Once again, I have to apologize for not keeping to my "write at least once a week" promise. Getting Christmas together for 18 kids, 6 in laws and 6 grandbabies takes alot of time. And then I have twenty suitcases to fill with donations and items my family needs for the next 6 months in Guate. Luckily I shop thru catelogues and phones, but it is still time consuming and nerve wracking. Everything is now ordered and as ready as it is going to be for both Christmas and our flight the first week of Jan. We are now at the beach waiting for our grown kids and grandkids to arrive tomorrow. We will all stay in two big cottages for the next week. My time with my grandbabies before we return. That is the only really bad part of living in Guate; I miss my grandkids.
The orphanages are growing. Thirty kids at the lake. In Jan. we will have 12 children whose parents can't feed them or educate them, but are still their parents. We had a bunch more ask us to take their high school kids and do the same, but I want to see how this works out before I get into it big time. At the city orph, we have 15 children. The police brought us a 14 year old boy two days ago who had been beat to a pulp by his dad. He also had not been feed in 3 days.
My big sorrow this year is I am probably going to loose Jackie and Stephanie on Sat. Their mom will not let them stay and let us send them to school, etc. She works 24/7 16 hours a day so she won't see them or be able to supervise them. I am so worried about their future. We have educated them at the orph as to when to call someone if abuse starts happening and make sure they have phone nos. to call. I will visit them in a month and try and make sure their life is going okay. Jackie will tell me what is happening if she hasn't been too terrorized.
This is the really hard part of this job. Falling in love with the kids and having no control over their lives.
We have had some great donations to take back with us. New shoes for all the kids, $400.00 in cash and presents for the kids from a couple of sources. Those donations really help the kids and help me emotionally, knowing that others care.
Vicki
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Gosh I can't believe I haven't written since we got home. Life has been so busy tho. We have spent alot of time seeing the adult children here and the grandbabies. My 2 year old grandbaby Karleigh stays with us during the week while her parents work and she is fun. Plus the children who live with us have school work to do since they are missing school in Guate. Plus we have so many doctor and dentist appts. to make and keep as well as hair cuts, etc. Then there is ordering of supplies to take back with us. Where we live is pretty dang isolated and we are 3 to 3.5 hours from Guate city where we can do any real shopping. So I have been ordering everything I can think of we may need for the next 6 months. Then there is Christmas for our 18 children and 6 grandchildren.
Anyway now to the orphanages. Our new house in San Lucas for the city orphanage has hit a snafu as we try and settle on a contract with the owner that we can both live with. No small job when he writes no English and we read little legal Spanish. The kids there need to get registered for school and it has created problems. On the 28th, a group from Guate City threw a big Christmas Party. Dinner for the city kids and the lake kids. We brought the lake kids into the city for the party and everyone had a great time with pinatas and face painting and comedians.
The next day was sad tho. We lost our precious Bryan and little brother Angle. Their parents petitioned the courts to have them moved to an orphanage that was just down the road from where the parents live. It has a good special ed program, just like ours does. There was nothing we could do. We tried as the boys have been doing so well with us. They just sobbed when they had to go and poor Bryan, who can't hear or speak, was horrified as was Angle who is only 3 and had just gotten settled in and secure with us. Life is so hard for some of these little ones.
Pedro spoke with Jackie and Stphanaie's mom [ did I mention the court turned down our appeal of their case ] about the girls continuing to live with us and go to private school and we will pay their travel to visit her on the week-ends. She wants to think about it. Her fear is the courts will not like it and take the girls from her. We have two new 14 year old grils at the lake. They were sent there by their moms who can't feed or school them so that is what we will do.
We have a wonderful group in Washington state who is collecting new shoes for all the kids that we will take back with us. Anyone who would like to send things for us to carry back with us, please send them to our home address by Jan. 4. Just contact me by email at 20.vicki@gmail.com
We still need Christmas at the Lake orp, if anyone would like to contribute. Also needed are single sheets and blankets. The kids love peanut butter and we never seem to have enough.
Vicki
Director of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

We are gearing up to return to the states for the holidays. We fly the 23rd of Nov. and return the 5th of Jan. I am going to miss it here. Our general manager spent this last weeek at the lake orphanage helping to get it more organized. His wife came and worked on getting rid of lice. The kids are now lice free. Yeah. So far I have managed to not get lice this time or any time for that matter. He brought Jackie and Stephie out here. I want them to visit the private school my kids go to as I think they would do very well there. I need a sponsor for them however. I think they will visit on Tues. Weds. we got a major donation from Orphan Resources. They are such good friends. They brought us a new refrig and washing machine and 5 bunkbeds for the lake orphanage. They also brought new blankets and pillows, a very nice water filtering system that will make it possible to quit buying aqua pura. We also got a $300.00 commercial blender that will hep with the beans the kids eat ever day. He is bringing the lake and the city orphanage 10 more sets of bunknbeds.
We have 3 birthdays to celebrate this week. They all expect to spend the nights with us and be taken to lunch and also have a party and present at the orphanage. Vilma will be 13 tomorrow. Luis 10 on the 25th and Jackie 8 on Dec. 14. Since we won't be here those dates, they will celebrate with us early. Last year Jackie's mother didn't give her anything or even come see her. Two months before she had brought a cake and presents for Stephie Jackie's sister. But Jackie had been the one to tell about the rapes so her mom was still mad.
We had visitors at the orp on Fri. who maybe interested in adopting Juan and his sisters. The city orp got four new brothers last week, ages 6 thru 13.
Vicki Dalia
Director of www.safehomesforchildren.org

Sorry I haven't written since Sat. I am intending to write every other day now that I have internet. But I have been feeling weird and finally decided to check my blood pressure as I have had problems with it in the past. I had gotten better so was not medicating. Well it was high and on Sunday I started meds again. It is taking me a while for the meds to work and on Tues. while I was at the market buying food for my family and the orphanage it went very high. My friends took me to a Cuban doctor and he tried another med which worked within two hours. So now I am dealing with how to keep it down and how to deal with my resistance to traditional meds.
Unfortunately, no matter how badly you are needed, if you don't take care of yourself, you are no use to anyone. I am happy to have friends down here in Guate that care about me so much and my husband has been very attentive to this. I think it scared him. He also has been lecturing me about the 15 pounds I need to loose to be at 140.
Oh well life goes on. We have hired a new man who is a special ed teacher to work with the lake orp kids during their school vacation. He is great and now they have someone to do sports, swim and do extra tutoring for their vacation. They also have chores everyday. This Weds. was the Day of the Dead and he helped them all make kites and take them to San Lucas to fly them. He also donated matching orange gym shorts for everyone. He is the one who helped us get the free glasses for the children. So far 3 have them. Abram, our 15 month old malnourished baby, started physical therapy last week. Luis, our 10 year old abused angry boy started psych therapy. Every week at both orphanages we have group therapy for the abused kids [ all the kids I should say ]. they like it. We have two new girls at the lake. Their mom checked us out on Tues. She can't afford to feed or educate them so they will live with us. Danny was 16 this week and got several parties. He went with my family to a Halloween Party at my kids school and then spent the night. My children had a vacation day the next day [ they go to school on an American schedule ] and we took them to eat at their favorite place and then to the kite flying. Danny went to all of that with us and got birthday cake everywhere. When he got back to the orphanage, they had a cake for him and I gave him a soccer ball. Danny's mom died when he was little, he never knew his dad and he and his brother were raised by an abusive uncle.
In the city we have located our new house. It is in San Lucas and tomorrow my husband and I go to give the final approval on it. Today my general manager is meeting with the school system to make sure noone objects to orphans in their schools. A problem we have had in the city, but not at the lake. As soon as we move we will get a vacation program going for those kids. Right now they do chiores, some extra school work as everyone is behind and go to the playground everyday. Those who are good watch a movie with treats and go swimming once a week
WE COULD USE MAJOR PRAYERS FOR TWO LITTLE GIRLS AT THE CITY ORP. JACQUELIN AND STEPHANIE. THE JUDGE JUST ORDERED THEM BACK WITH THEIR MOM WHO IS STILL WITH THE BOYFRIEND WHO REPEATEDLY RAPED BOTH GIRLS. THEY HAVE BEEN WITH US FOR 3 YEARS AND ARE NOW 7 and 8. I have hired an atty. to appeal the case. I could use donors to pay for private school for these two sweethearts and music lessons for the younger. She is so talented musically. That is if we keep them.
Vicki dalia
Director of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Our visit went very well. The judicial representative was impressed. She said the things she was looking for most were cleanliness and happy children. She saw both and also saw how loved the children were. Next I took the whole orphanage to Pollo Campero. Boy were the kids and staff excited. They don't get to do that often since it was a$100.00 venture. It rained really hard so they kids couldn't walk back to the orp for several hours so the got to play a long time on the indoor play equipment. Then Adolfo, Pedro. Hannah and I went to San Lucas to see the house for rent. It was really nice. The kids would have a fenced in nice yard and a great house that can hold up about 35 kids. We are bargaining now with the landlord to try and get him to come down from a $1000.00 a month to $800.00. The schools and the church are within walking distance and it is in a safe area with security.
Then back out to the lake. The ride from Concales to San Lucas was tense as it was dark and lightening and this was the road my daughter and son were robbed on in May. I was glad to return to the relative safety of my home. Three kids at the lake orphanage needed glasses and got them. The parents who leave their 4 children with us to feed and school came to get them for the vacation time [ 2 months ] so they could pick coffee for them. The oldest boy refused to leave
Vicki
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

I am in the city today. We have visit with a representative from the judges at 9 to review our city orphanage. Hope everything is okay. MY new general manager has bought a table cloth and flowers and has a snack prepared. After it is over, I will take the kids to Pollo Campero for a fast foods lunch. We think we have found a new and better location for the city kids. One of the complaaints has been that they have no outside place to play which is true. This new place is supposed to be nice and have outside area. I will see it this afternoon and make a decision. It is a half hour from the city in a safer location.
My driver is getting the back windshield fixed on the van where a dump truck ran into it and busted it. He is getting the windows tinted also as it is supposed to provide better protection from banditoes as they can not see in as to how many people there are and what there is to rob.
Vicki Dalia
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Well we have finally have internet in the house. it is nice.
We had two great groups come two week-ends ago.
The first was with Worldlink and they are helping us get further financial help for the programs we are working on. We enjoyed showing them our lake facility and letting them meet the children. The donations thay brought which had been collected by the Sorensons were distributed to the kids yesterday. I wish everyone could have seen the looks on Marie's face as she dressed up in a violet satin and lace dress to show me that it fit her. It looked almost brand new and she was so pretty. Her sister Monica loved her new skirt as did Rosa and Wendy. Rosa got the sandals in the box and Wendy had wanted them also, but Wendy surrendered them willingly and then gave Monica one of her new white shirts so Monica had a blouse for her new skirt. I thought she was so sweet. Especially since she is only 6.
The second group was with Life Vision adoption agency out of Washington. They brought new bookbags for all the kids full of things kids need and like. I wish you could have seen my littles [ ages 1 thru 5 ] who had never had anything of their own especially new, put there bookbags on their backs and try and walk with them. It was a tear jerker. What a privilege to be part of it. They gave the same bookbags to the City orphanage,but I was not there to see it.
Tpmorrow I go to the City with my 16 year old. I am meeting with one of the judges, spending time with the city kids and taking them to McDonald's [ a once a year treat ] . On Thurs. I meet with a representative with the Magistradas office. We are trying to upgrade the quality of the city orp and she is going to check us out and give us pointers. Hope it goes well.
We have hired a new general manager who will oversee both orps. He has worked in this field for 3 years and is very assertive and motivated. We are grateful to have gotten him
One last thing, we heard of an orphanage an hour from here that has lost their US funder and we are considering taking it over. They have 19 kids some of whom have disabilities. We have such a great special ed thing going on here in our area, I think we could be of real benefit to these children. But WE NEED MORE FUNDING
I forgot one neat thing. Last week the mayor's wife from San lLucas Toliman gave our orp kids free tickets to the local fair. This week she paid for some of them to go to the City to have eye tests and get glasses for the ones who needed them.
Well got to go get supper on for my crowd.
WE NEED CHRISTMAS HELP . IF YOU CAN DO IT, LET ME KNOW. THE BEST WOULD BE CASH AND WE CAN BUY THE THINGS DOWN HERE.
Vicki Dalia
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Well my husband and I had a great time on Fri. and Sat. just being tourists. We spent the night away from kids and had a great romantic ,candlelight, wood burning fireplace dinner with great massages. My massage person said my neck felt like it had the weight of the world on it which is exactly how I felt as she did the massage. Like she was removing the weight of the world. The next day we toured the lake. Gosh It is beautiful.
This was good because the day before we had had a four hour staff meeting trying to get things running more smoothly at the orphanage.
Monday, we had two visiting pediatricians at the hospitolito in Santiago that is run by Americans. They were young women from Chapel Hill, NC. Twenty miles from my hometown. We took our little severly malnourished and mistreated baby into them. We have had him for 3 weeks and he is eating good, but has the muscle tone of a downs child and is sick all the time. His name is Abram.The peds ran every test they could on him including an ultrasound and decided that he is okay and we are doing everything right. He and his sister who is also suffering from her past abuses will start physical therapy next week. The doctor at the hospital who was familiar with these children{s history was so glad to see them in safe hands and doing better.
Bryan who got his hearing aid last week is now starting to make some sounds and is learning to sign. He is so happy. My little wild child is starting to get civilized.
I got a call today that a woman who is paying the tuition for a private school for one of our teenagers has found tow more people to pay it for tow more teens. That is wonderful. And then on fri. we have 5 wonderful donors visiting with us. There financial help is so appreciated. On Sun. we have two more ladies who have brought down 55 bookbags full of stuff for the kids.
Lots of love to everyone
Vicki
Direcotr of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

We had another victory today. Alicia ,who is 16 and came to us with her sister selena as our first children 5 years ago, just competed in the guatemalan special olympics. She won a silver metal for the 60 meter and will go to Mexico for further competition.
We are so proud of her.
Vicki http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Two good things happened at the orphanage today. The first was we went back to court with Luis, a 10 year old boy who came to us 2 months ago. He had been abused in everyway possible. He sure is a cute one tho but has rage attacks from time to time. Anyway his parental rights will be terminated and he will remain at the orphanage until he is 18 or adopted. I have taken a fancy to him so am happy about it. Bryan, an 8 year old, who came to us with his 3 year old brother, was so misbehaved we thought we were going to have to send him back to the courts. Instead we brought him out to the lake orphanage and put him in the special ed school some of our children there attend. He couldn´t speak or hear. They took him to the city last week for tests and are taking him back today for a hearing aid. They think he will hear after that.
My downs son who also attends that school is 9 today and I am taking a birthday cake there shortly to celebrate. Tomorrow we take our 9 children to the pcific to celebrate my husband´s and my son´s brithdays.
Vicki
Director of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Things are really hopping here at the lake and starting to in the city. I mentioned we can buyh the third house at the lake property which will complete our property there and give us alot of grow room. We will have to move the city orphanage as it is being sold and has no outside area for the kids. The man who wroks as our translator and good friend has contacted a relative who owns 10 acres with a 12 bedroom house outside the City about a half an hour. The location we wanted. She will rent to us for $400.00 a month. Our friend is going to view this property tomorrow. Also we interviewed a man yesterday as manager for both orphanages. We were very pleased with him. He is in his 50s and has helped his wife run another orphanage for the last 3 years. it is being run as we hope ours to be run. We hope to retain him as an employee in the very near futur. It will take a tremendous burden off my husband and myself. Then we will be able to devote ourselves to fund raising, policies and procedures.
We still have our Tzutihil children, but I fear the judge is upset with us.
Hopefully I will have internet in the home starting tomorrow which means there will be more daily reports.
Vicki
Director of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Gosh I hope we have internet in the home by Sunday. The internet guy is supposed to come out then after having sent him tons of paperwork. It is very hard to keep up with 3 emails that have both business, orphanage and personal emails and write this blog as much as I need to.
We got a new girl at the city orp. The oldest of 7 and 13. She went to the judge and told him she was over worked and beaten by her mom, so he sent her to us. All she has done is cry and say she wants to go home. The parents have visited and want her home. Sounds like a teenage girl, huh.
I want to get some pics up soon as soon as I get the internet at home. We took the most adorable one of our first baby in the infant feeding program having his first bottle at age 2 moths. His mother´s milk was dried up. In just a week he has filled out and gained weight. I love to visit the orphanage and hold him. Our 3 Tzutihil children are still with us and doing well now that they are over their bronchitis.
yesterday Orphanhelp, Int. volunteered to buy us 15 sets of bunkbeds, a new washing machine for the Làke, and a new refrig and maybe stove for the lake. They are so wonderful. The supply us each month with our month´s supply of beans, masica for making the tortillas and dried milk.
The rain was bad yesterday. The streets of Santiago were flooded when I wen to pick up my 16 year old daughter off the boat. She had stayed in Pana where she goes to school late for dance practice. If it rained like that for several days we would have more mud slides.
That is it for now. thanks for everyone´s help.
Vicki
Director of
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Well we are in GuaTE and have been for the last two weeks. So much has happened. First, we had friends here who were helping put in organic gardens at the orphanage to enable us to be more self suffiecient and to teach the kids a trade. The man next door told us that the land we thought we had bought for the kids to have a playground and a soccer field were really his. So we stooped all construction until it was settled. It got settled Sat. and we do indeed own the land. The man now wants to sell us his house as he does not want to live next door to an orphanage. We think we can get it for $60,000.00. It will be a great addition as it is a big house and will complete the property very well. Now we just need to get the $60,000.00. We meet with him this Fri. to see the house.
We got our kids enrolled in a great private school in Panajachel where everything is taught in English. They catch the boat to school at the dock near the orphanage. My downs son is going to a special ed school with other downs children and 3 children from the orphanage. Two are girls who had such severe malnutrition they are very developmentally delayed and one is a new 8 year old boy who can't hear or speak.
We received 7 new children at the lake orphanage last week. The 8 year old boy and his 3 year old brother. Three sibs who are 5, 3 and 1. Very malnourished and neglected. And the younger sibs of Manual' family have moved in with their mom as the nanny for my malnourished baby program. They also are very malnourished and the mom was breast feeding the 2 month old but had no milk. We showed her how to make a bottle and how to clean the bottle. The baby was so funny when he got his first bottle. But by the next day he was sucking the bottles down for all he was worth.
Now our big dilema is the judge in another department is trying to take the 3 little ones we got last week and give them to another orphanage. We want to keep them here as the are Tzutihill and we have a Tzutihill casregiver and the other one does not. We are now up to 50 children.
Vicki
Director of http>www.safehomesforchildren.org

Our intern out at the Lake and our director there met with the judge and social worker at Solola and told them about the new program we are starting where we take malnourished infants and babies and nurse them back to health. These do not have to be orphans. They were very excited about the program and are going to start keeping their eyes open for children who need these services. Also the mama of Manuel's sib group [ we already are housing and schooling the four oldest sibs ] is considering letting her 3 youngest, [ 3,1, and newborn] come into the program as they are very malnourished. We are thinking we will hire Jacinta [ the mama] to be one of the nannies for the program. That way she can be with her babies and also earn a little.
I NEED PEOPLE TO SPONSOR THIS PROGRAM. TO START OUT I NEED $100.00 a month for Jacinta's salary [ she will board with us ] and $100.00 a month for formula. No amount of money is too small. $10.00 a month by 20 people will get us going.There is much need here.
My daughter Sarah , who is the director of the Guatemala program, just came home from a vacation with her husband's people. They went to South Africa for 2 weeks. While there she visited a daycare set up in a really poor village. I felt prompted the last time we were in Guate to set up a daycare in the really poor village the orphanage is in. We have the facilities so would just need to hire the staff and pay for the extra food. Right now the Guate mamas have to decide between working [ for a $1.00 a day ] and thus being able to afford to give their children beans and tortillas or not working and not feeding the kids. The problem is when they work they leave their toddlers locked in their shanties all day. A daycare would free the mamas to work and not have to worry about the kids. The daycare inAfrica was setup for this reason. They have 200 children from infants to 6 years of age. An added benefit is the kids would get 3 meals a day, very unusual in this pueblo.
We are splitting the services of a security guard with the hospitalito in Santiago. My intern met with them on Sat. The hospitalito is run by volunteer doctors from all over the world. Some very famous. I had my intern ask them about doing a free clinic on the orphanage grounds once a month for the pueblo of Cerro de Oro that we are located in. They were very excited about the idea. I hope it works out as many of the people in this pueblo are too poor to be able to afford the 3Qs [ about $.40 cents ] that is takes to take the pickup to the free clinics in other bigger cities. Not to mention being able to afford the meds they need.
Thank you everyone for any help you are giving us. One agency in the NW has collected 55 bookbags for the kids and will be delivering them in Oct. A father and son team are going down this month to put in organic gardens that will enable us to be much more self-sufficient. A family that adopted from Guate 18 years ago is down there now and took many needed donations with them. This is what enables us to stay open.
Vicki Dalia
Director of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

We have had many family events this week and I had no time to write. First, my husband and myself helped out daughter, son-in-law and new granddaughter move in their new home in Pittsburgh. Second we helped our son with a custody battle for his baby girl. He won custody of her.
Also my American interns who are at the orphanages in Guate and who keep me posted on the happenings there were on a tourist trip to Tikal. They returned yesterday.
Our new 14 year old boy at the lake Luis had to have an emergency appendectomy and is still in the hospital. Someone from the staff is supposed to be with him at all times. So that has been kind of rough. He is doing well tho.
The intern in the city met with the supervisor of the group who did the orphanage inspections. They did about 30 orphanages. I had him go over the list of things they want us to improve with her. Most of the list I agree with and they would have already been done if I was down there. He told her we were now in compliance with 3/4ths of the list and would be 100% within the month. I can't wait to get down there so we can get things running on a better program.
Our family flies down the end of this month. We will have our at home children in a private school in Panajachel. They will take the boat over there each day. Seth our downs son will go to a special ed school in Santiago that two of the children from the Lake orphanage are already attending. We are trying to be in Guate 9 months out of the year. I will miss my four young granddaughters. Four of them under the age of 3.
The two men who are going to get our gardens going at the lake orphanage go down in 2 weeks as does my daughter who will train our new American interns. One intern is going by El Salvador first and visiting the home there for malnourished children. She is supposed to learn all she can so we can start taking these types of children. I have been corresponding with the owner of this facility and he has been most helpful.
Vicki Dalia
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

It has been an eventful two days at the orphanages. First a group of court official came through the orphanage in the city as they did many other orphanages. It was the first time this has been done. They listed all the things we were not up to par on. Lots of little things that just seem part and parcel of living with so many kids. But we have told them we will correct them and get things like they want. One thing we need to do is paint so if anyone wants to go down and paint let me know.
At the lake, we are loosing one of our most valued employees. Juana is 60 and has some heart problems so is quitting the end of this month. Very sad for us. We have four children at the lake who are sibs. They have parents, but they couldn't afford to feed them anything some days and couldn't pay their school fees at all. So they live with us and we feed and school them. Their mom came to us and said she needed to take the 9 year old girl back with her as she is expecting a baby anyday and needs her to watch the 1 and 3 years olds when she goes to the hospital. Now you have to understand, the mom lives on a plantation that is a 2 hour walk from the raod and once at the road she catches a pick up truck to go to the hospital. She had no one to watch the two little ones when she had to go. The Dad is working somewhere esle and is not there. My staff got her to leave the two little ones with us so Rosa could stay in school. I am thinking of hiring the mom to replace Juana. Then that will be four more people who get fed. I have wanted to start taking malnourished babies and here are three of them. I need formula. Please anyone who wants to contribute this let me know.
I have booked our tickets to return to Guate for the next 9 months. Sort of scary. Our kids will go to school down there.
Vicki
Director of http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Well our intern survived the operation but he has had some trouble with infection. He is still in the hospital.
It makes it ####### everyone as he is very needed at the lake orphanage. Our 16 year old who was gang raped had tests done and is not pregnant. Three of our girls have gone home. A 13 year old named Jenny who was trouble for her mom so her mom sent her to us. We had no problems with her and now the courts have sent her home. Two others 11 and 8, who were sent to us because they said the mom was using them for prostitution. Hope the courts knew what they were doing in sending them home.
We have been looking into the possibility of taking malnourished infants and babies. I am working with a facility in El Salvador who has been taking them for 20 years. They have had 800 children run thru their facility and only 8 have died. They are going to teach us how to work with this population of children.
We are also considering taking HIV pos. kids.
Everything tho reguires money. The van needs new tires and an alignment job and I just sent $2000.00 in salaries today, not to mention the money for the electric bill and food.
The good news is we have two men who have volunteered to go and make us a hugh garden area where we can grow baically all the food the kids will eat. They go down the end of Aug as does my family.
Vicki
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Well our intern survived the operation but he has had some trouble with infection. He is still in the hospital.
It makes it ####### everyone as he is very needed at the lake orphanage. Our 16 year old who was gang raped had tests done and is not pregnant. Three of our girls have gone home. A 13 year old named Jenny who was trouble for her mom so her mom sent her to us. We had no problems with her and now the courts have sent her home. Two others 11 and 8, who were sent to us because they said the mom was using them for prostitution. Hope the courts knew what they were doing in sending them home.
We have been looking into the possibility of taking malnourished infants and babies. I am working with a facility in El Salvador who has been taking them for 20 years. They have had 800 children run thru their facility and only 8 have died. They are going to teach us how to work with this population of children.
We are also considering taking HIV pos. kids.
Everything tho reguires money. The van needs new tires and an alignment job and I just sent $2000.00 in salaries today, not to mention the money for the electric bill and food.
The good news is we have two men who have volunteered to go and make us a hugh garden area where we can grow baically all the food the kids will eat. They go down the end of Aug as does my family.
Vicki
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

Sorry about no posts for the last week, but we have been on vacation. A great week at a music camp. The city orphanage got two more boys ages 10 and 11 on Saturday. Our intern at Lake Atitlan had to go to the hospitalito in Santiago yesterday. They think he has appendicitis and he is on his way to Guatemala City to the hospital there. The poor young man has only been in Guatemala since May and already he has been roobed along with my son and daughter. They were held up by 6 men in a pick-up with machine guns. Now CJ is on his way to the city for an emergency operation.
The house we rent in Guatemala City is being sold, but we have found a much larger, nicer on only a few blocks away. The rent tho will now be $1300.00 instead of $800.
Vicki
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

We have 3 girls at the orphanage that need glasses. We are trying to wait for an American vision team who can do the work for free. Hope Alliance is sending a team to the lake orphanage in Aug. so that is when we will have it done. We also have 2 girls who want to take computer classes. We sure could use sponsors for them and all our other kids. It helps the children to feel like they have a special person. Our children have been thru so much. Almost all the girls and most of the boys have been sexually molested. At least with us we know they are safe.
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

At the lake orphanage we received an 11 boy. His mom didn't want to raise him so she left him with his aunt and uncle who didn't want him either. They brought him to the court in Solola. So sad. We now have 12 children there. They are all enrolled in schools except the younger ones. We received sisters 6 and 10 at the city orphanage. I don't know their story. We also got called this week about taking 2 pregnant girls. We are up to 26 at the city. It is harder to get them in school there as the schools give us the run around. I am going to move Byron,12, and Luis,14, out to the lake. We have alot more land at the lake to run around on. And we can get them going in school.
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org

I ordered 15 sets of bunkbeds yesterday. Today my husband went over the books and said we need to start fundraising to take any more kids. Our business has basically been financially supporting the orphanage but it has reached it's capacity. And I don't want to quit taking kids that need a place to live because of the finances.
Any ideas or help would be much appreciated.
A woman called today asking us to take 2 pregnant girls. She didn't give many details so we had our head nanny look into it more.

We have to buy 15 more sets of bunkbeds for the two orphanages. We are full up bed wise. With this many beds we are good to go for a while. Our social wok intern is visiting more courts in areas where there are no orphanages. We are also looking into a program to take malnourished infants. Claribel and Sindy want to take a computer classes if anyone wants to sponsor them for this. Sindy was the 16 who was gang raped the morning before she came into our care. Claribel is 11 and was taken from her mom when the neighbors reported she was used for child prostitution.
All you gardeners: we are trying to get organic four square gardens going for our orphanage. We have plenty of garden space for this. Would anyone like to donate for the materials.?

Two of our girls, Jackie age 7 and Stephine age 8 went to court last week. I was so afraid they would be sent home to their mama. They have been with us for 3 years and came to us from the hospital because of rapes by mama's live in boyfriend. The courts decided to leave them with us while the do an investigation to see if mama is still seeing this man. She has been for 3 years now. What is going to stop her. I am afraid she will just get more secretive or the investigator will do a slack job. Jackie has the most beautiful voice. I would like to give her voice lessons. Sure hope they stay with us.

Finally we have something of a journal going for the orphanages. We received 3 new girls from the city orphanage yesterday and I think a new girl at the Lake orphanage. If so that makes 12 chidlren at the Lake and 19 in the City. We have space for 70 total at both orphanages and then we will have to build. We are getting so many preadolescent girls who have had sexual abuse.

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