Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala

Stephen Lowery, third-year medical student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine  has volunteered to teach at the Mayan Center for Education and Training this month.

Stephen began volunteering in Guatemala in 2008, returning in 2010 to study the effects of chronic malnutrition on childhood development at Las Obras Sociales de Hermano Pedro Hospital.  He is currently offering his time at a rural clinic outside Quetzaltenango with the Primeros Pasos, an organization committed to reducing malnutrition among communities of the Palajunoj valley.

Adopt-a-Village is also strongly committed to combating malnutrition in the northwestern region of Guatemala, and provides course work in bio-intensive sustainable gardening both at the center and in outlying villages. One of Stephen’s primary interests is in studying how malnutrition affects the neurological development of a child—thus his classes with our students will tie directly to our curriculum.  It is well know that tens of thousands of Mayan children are stunted both physically and mentally due to the effects of malnutrition.  Stephen’s insights will be an invaluable addition to the students’ knowledge.

Bryan sells Mayan crafts

Bryan, youngest of all our Adopt-a-Village volunteers, is a six-year old Guatemalan-born boy who lives with his American family in South Carolina. Though small in size, he is big in raising funds to help impoverished children in his birth country, recently raising $974 by selling Mayan handicrafts and baked goods at a local fair.

It all began with the annual “international peace project,” an educational program at his Montessori school intended to build awareness of poverty and need in developing countries. Bryan decided he wanted to sponsor a boy his age through Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala.  It would be up to him to raise the funds.  And raise the funds he did!  He not only earned the $225 fee, but an additional $749.

As with millions of Guatemalan children suffering from chronic malnutrition, Bryan, too, knew hunger and poverty as a toddler.  His donation will go directly to combating malnutrition in a remote region of northwestern Guatemala.  His monies are being designated to Adopt-a-Village’s bold new initiative—a regional bio-intensive garden program. Families, with the aid of our organization, will grow organic calorie crops (grains and root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes) to offset the extreme hunger in the area. Guatemala has the highest level of malnutrition in the Americas, and fifth highest in the world, according to United Nations statistics.  In this region, hunger is the standard for most indigenous children.  They suffer from low daily nutritional intake to outright malnutrition which stunts them physically and mentally.  Some, notably orphans and children of widows and single mothers, eat only every other day.

And for Bryan, he now has a new little Guatemalan friend, José.  Through their friendship, he will stay connected to his Guatemalan heritage.  The two boys will exchange photos and drawings, and later write to one another when they are older.

Bryan, you are amazing, and thank you!