Joining Hearts - Empowering Dreams through Sponsorship and Education
UNCOMMON PROJECTS
Directed and Funded by The Integral Heart Foundation
Antigua, Guatemala (502) 7832 8076: U.S.A. 1 801 783 5207

Donor Newsletter - October 2010

 

The best part of this work is not just about giving, in learning lessons in receiving, in asking for help and permission, but most of all in humility.

To open our arms and receive a hug, a small penciled picture or a piece of pineapple from someone who has nothing, has no price at all.

And, though we all have sad and bitter memories, we also have happy ones. We are working with children every day in Guatemala and no matter how bad their situations are, they always have the brightest smiles every time they see us. Very few have happy memories to cling to and fewer are anticipating surprises.

For instance, just earlier this week, after the most beautiful smile and the biggest of hugs, Rosita’s expression turned to a sad grin and then she began to cry.

She told us that her dad was drinking heavily every night and hitting her mother on regular basis. We asked Rosita about herself and her four brothers? She confessed that he was also abusing all them.

Her oldest brother, who is 13, after having seen enough of the abuse taken by his mom, jumped on top of her father to try to stop him… That was a really bad idea, she told us, because it compelled an increase in the violence towards all of them including the little ones who are 3 and 4 years old.

But, this time Rosita had another particular worry. Her mom is having surgery next weekend and she will have to remain in the hospital for two or three days. Rosita was desperate, because her father had been drinking heavier than usual and now she was not going to have her mom to protect her or her siblings.

She could only talk to us and the psychologist at school, as she desperately pulled on Debora’s shirt, her eyes full of tears, begging for help.

Rosita is not an isolated case; she is just one more in the statistic, one more number. She is luckier than most, because she also has a sponsor, and that brings attention to a pattern that can only be changed through the education and support of the newer generations.

And, like Rosita, as soon as you think you’ve heard a really sad story you realize you are wrong. It’s simply the beginning. All the kids we work with have a past and present of horror, terror and pain, lived out to a significant degree on dirt floors.



Every story we hear is even worse than the previous one, sometimes it seems as if there is no end of oppression or how much one human can damage defenseless others.  And, yes, it’s an age old story, but until now, rather irresolvable.

We are working towards a better future for these kids. When Rosita has children she will be able to instill compassion, love, and care in them. She will not only treat her kids as human beings but she will also protect them from unnecessary suffering.

This is one of many reasons why we see the urgent need for our next project, which is called The Integral School.

To educate a new generation of children like Rosita, it is necessary to show her that there are different choices other than violence, submission and abuse. Maybe she will be a pioneer of a new Guatemala.

It’s only been, ten months since we arrived in Guatemala, but we are proud to say that the ideas which brought us here have already taken form, emerging out of the many hours of work, passion, tears, smiles and laughs, with children, mothers and families with the help of sponsorships, donor support, training, and a whole lot of love.

And Rosita… she and her siblings spent the weekend with an aunt. This was arranged by the school and they also delivered the aunt extra food. So, all is well , for now.