Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala

Osvin and Jonatan

Five-year-old Osvin and his younger brother Jonatan are just two of the  little kids in Guatemala caught up in extreme poverty and its devastating consequences.  Abandoned by their father, they live with a sick and overworked mother who is overwhelmed in her attempts to support them and eight other siblings.   It is clear that the children’s most minimal needs of food and clothing are  not being met.

Yesterday, AAV’s driver sent me these photos and told me that the only clothes these two little guys have are on their backs.  Without a helping hand, these kids will grow up continuing to suffer from malnutrition, ill health, and little hope to be educated.  It is you, our readers, who can reach out and help.  Sponsor Osvin.  Sponsor Jonatan.  Sponsor both of them–and give them a fighting chance in their young lives.

Or send a small donation so we can buy them food.

Thank you,

Frances

Brigido Berduo Perez enthusiastically tackles the big job of washing down a pick-up truck about 20 times his size.  His motivation?  He  earns money with this chore and others so he can  buy food for an impoverished family of ten children who have no father.

United Nations statistics show that Guatemala has the 6th worst level of malnutrition of children under five in the world.  In the rural area in northern Huehuetenango, poverty and malnutrition is extreme.

Brigido is a Guatemalan child who lives in the village of Quetzali.  He is in third grade.  Despite his young age, he is well aware of other children who have less than he does.

Hello all,

I want to share a letter I just received.  It came from Amy, mother of little Natalie who is featured in my previous blog.  She writes:

“That is a wonderful blog post.  Thank you for posting it.  I can’t wait to show it to her kindergarten teacher.

I don’t know if I ever told you about Natalie learning how to weave on a backstrap loom. I had found out about a sheep shearing demonstration at a local historic sight.  They had all things related to wool such as spinning, dyeing and weaving and all sorts of looms set up to try.  Natalie was instantly attracted to the backstrap loom.  She had no idea that they were used in Guatemala.  She couldn’t stop weaving on it.

She loved weaving!  I told the woman demonstrating that Natalie was from Guatemala. Last summer, we went to her home and she made Natalie her own backstrap loom (a small one out of popsicle sticks).

Natalie says she was born to weave!  She loves her Guatemalan heritage and is very interested in it.”

Great story Amy, thank you for sharing with all of us.

Frances

P.S.  Here are some photos of girls from the village of Nuevo San Ildefonso in their beautiful backstrap-loomed blouses made by their mothers.

Seven-year old Natalie, along with her school friends, recently created a giant poster to send to Mayan kids in Guatemala.  Why? Natalie’s teacher at a Budd Lake, New Jersey primary school was inspired to learn about the friendship between Natalie and Alicia, a Mayan girl in Guatemala; she recognized an opportunity to bring awareness to her students about children living in other countries.

The poster’s theme is “Friendships Bloom Around the World.”  Under the teacher’s guidance, the kids were encouraged to “express friendship through art.”

Alicia, a young Mayan girl living in the remote village of Nuevo San Ildefonso about 30 miles south of the Mexican border, exchanges photos and drawings with Natalie through the Adopt-a-Village Child Sponsorship program.   Alicia will receive the large drawing when Adopt-a-Village president travels to Guatemala later this month.

Alicia lives a small impoverished community of families who speak Mam, one of the 24 different Mayan languages spoken by the indigenous people of Guatemala.  The community is known for the beautiful and intricate designs of blouses and skirts that the mothers weave on back strap looms.  (See Alicia’s blouse in her photo)

Thanks Natalie for your poster! And give our thanks to your teacher and classmates!  What a creative way to open the doors to international friendships!