HFC Teams Return from Guatemala and Nicaragua

A group of World Hope International staff and volunteers recently traveled to Central America to work firsthand with the Hope For Children child sponsorship programs in Guatemala and Nicaragua. The story of their travels highlights the importance of the program to the children it serves.

Making a Difference One Child at a Time

Corn, rice, beans, oil, sugar and 12 pieces of soap…the food allotment for a sponsored child in Guatemala often means the difference between hunger and a full stomach. Mothers and sponsored children welcomed Ann O’Dell, Hope for Children Director, Leeann Little, Hope For Children Assistant, and Leslie Hiatt, volunteer, into their humble homes. They struggled to find words to adequately express their appreciation for what sponsorship means to them.

Maria in one of the villages shared a touching plea. “Please help more children get a sponsor,” she begged. “There are many in my church that cannot go to school because their parents have no money to pay the fees.” Maria is a bright, articulate youth who at the age of 12 was enrolled in first grade with the help of her Hope For Children sponsor. Although she dropped out when the taunts of other students became too much to handle, she clearly values education and what it would mean to the children in her community.

Through tears of appreciation, another “mother” told how she had found her “daughter” who was abandoned as an infant on a pile of garbage. She took the baby in and has raised her as her own. But things are difficult. Sometimes they are hungry. They have no place to call their own to live. But her daughter is in 7th grade, and the future looks brighter because “Catarina”* is receiving an education, thanks to the investment of a Hope for Children sponsor.

Hope For Children sponsors are making a difference in children’s lives one child at a time, and the results of their important work are easy to see.

*Not her real name to protect her privacy.

Casita Adonai Children in Guatemala Say "Thank You"

“Leslie came running across the room and threw herself into my arms when she saw me,” exclaimed Ann O’Dell, director of Hope for Children. “The last time I visited Casita Adonai Preschool, Leslie cried the whole morning. No one could comfort her! Today, Leslie, smiling, energetic, and unafraid, pictures to me the success of the preschool for children living on Hurricane Hill in Guatemala City.”

The barrio, a refuge for persons displaced following Hurricane Stan, continues to be home to some of the neediest people in Guatemala. Families crammed into makeshift dwellings of zinc, wood, plastic and cardboard live for days and sometimes weeks with no access to potable water except from the reservoir at Adonai Wesleyan Church. Sanitation facilities are almost non-existent.

As an outreach ministry of the church and assistance from World Hope International donors and Hope for Children sponsors, the Casita Adonai (Little House of God) Preschool was started in January, 2006, with 20 preschool children. Today 40 children are enrolled in one of the three classes taught by qualified teachers. Volunteers assist with activities, meal preparation, cleaning, etc. While the children are in school, mothers have time to work for a few hours a day, thus increasing each family’s income.

The cheerful classrooms and the nurture of caring professionals make this a haven for the children who once roamed the streets or huddled in their shacks with nothing to do. The children and staff are eager to say, “Thank you,” to World Hope International’s donors for helping to establish their school and to sponsors who are investing in the life of one of the children.

Children Treasured Gifts

“Look! A book,” exclaimed a Nicaraguan child to his friend as he eagerly looked into his gift pak. School children in Nicaragua treasure the gift paks they received recently from World Hope International volunteers. School supply and hygiene items met needs and a small toy, book, or six marbles brought smiles to the faces of children who live in one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere.

The gifts were hand-delivered to the children by eight volunteers who traveled to Nicaragua with suitcases loaded with the gift paks. During the week in-country, over 800 gift paks were distributed. “Our church has participated in this project for several years,” said one volunteer. “But it’s great to actually see the impact of the gifts. I’ve picked up ideas for things to include in the gift paks next time, too.”

World Hope International collected over 15,000 gift paks assembled by churches and individuals for distribution in Nicaragua, Haiti, Azerbaijan and South Africa.