Five new Mothers added to Our Program

Our mama/tot program in Los Robles is very popular. One of the only places that moms can get formula nd incaparina for their hungry children and a meal for themselves. Last Monday we had 4 new mamas join. Here are their pictures. Yesterday we had two more join. I do not have pictures of them yet. One of them was a mom with 6 children ranging in age from 3 months to 14 years. The infant who was with her was one of the most ragged looking infants I have seen. Her husband kicked her and the 6 children out of the shack they were living in so he could move in a new girlfriend. Her 14 year old son is working to provide the only money coming in. This family needs your help. Can someone please sponsor them? We also need many more sponsors as we now have 69 [ not including these ] mamas and their kids. My husband whoo believes in a budget says no more until we have sponsors. I, who have to look in their hungry eyes, say they can join. Not good for my marriage. Please think about commiting to $20 a month to help one mama and her family. Ask your relatives to help. You will receive a picture and a short bio. Another family that was at the program yesterday Joel wrote about and did a blog on when he was here. They walk for 2 hours to come to the program. They have 3 month old twin boys, the cutest 2 year old girl, a 4 year old, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 14 year olds. The dad was hurt in an accident and can not work long hours doing physical labor. He grows some corn and beans to feed his family. They have no school supplies for the 5 in 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 grade. One of the twins is severely malnourished. I paid their transport for them to come to my house yesterday to go over in detail what they were eating. The tiny one was only getting 3 ounces a day of nourishment. I fed him a 4 oz. bottle and he drank the whole thing. I sent them home with formula, bottles, newborn kits and tuna fish for the older children. They were so grateful. They desperately need a family sponsor. And I need advice from you medical people on what to feed the twins to put weight on them.
Lots of suffering down here and lots of work
Vicki
20.vicki@gmail.com

Pictures

Starting from the bottom

1. Our teachers from the city getting ready to party at Los Robles
2. Amy, one of the teachers, falling in love with Ivana, who she now sponsors.
3. Getting ready to hit the pinata
4. The whole Los Robles party group

Finally a Blog

Well we have been in the country for almost 2 weeks and what a hectic two weeks it has been. Joel has gone back to the states for a while. And gosh we all miss his blogs. We have had some great teams in the last week and a half. American teachers from a fancy school in Guatemala City put a ton of time and love into two Saturdays of parties for over 300 children. They had pinatas and homemade cookies and presents for everyone. The presents were all donated by the parents of the Guate City children. The first Sat. the party was in Los Robles for all the children we serve. The next Sat. it was in Nueva victoria for the children we do a lunch program for. The teachers commented of how much better behaved the Los Robles children were in terms of orderliness and gratitutde. I realized the difference was we have worked the last year to teach the Los Robles children to respect the people who are giving them something and to have an attitude of gratitude. Realizing this we want to start a tutorial program for the Nueva Victoria children to help them understand gratitude and respect.
We had a wonderful team of nurses Monday of last week that saw over 200 people. We almost delivered a baby at that clinic. We did not have alot of medicines but did discover alot of need for medicine. One is an older man with diabetes who can not afford the $25 a month his medicine cost. I bought it this month. Does anyone esle want to buy it next month? We also have a child with many cognitive disabilities who needs $35 a month for seizure meds. Any takers?
Then we had a great team from the St. George, Utah/Las Vegas, Nevada area that provided much service and much needed supplies to several communities and families. They bought two energy efficient stoves for Nahuala, the community we helped in Aug. after they were totally displaced by Hurricane Agatha. If you remember, we set up 8 Shelter box tents in this area. They bought $1000.00 worth of much needed food as the people were basically starving. They bought 30 pairs of school shoes for the community of Chutinimit here in San Andres. They were another community we did Shelter Box tents for. They bought supplies for a very poor family in Los Robles who needed things for their newborn and milk for their 3 year old. And at Los Robles they paid for the typing classes and materials for 11 middle school students we are sponsoring in school which is allowing us to cover the school expenses for a couple of more kids who needed help to continue in their schooling.
On a personal note, we have enrolled our oldest two here in a private school in Pana. Jody and I are homeschooling our youngest 5 with him taking most of the responsibility for it. Two of our boys are great gymnasts and we have never been in a position to give them lessons. We found out yesterday that there is a Olympic gymnast in Panajachel who will teach our two boys. He also is a piano teacher and will teach our two girls.
We have the computer working with a cellular stick but I can not upload pictures with it so I will go tomorrow to a better location for uploading pictures and try and get some pictures of what we are doing.
Vicki
20.vicki@gmail.com

The Eyes of Hunger

As I get ready to return to Guatemala, these are some of the children I will see and relate to. I will actually look in their eyes, not just see them from these pictures. They are real people suffering the real pain of not enough to eat. I need your help to help them. Please look in their eyes and see if they are telling you to help. I know when I see them again, that is what they will say to me.
Below are a couple of news articles on hunger and Guatemala.
To help you can push the donate button or write me at 20.vicki@gmail.com for an address to send a check. 100% goes to these and other children. We still need more sponsors for our mama/tot program. $20 a month for a year feeds and gives supplements to one mama and her infant and toddler children.





2011 to Bring a Hungrier Latin America
David Schreiner
January 7, 2011


Image by tpmartins.
A slew of natural disasters and climbing global food prices in 2010 have experts worried about the threats to food security 2011 could bring to Latin America. Fears of this kind are not new to the region, but one of the worst years for natural disasters in decades has made food security a more immediate concern for the many millions of people across Latin America vulnerable to variations in supplies of basic foods.

In the Western Hemisphere, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Haiti, and Venezuela top the list of countries confronting food scarcity problems. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that over the past 20 years more than one-fifth of both Bolivia’s and Guatemala’s population has suffered from undernourishment. In Haiti, more than half go with less food than they should, and exacerbating this problem are Haitian rice farmers, now leaving crops unharvested in areas thought to be effected by the recent cholera outbreak, despite efforts to educate growers about ensuring a safe harvest.

Meanwhile, the 2010 la niña climactic cycle brought heavy rains to Central America as well as Colombia and Venezuela, destroying crops and damaging agricultural infrastructure. This aggravated the food shortage in Guatemala, and flooding in Colombia and Venezuela created a shortage of rice and some vegetable products. With heavy la niña rains expected to continue into 2011, experts warn that acute food insecurity will increase in 2011, especially in Guatemala.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) held a seminar in November 2010 on rural poverty and climate change. It concluded that rural populations in tropical regions “are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change on agriculture.” A meeting on rural and agricultural development held in conjunction with the COP 16 in Cancun found that: “There is no climate security without food security and no food security without climate security.” However, a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests that the share of Latin Americans suffering from food insecurity is getting smaller. To continue improving food supplies, the paper argues, international coordination must help the poorest countries increase crop yields. A stronger export sector, argues a similar report, will help prop up food supplies, as could responsible compensatory social policies.

Learn More:

HERE IS ANOTHER ARTICLE. THE MAYANS ARE THE PEOPLE WE HELP

Guatemala Food Security Outlook October 2010 through March 2011
Source: Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET)

Date: 30 Dec 2010

Full_Report (pdf* format - 342.8 Kbytes)

Key Messages

• Currently, the poorest households in the country's highlands suffer moderate food insecurity due to the spread of the annual lean season, as well as the consequences of this year's heavy rainy season. Poor households in the rest of the country suffer moderate insecurity, as some still depend on external help to fill their food requirements, after the impact of the heavy rains received during these last months.

• Levels of acute food insecurity in households located in the highlands will be moderate during the last quarter of the year, as they depend on external help to compensate a harvest 30 percent below normal and damages caused by the rainy season. This assistance will not be enough to cover food needs between January and March, so they will suffer high acute food insecurity.

• The poorest households in the east and in the coasts will face moderate food insecurity during the entire period of this outlook. A smaller first harvest in September/October, and with important losses during the second harvest in December, will considerably reduce their stocks. The start of the highest demand season for unskilled labor will improve their income, but they will still be insufficient to fill their food needs. They will depend on external assistance.

• Hurricane season ends in November, so there is still the possibility of a cyclonic event affecting the country.
Full_Report (pdf* format - 342.8 Kbytes)
(*) Get Adobe Acrobat Viewer (free) With the exception of public UN sources, reproduction or redistribution of the above text, in whole, part or in any form, requires the prior consent of the original source. The opinions expressed in the documents carried by this site are those of the authors and are not necessarily shared by UN OCHA or ReliefWeb.
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Packing For Nine

My days have been consumed with packing for 9 and going to Walmart [ yuk I hate to go there] to buy whatever we may need while in Guate for 3.5 months.
Is not fun. And I have to do it all as my dear husband does not pack. If he packed we would each get 2 outfits and they would not match. Plus since we are flying Spirit Air and have to pay $30 for each piece of checked luggage, Jody would make sure there was no luggage.So since we are staying with 7 children 5 to 16 for 3.5 months, I get to do the packing. I also get to pack all the wonderful donations you all sent. BTW, thanks Tom I got your package and the clothes and formula were great. There will be one suitcase per person and 3 for donations. I also have to keep Jody out of the packing room as he takes out things. He thinks everyone should have 1 Sunday outfit. Like I am going to wear the same dress every Sunday for 14 weeks. And I have to have my books and my music. The kids have to have at least one toy plus their books for school. Then to add to the chaos, there is the 14 year old boy and 16 year old girl who are freaking out about leaving their friends. And my husband has to get all our tax stuff done before we go. And there is a BIG snow storm coming sometime around when we are supposed to pull off this mountain and the 15 passenger which has to carry us all the way to FL. does not like snow. And bad things are happening like Pedro emailing us and my husband having some health problems.
So please pray for us. For peace and safety and a non-turbulent flight. Have I ever mentioned I hate to fly or rather I am afraid of flying. [ wasn't that the name of a book] .We need continued praying while we are down there. Pray also that I can do blogs half as good and often as joel's. Gosg pray that Joel stays and does all the blogs. For more money to expand the programs and for good health both physically and mentally.
Also want to mention again that our family air tickets and living expenses come out of our personal money. All your donations to Safe Homes goes to the programs.

thanks for your support and prayers.
Oh yeah the pictures are of the Guatemala 7[ in other words the kids who will doing this adventure with us ]

Vicki
20.vicki@gmail.com

Pictures at the beach from bottom up
My big strong football all Va state son sleeping on the way home from the beach next to my second youngest grandson
my kids- all the as yet unmarrieds
the Nags Head beach we were on- almost isolated this time of year
Bethany [ who just got back from a mission ] with Eric [ who just got back from a mission]; they are almost engaged
Christmas morning and the littles waiting to come up
big ones just hanging out
Erin with her son Marcus- Erin is our new fundraising coordinator and my daughter.
My kids at the Virginia Dare festival Park

We are on our way home from our every other year family Christmas reunion at the beach. We had 16 of our kids, 5 of the spouses of said kids and 11 grandkids making 12 kids under 5. We will miss them while we are in Guate for the next 3.5 months. My heart always seems to be in two places. Guess that's better than in no place. Anyway thought you might want to get to know us better before all my blogs are about the poor and desperate and end with asking for your help and money. Sometimes I think we get so involved with needed charitable work we forget our families need to grow too, just in different ways. Grandkids need to know grandparents. and siblings need to reconnect as do parents and children. It was fun and sometimes hard this last week. And it made me appreciate family and the affluence I have. I think about the poverty among the Mayans every time I spend money on me and mine. All of us in this country are so wealthy compared to these people we are working with. You never get used to the fact of looking inside a one room house and seeing no possessions. We did not spend much on Christmas materialism[ gifts] but did enjoy our beach houses, each other and good food. Hope you had a nice Christmas and we appreciate all you do to help us help the Mayans.

thanks
Vicki
20.vicki@gmail.com

an interesting blog about Lake Atitlan


http://globetrottergirls.com/2010/12/lake-atitlan-guatemala-villages/

FAMILY REUNIONS AND GUATEMALA

Every other year our family rents two big beach cottages. All the married kids and grandkids that can, come and spend a week together. The next year, they go to their in-laws. This year we had 15 children, 4 spouses of the married kids and 11 grandkids and one almost fiancee. It has been wild with 12 kids under 5 and lots of fun.
No. 18 of the grandkids was born on Monday while we were here. His parents live here. He is the cute little baby. Eleven of my kids are in the picture looking at the ocean.
Two things have happened here that made me think of Guate. One was yesterday when we went to Manteo. We are at the beach at Nags Head, NC on the Outer Banks. It is very close to Manteo where the first English child, Virginia Dare was born in the US in 1587. She was born on Roanoke Island where Manteo is located. We went to Roanoke Island festival park. It has an excellent interactive museum, a settlement village, an accurate reporduction of the Queen Elizabeth II ship they came over on and an Indian village. The long houses the Indians lived in were so much like many of the houses the Mayans in Guate live in now. The ones with the corn cob walls. They ate the same things too. Corn, beans, and squash. They had no cows but made a milk from walnuts and added squash. I have always thought the Mayans were about 100 years behind the US civilization, but now I wonder if it is 400 years. And is it behind or just simpler.? One picture is of my 3 year old grandson in full pirate gear after our festival adventure.
Today my husband I wondered down to the end of Nags Head before it heads into Hatteras. There were probably 10 or more beach houses sitting in the ocean at high tide. They are ruined but still perfectly good houses with good windows and wood and deck rails, etc. Why they are being allowed to fall into the ocean instead of being moved and used is beyond me. Only in the USA can we afford such waste. In Guate, they would have been dismantled and every piece of wood, etc. used. I like that part of Guatemala and dislike the US attitude of affluence that has no bounds.
Well back to my vacation. We head to Guate in a couple of weeks. After a month or two, I will appreciate the USA more.
Have a wonderful Christmas from my family to yours and remember how blessed you are. A picture of my whole group that is here with us now.
Vicki
20.vicki@gmail.com

Our Christmas Story

We have come up with a way of letting you help us to take more mamas and toddlers. I think you are going to like it . You commit to $20.00 a month for a year. For every $20.00 you sponsor one mama and her children in the program. They get the weekly lunch, child development class, children's playgroup, formula and incaparina as needed. You get a picture emailed to you of your little family and a short bio on the circumstances of their lives that make them need your help so much. So come on, everyone in the USA can afford $20.00 a month. On the day that I thought of this program, we had our own real Christmas story in Los Robles. Joel, with twitter travel, tells it better than I do and with pictures. Just click on the right hand side of the blog and scroll down until you reach Friday's entry. The one about the kidney thing. Anyway, Joel had had a very productive, tiring, get up at 3 in the morning and start working kind of day. The kind we love to give our volunteers. So that afternoon he is relaxing and up walks a man anad woman each carrying a week old baby. They walked for 2.5 hours to get to us because they heard we had formula. TTL we did have formula. The woman did not know she was having twins. She gave birth, her husband is unemployed and they are poor. She only has enough milk for one baby and they need formula. We give it to her and enroll her in the program. And now get this, she only had one baby outfit. Can you even imagine? The other little babe was wrapped in her only old sweater. Just like the Christ child. We gave her clothes and told her to come back. Join our mama/toddler program and give as many $20.00 monthly sponsorships as you can so we always have formula for these babies.
thanks
Vicki
www.casadesion.blogspot.com
20.vicki@gmail.com

Our Clinic Blessing

We had a major clinic blessing today. Joel, our volunteer, went into the city today with a big truck and Juan, our guardian. They were going to pick up the 140 rubbermade buAckets of clothes, shoes, etc. that my husband and I had shipped down backin Sept.Also we had been told by a wonderful medical group that they would be receiving exam tables and we could get a couple. I gave him my wish list of other things we needed and we got them all. Two beautiful nice exam tables, 3 stethoscopes, an electric machine that checks eyes, ears and nose and a baby scale. We were told they had all come in last night and we were the first to get the opportunity to take them. What a blessing to our clinic.

Made It To 34

Today is my 34th wedding anniversary. Maybe there are some of you out there where your 34th is full of nothing but fond memories and your marriage has been a total success. Mine has been a success, especially if you think about how abusive the upper middle class homes Jody and I grew up in were. But we have our ups and downs. I have my moments where I wish I could redo things. You see when Jody met me I was in law school and had one child by my first marriage. Said child went to a "free" school where Jody volunteered at. He used to ask Jody to come home with him and play ball. That went on for a year until a mutual friend set Jody and I up. Our first date I told him I was not the mothering kind and Mattie would be my only child. Jody has told me later he thought that was a bunch of malarky and paid no attention. We went quickly from dating to marriage to having 5 kids in 6 years. Quess he was right on that one. Then we went to having 10 bio kids and 8 adopted. Youngest now is 5 and oldest is 42. And 18 grandkids. Then all the kids in Guate. We have shared kids, a for-profit buiness and a non-profit. And my PTSD and his thyroid disease.. It has made for a sometimes bumpy road and a great friendship. We always have something to talk about or argue about if we so choose. I recently got a blessing for a sinus infection and the first thing that came out was "have patience with your husband". But we made it to 34. Took a night off with the help of daughter Sarah and her hubby and kids and went to Raleigh, stayed in a motel, ate out and had fun. I am so grateful to have him as a companion to share this wild adventure of a life we are on. just wish he wasn't so tight with money.
thanks
Vicki
20.vicki@gmail.com

Pics I promised

I have not been able to upload pictures from my home, that is on top of a mountain and only has satellite connections, for months. So I go to my library which has dsl to do it. Sounds like Guatemala, huh, but it is my home in the Appalachia mountains of the USA. Anyway today we have 12 inches of snow on the ground with 6 more coming down and my pictures are uploading. Go figure. So the last four pictures are of the children in Nueva Victoria who are now eating 3 meals a week for the next 6 months thanks to Pauline and Sherman. The last picture is of the mama and toddler program. They are the 100 that get to come and eat lunch, have a child development and prenatal class and receive formula and incaparina. They are financed in part by a wonderful Utah group. If you remember from past blogs, we started this program after in infant in our community died because the mama had no breast milk. It is hard to produce milk when you don't eat. Formula costs $30.00 a month. When you live on a dollar a day, you can not afford formula. Come visit us for a week and we will show you all the children suffering from the effects of malnutrition.
On Tuesday my wonderful volunteer Joel,gets to tell the extra 100 mamas and toddlers that came last week we can not afford to do this for them until we have more funds. We only have budget for the 100 we are currently helping. These women and children have faces and desperate eyes when you see them up close and personal and it is heartbreaking to turn them away.So far we have pledges of about $100.00 a month for the next 100. Per 100 women and children,it is $250.00 a month for the lunch and programs, $250.00 a month for the formula and $150 a month for the incaparina. And $60.00 a month to transport the mamas from afar. I need more as i can't take new mamas unless I can also give them formula and incaparina if they need it.So please pass this on. Donate in someone's name for Christmas and we will send a card and pictures of the women and their children they are feeding and educating. Push this donate button or write me and I will send you my address to send a check to.
My family and I [ we paid our tickets and our living expenses out of our personal family fund ] are going to live in Guate for the first 4 months of the year. Send me formula and I will take it down.

thanks for all you do.
Vicki
20.vicki@gmail.com

OUR NEW FEEDING PROGRAM IN NUEVA VICTORIA

While my husband and I were in Guate a couple of weeks ago, we visited Nueva Victoria. Joel, who is running things in Guate now for a couple of months, went with us. We were there to check out things esp. among the children and to measure for the benches and tables that a Eagle Scout team are going to make in Jan. While the men were measuring, I went,camera in hand, to find children. It did not take long before I had 25 following me and laughing with anticipation. I guess I am kind of stupid because it took me a while to realize their looks of anticipation probably had something to do with the candy/food they were going to get. Candy/food that I had forgotten to buy. My next thoughts were "oh my gosh, what am I going to do?". I always have food in my car as I have blood sugar problems [ don't worry Joel , they are getting better] and in Guate when you leave for a normal 2 hour trip it can take all day. So we head to my car, me and my 25 tag alongs that is fast approaching 50 tag alongs. I am praying the whole time reminding Jesus of the fish and loaves that He multiplied for his own crowd of tag alongs. I knew I had one and a half small whole wheat french bread loaves I had brought for sandwiches. So I pulled them out and starting dividing them. The kids swallowed them whole and it only took care of about 15 of them. I had a hugh gallon bag of raw food bars my husband makes for him and I. They are made from dried fruit and nuts and we love them but our kids hate them. But it was all I had. So I start handing them out and the kids swallow them whole. Pretty soon the whole bag is gone as mamas are bringing their toddlers for food. I realize then the kids are literally starving. So then and there we start our Nueva Victoria feeding program.WE COULD DO IT BECAUSE A WONDERFUL COUPLE BY THE NAMES OF SHERMAN AND PAULINE HAD SENT $5000.00 RIGHT BEFORE I LEFT TO USE ON FOOD.The program feeds 120 elementary kids ages 4 to 13 3 times a week. It costs $800.00 a month. The mamas cook the food and the teachers hand it out during school. They get rice, beans, tortillas and an egg. And i don't worry about them as much. Not sure I can upload pictures as it is snowing and my satelittle is crappy. If not i will go to the library on monday and do it.
Joel , our volunteer, has written two great blogs since he arrived two days ago. here are the links for them
http://www.twittertravel.com/profiles/blogs/back-in-guatemala?xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_url
http://www.twittertravel.com/profiles/blogs/the-saga-of-the-well?xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_url

OUR MAMA/TODDLER PROGRAM NEEDS YOUR HELP

". Dominga said that an additional 15 new people showed up for the food program this week. She had to turn them away; she feels that the people do not understand that it is a question of set funds - that they feel she is wielding her power and that she chooses not to allow them. These new people are angry at "her". Starting at 80 people four months ago, they are now feeding 140; she has had to reduce portion size to make extend the food for so many additional people"

I got the above message in an email this morning from our accountant. It made me cry. I was already in an about to cry mood as last night I dreamed that Juanito [ the boy in yellow in the pictures] was begging me too feed the children. That they were hungry. So I have this dream and I get this email and I cry. The mamas we are turning down have a good likelihood of being pregnant or nursing and that 15 we turned down did not include the children with them. Please consider supporting our feeding program so we can start it in more communities and not have to turn down women and children in the communities we already have a program in. Consider giving a loved one a $50 gift card [ or a $10.00 one] that will enable us to feed that many more children. We will send a card with a picture of the children they are helping. You can mail us a check [ write 20.vicki@gmail.com for the address ] or do the donate button on http://www.casadesion.blogspot.com.

Now let me tell you about Juanito. Two Tuesdays ago I brought 2 big cakes for the mamas/toddlers program. This little boy followed me to the kitchen with them and just stood there salivating and making sure he was first in line. Not too bad a plan since there were 50 mamas and 100 kids there. As he stood in the door longer and longer without a mama to come collect him, I started asking questions. Here is what I learned. He was 8 years old. His name was Juanito. He walked 3 miles by himself to come to our feeding program as his pregnant mama is drunk all the time and never watches him. Neither does his dad who beats him and the mom. So I became his mama. I invited him to come any day of the week he wanted to for food. I promised him he would have the first peice of cake as I was the one handing it out. And I hugged on him as much as I could. Remember Juanito in your prayers. He needs them. just one of many sad stories of the kids we help.

Merry Christmas
Vicki 20.vicki@gmail.com

Pics From Our trip

We spent alot of our time getting the new volunteer house ready for teams.It is awesome. First is on San Andres side of the Cerro Lec bridge so it is only 15 minutes to our Los Robles property. Second they are going to close the road from San Andres to Pana in a month or two to "fix" the bridge. They expect it to stay closed for several months so if we were in Pana it would be close to an hour and a half to the projects. But volunteer teams can still do the footbridge and ride a pick up to Pana which will only take about 15 minutes. It is a short walk to San Andres which has a nice market and great cultural experiences. Here are some pics of the master bedroom, the living room and dining gathering area and the house from the backyard. It comes with a cook and guardian [ who also speaks English ] . Cost will be $30 a night and that includes your meals. It has a great commercial kitchen.Plus two fireplaces and a terrarium. If you have a team coming after April or in December, let me know so we can book it for you.
The other picture is of Samuel. He is so funny. He has gotten so when he is told to come say hola to me, he naturally lifts his pants leg to show me his braces. I laughingly told he does not have to do that anymore. He walks completely normal and if you did not know he had braces , you would never quess. He has two sisters who need financial support to continue in school. Some of you that fell in love with the family, let me know if you want to be the ones.
Also we are getting ready to send out our 2010 Christmas card. If you would like to receive one, write me at 20.vicki@gmail.com with your address. Or do the same to donate to our projects.

Joel's Next Great Blog

Let me do a little more explanation on Joel's pictures. BTW, Joel will be managing our programs for the month of Dec. and half of Jan. so we can expect many more great pictures. The first one is the market where we buy our food and where the Mayans' make their living. Food is more costly. For exam. tomatoes have doubled in the last two months. Second there are many less tourists and since the Mayans can not afford much of the food, the vendors are suffering.
Our mama/preschooler program continues to grow. We are now averaging 45 to 50 mamas and over 100 children. You can see the line of the women waiting to get their incaparina or formula. Also the children really enjoy the weekly movie. I need more dvds for them in Spanish and would like some of the Nest videos or some Christian ones or ones that teach some character values. If oyu have some , please send. Also need a cd player and another dvd player. I need money to take more mamas/ children in the program so if oyu can help we would appreciate it.
The man and the two boys are Juan, Juan Carlos[12] and Erwin[8]. They are the sweetest family. So humble and hardworking. The mother left when Erwin was 3 months old. How a mama can do this, I don't know. Juan took care of the boys until Erwin was 5 and then they went into an orphanage. We had them to dinner last night and the boys told me of many beatings with wooden sticks at the orphanage. Four months ago
they begged their dad to take them back. He did , but he was living with them on the steets until we took them in. He has legal papers for both boys. He is now the guardian at Los Robles. The boys just hugged and hugged me last night. How I hate to leave them. They need clothes, both regular week clothes and Sunday clothes. They go to church and the boys will be baptized in January when my family moves down there. Erwin is the exact same age as my Tony, just one day different. If you want to send them anything for me to take when I go, please do. Erwin needs a tie. He is too big for the little ones and too small for the big ones. We also need a financial sponsor for the family. We want to build them a small little house of their own.
Well we are on our way to the airport to return to our children who I have missed terribly. We have a new volunteer house that is so nice. Brand new with good water pressure and only 15 minutes from our facility in Los Robles. We hired a guardian there named Samuel who is bilingual and can translate for your groups.
Please pass this to as many facebook and other groups as you can. We need much more help. Also keep oyur eye out for grants we may qualify for. We took a census of the 3 maain villages we help and I have all the stats. And remember 100% of what you give goes to the programs and the families.

thanks
Vicki
20.vicki@gmail.com



http://www.twittertravel.com/profiles/blogs/the-programs-of-casa-de-sion

How the School Year works in Guatemala

My sil thought it would be a good idea to explain the Guatemalan school year so you would know why we are asking for money at this time. And I agree.

It is really quite simple. They start the new school year sometime in Jan. and end the last of October. The inscription , or registration, fees are due now. Plus they have to buy their uniforms and books and everything esle they need ahead of time.
Hope this helps.

Vicki

Help them stay in school

While here in Guatemala we have many people come to us for needs they can not have met any other way. On Tuesday I had 7 delightful 12 and 13 year olds come to me and ask me to help them stay in school. You see they just finished primario or 6th grade. Their parents have been able to pay that as it is only about $120 a year. But in basico and 7th grade they enter a new financial world. A world where they have to have uniforms and black shoes and pay a higher inscription fee and buy all their books and pay for all their supplies and bring 4 rolls of toilet paper for the bathroom. Most parents can not afford this and the kids just drop out. These kids and their parents don't want them to drop out so they are asking me and I am asking you for help. For $350.00 a year , you can keep a kid in school and help them break the cycle of poverty. Here are the kids. One of the girls is Samuel's older sister. Michele. You can get a picture and a twice a year letter from your student.Write me at 20.vicki@gmail.com and let me know if you can help.