are still dealing with flooding in our restaurant and property as the water levels have yet to fully drop.

I had to evacuate my little house over the river and move to the second floor of the hotel, and we brought all of the high school kids, and our older boys Leonel and Josue up too, just to be safe. The kids have returned to the staff housing as the water levels have dropped where they live, but I am staying upstairs until the water goes down further and we can ensure the safety of my house and office as the water may have caused some structural damage. 

Thankfully we are all safe, but it has been pretty stressful! I am so glad I have the kids and our staff to keep me going everyday! And we are all so grateful to have your support! We would never be able to do what we do if it wasn't for our donors. You really are family to us all and your impact is felt for generations. We really are changing the world, one child at a time, thanks to your support! 

With love and gratitude,

Heather

Links:

• Casa Guatemala Children's Village Tour!