World Abundance

I returned from Guatemala on Monday, spending four of the most amazing days of my life there. I felt so alive. I felt so much at home. That’s the only way to describe it.

I first want to recognize and thank Daniel De Leon of Grand Capital. None of this would have happened without his kind heart and giving spirit. Daniel adopted a school-building project a few years ago and has made personal donations and sacrifices to it. When he started this project, the schoolhouse was mostly made up of tin walls and tin roofs. The children had no bathrooms. They sat on boxes. Daniel donated the desks the children now use. And now, together, we’re finishing the project he started. We’ll be adding classrooms, bathrooms and a playground.

The school name is Panima’bey in Comalapa, a small town about 60 miles outside of Guatemala City. The 36-year civil war that recently raged through Guatemala highly affected these people. During this war, many Guatemalans were killed, including many men from this small town. This tragedy left mothers without sons, wives without husbands, and children without fathers.

The school we’re building will help support some of these mothers and children. Not only will it serve as a school for educating the children, workshops will also be held in the evenings to help the mothers develop artistic skills and trades.

The school principal said something to me that made me realize how important this school really is for these children, and how important a school is for every child. She said that if it wasn’t for this school, the young boys would be working in the fields (at the age of five or six) and completely missing their education. The young girls would stay home and learn to take care of the family. A child’s education is so important, and there are so many in this world that need help to gain one.

I also want to take a moment to thank Francesca and her brother, Carlos Roberto. Francesca and Carlos have been working a lot during these last few years with Fundemi. Because of their hard work, we were able to participate with a huge toy drive involving thousands of toys and children in many places. Also, with Francesca and Carlos, we had the opportunity to meet the mayor of Guatemala City and his wife, Patricia. Not only is Alvaro Arzu the mayor, he is also the former president of Guatemala. Patricia started an amazing project when she was the first lady and continues that project today.

Her major focus has been the children of Guatemala and she has done many amazing things to help them. One of the major problems has been the number of children begging for money in the streets. If things couldn’t get any worse, they also have the problem of children working in dumps. I know that’s hard to comprehend. It’s even harder to see. Many men and families have no choice but to search the dumps for salable items. Instead of going to school, the children work the dumps with their parents. Patricia has made a major leap in developing day cares for these children. It’s not perfect, but it’s a major improvement.

The trip to Guatemala was such a blessing for me. I am so grateful for this opportunity and so grateful to be a part of such an amazing organization.

Jeremiah