Change a Life, Educate a Child

Dear Sheel Center Friends and Supporters,

Thank you so much for your past support of our “second chance” school! Because of generous donors like you, low-income Guatemalan children and families have the opportunity to leave dangerous life situations behind, and begin to dream of better tomorrows- away from past dangers and abusers. 

Let me tell you the story of one of the little girls that is recovering from abuse with us. Sara is an eleven years old girl who currently lives in Antigua, Guatemala with her mother and two older siblings. She is enrolled in second grade, at the Scheel Technical Center School.

Due to her family’s level of poverty, she is supported by our sponsorship program, her education is provided by the Scheel Center, and her medical and psychological care is provided at our clinic. Her family also participates in our vegetable drive and receives care at our family clinic.

Sara’s story is shocking. On one occasion, her parents had no money to pay the rent where they lived, so the landlord convinced her father to give him one night with Sara’s older sister to exonerate the rent that was due. Her father agreed to the arrangements, keeping it a secret from the girl’s mother. A few months later, the family again fell short and didn’t have the money to pay for rent. However, this time the landlord wanted to be with Sara, who was only ten years old at the time.

Sara, after suffering from sexual abuse by the landlord, decided to tell her mother even though she had been threatened by the father and the landlord. Her mother sought legal help at The GOD’S CHILD Project, where she received an aid grant, in addition to immediately enrolling Sara into the project where she could begin the healing process. The GOD’S CHILD Project proceeded to press charges against both the landlord for raping Sara and her sister, and the father, who acted as an accomplice to these acts.

This year was very difficult for Sara and her family, as they began the recovery process. Sara’s father has run away and is being sought by the authorities; however, the landlord who sexually abused the girls is imprisoned. Sara has decided to continue her education, and with help from the project, she is trying to overcome these traumatizing events. She is happy to say that she has passed the second grade and is excited for the new school year to begin again in January. Sara and our staff are hopeful that with The GOD’S CHILD Project’s continued support she will eventually overcome the trauma of what happened, and her mother will once again be able to carry her family into the future with pride.

Sara’s mother says “I am very thankful for the support that my family has received from The GOD’S CHILD Project and I recognize the positive changes in Sara since she has been receiving psychological care, support, and an education again.” She is thankful that these services are available to her family because they have helped them to begin recovering as a family, and is thrilled to see such success and willingness to dream again from Sara.

Please join us in supporting Sara as she continues to heal along with other children like her, recovering from sexual abuse and poverty. Every child we provide with an education helps us move towards breaking the bitter chains of poverty for their families, giving them hope for a brighter future. 

Blessings,

Melissa Schroden

Links:

• The GOD'S CHILD Project website
• Follow us on Facebook

Dear Scheel Center Friend,

Thank you so much for your past support of our “second chance” school! Because of generous donors like you, low-income Guatemalan children have the opportunity to get the education they need in order to break the cycle of poverty that their family has lived in for generations.

Let me tell you the story of one of these young men that is currently living his second chance. José is 20 years old and is originally from the department of Jutiapa, Guatemala. His family moved from town to town throughout Guatemala in search of better work and educational opportunities until they finally decided to live in Antigua, Guatemala. José’s biological father left his wife and children to be with another woman and started a new family with her without a care for the children he left abandoned.

José’s mother also decided to re-marry and had two more children with her new husband, making a total of 5 children to take care of. After a few years José’s step-father began to drink and to physically and emotionally abuse his family. José was greatly affected by this change in his step-father and began to get into fights at school.

As soon as he came to the Scheel Center José began to receive the benefits of the program such as psychological therapy, legal support so that the step-father would no longer abuse them, as well as vegetables, clothes and shoes and, perhaps most importantly, an education.

This year José has shown great improvement. He has changed his attitude and gets along better with his family; he even helps his siblings with their homework. He is now in 7^th grade and is thriving. His mother is also receiving psychological support and has joined the Mother’s Club so that she can receive benefits from Asociación Nuestros Ahijados. José is very thankful for the support and education that the Scheel Center gives him and he says that he wants to be a teacher when he grows up. He also says that he is happy that his family is no longer being abused.

José’s story is just one of many stories of Scheel Center students who are getting not only the education that they need but also the medical, dental, psychological and legal support that they need in order to break the chains of poverty. Once again, thank you for your support and for giving José, and others like him, hope for the future.

Sincerely,

Kendell Martell

Director of Benefactor Services

Asociación Nuestros Ahijados de Guatemala, ONG