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Sponsorship in Guatemala

CFCA’s most extensive outreach is in Guatemala, where more than 90,000 children and aging persons are sponsored in two projects. A large number of programs are coordinated through a regional office (the Hermano Pedro project) in San Lucas Toliman. The regional office also serves as a retreat and resource center for CFCA sponsors and visitors.

San Lucas Toliman is also home to CFCA’s co-founder and president, Bob Hentzen. Through CFCA’s outreach in Guatemala, sponsors are offering hope by making education, nutrition, clothing and medical care possible in the lives of children and aging persons.

In Cerro de Oro, a site served by the Atitlan project, 50 children were attending school when CFCA sponsorship began in 1982. Now, there are more than 1,500 children studying through junior high school and beyond. Teachers who were educated with the help of CFCA sponsorship as youth have returned to teach in the community.

In Guatemala City, sponsorship provides children and the elderly with balanced nutrition, clothing, medical care and spiritual formation.

At a program site in Chimaltenango, a two-hour trip from the Hermano Pedro coordinating project in San Lucas Toliman, families of sponsored children receive basic food supplements every three months and help with educational costs, health care, clothing and spiritual formation.

In the Pedro de San Jose Betancur tradition, sponsored children and aging persons suffering from physical and mental illnesses receive care at the Hermano Pedro Hospital in Antigua.

There are several students in Guatemala who benefit from the scholarship fund. Hermano Pedro assists approximately 2,660 scholarship students, and Atitlan 300 scholarship students. Tuition, books, shoes, uniforms, transportation and food are provided through the scholarship fund.

Sponsor a child in Guatemala

About Guatemala

Guatemala is located in northern Central America, and is bordered by Mexico to the north and west; Belize, the Caribbean Sea, Honduras and El Salvador to the east; and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The country is made up of 22 departments, which are comparable to states or counties. Known as the “Land of Eternal Springtime,” Guatemala has more than 750 species of orchids and a great variety of animals and birds.

A large part of the population of Guatemala is concentrated in and around Guatemala City, centrally situated in the highlands. This mountainous area makes up about a fifth of Guatemala’s land surface. The rest of the population is scattered in isolated areas on the Pacific plain, the Caribbean lowlands or the forests, surrounded by a string of volcanoes and numerous lakes. The terrain varies from lush, green jungles to arid, desert-like valleys.

The major occupation in Guatemala is agriculture. Very little industry exists. Farming methods and equipment are primitive for poor families. The land has become sterile from overuse and yields only meager crops. Consequently, to support their families, small farmers are forced to contract out as seasonal laborers for large landowners.

Coffee accounts for more than 30 percent of the country’s export income. Bananas, sugar and cardamom (a spice) are other major exports. A fall in international coffee prices led to the loss of an estimated quarter million jobs in the latter part of 2001 and early 2002. In addition, severe drought conditions in Guatemala resulted in food shortages that caused thousands of children to suffer acute malnutrition.

The people

Life in Guatemala’s urban areas is a blend of North American culture and traditional Spanish values. Much of Guatemalan food, clothing and entertainment are a mix between the two cultures. Guatemalans in rural areas follow more traditional ways in their beliefs and values. More than half of all Guatemalans are descendents of the Mayan civilization. While urbanization is growing, most Guatemalans live in rural areas.

Though the official language is Spanish, it is not universally understood among the indigenous population. The peace accords signed in December 1996 provide for the translation of some official documents and voting materials into several indigenous languages.

Houses are often primitive in structure. Electricity, sanitary facilities, running water or other amenities are scarce in rural areas, and water sources are often contaminated.

The government of Guatemala must cope with rising unemployment and the problems of enduring poverty, illiteracy, inadequate housing and lack of medical care. Long-time political and social unrest, plus violence over human rights issues have stifled Guatemalans’ chance at any significant increase in the standard of living.

The majority of Guatemalans are Roman Catholic. Many of the Mayan Guatemalans have combined indigenous traditions with Roman Catholicism. Special attention is given to the Feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15, Guatemala’s patronal feast day.

Education

Only 43 percent of children attend secondary schools in Guatemala, and only six years of education is compulsory. Although the government has attempted to build more schools and hire teachers to improve the relatively low literacy rate, the impact in the rural areas has been minimal. Even if a school is nearby, many rural children must forego attending to work in the fields; still others simply cannot afford the fees to attend.

With CFCA’s assistance, many parents are able to send their children to school. Schools in the Atitlan and Hermano Pedro projects are in session from January to October.

Investment in education as mandated by peace accords has helped to improve the quality of education in Guatemala, as well as resources from organizations such as CFCA and from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Sponsor a child in Guatemala

Sources:

World Factbook

MSN Encarta Encyclopedia