Support Rainforest Families Access Health & School

Hey everyone,

Buckle up, this is our very first report for this project and I've got a LOT to tell you.

So. Charity giving is down everywhere right now. Everyone's tightening their belts. The "smart" move would've been to sit tight and just protect what we've already built. But come on, you know us by now, we're Action Change, we LOVE a challenge. And this year is a big one for us, we're turning 20!

So what do you do when you hit 20 years? You go back to where it all began. Our very first ever project was in Guatemala. So I hopped on a plane and went back to see for myself.

Old Faces (All Grown Up!)

I genuinely can't put into words what it was like walking back into these communities after two decades. Our original projects? Thriving. 100% locally run, fully sustainable, hundreds of community members still benefiting today. But the moment that really got me? Meeting kids who weren't even BORN when we started, now old enough to be working on these same projects themselves. Full circle doesn't even cover it. This is exactly why Action Change exists and I have never been prouder.

A Bit of a Reality Check

While I was out there we got some tough news. GVI, the volunteering org that partnered with us right at the start all those years ago, has gone into liquidation. Just like that. It's a proper reminder that nothing in this sector is guaranteed, even organisations that have been around forever can vanish overnight. But we're still here, we're 20 years deep, and we are not slowing down. If anything it just makes us want to build things that actually last, even more.

Enter: A Whole New Community

While I was in the region I went and visited a bunch of communities who'd reached out for help. And I found the one. I just knew.

Picture this: a community living completely off-grid, deep in the jungle. Never needed a book, never needed a light switch. But now there's a road running past bringing tourists through, and along with them, western illness and western habits are creeping in and messing with a way of life that's worked for generations.

So here's what we're doing differently. We're actually limiting how many westerners visit this community. Instead we're working hand in hand with local leaders to build a community centre, computers, books, resources, the works, so the community's young people can engage with the wider world on THEIR terms and access real jobs, without losing what makes their community theirs.

Meet Anne: My SuperHero

You need to know about Anne. She's lived in this community for years. Her husband was a doctor who ran a small medical clinic here until he sadly passed away recently. Through a university partnership the clinic still runs free dentistry for the community 10 months a year. Anne is exactly our kind of person, already there, already trusted, already doing the work. We're not swooping in to start from scratch, we're rolling up our sleeves to help her build on what's already there.

The Big Challenge

Here's the honest bit. For years medicine for the pharmacy came from the US, literally carried in by visitors whenever they showed up. It worked, kind of, but you can't run a pharmacy on what fits in someone's suitcase! So job one is figuring out how to properly restock that pharmacy in a way that doesn't rely on the next flight landing.

We also want to go further and train community members in the kinds of healthcare THEY want and will actually use, not what we think they need. That's the only training that actually sticks once we're gone.

And then there's the library! We started it small and honestly the kids have gone absolutely wild for it, in the best way, so now we need to grow it big time.

Here's the plan: Year One is all about resources and laying the foundation, stocking that pharmacy, kicking off training, growing the library shelves. Year Two and beyond is where we build the long-term sustainability on top of it, so this community never has to depend on us, or a suitcase, again.

Oh, and before I forget...

Since we launched this project, 6 amazingly special people stepped up and donated. Just 6! And they gave us exactly the kickstart we needed to get this whole thing moving. If you're reading this and you're one of them, THANK YOU, you have no idea how motivated you've made us.

Now Let's Make Some Noise

This project is brand new, live since February, and it's the one I am MOST fired up about heading into GlobalGiving's July Bonus Day, kicking off July 15th at 10am ET. Donations of $100 or more get matched from a shared bonus pool, and top projects can win extra bonus prizes on top of that.

We are right at the starting line. Every single dollar raised during Bonus Day helps us prove that a community that's never needed a book or a light switch can still choose, on its own terms, how it steps into the modern world. This is the moment that takes a brand new project from a hopeful beginning to something unstoppable.

20 years ago we started in Guatemala with nothing but belief and a willingness to try. Here we are again. Let's go.

Hyped to have you along for this one, watch this space!