Family Food Basket Homework and snack time. If not at school, kids work.
	Mick and Katy, whose sponsor is Jessica Roesmischer seen here at The Scheel Center. Parents who do not see the value of education let their kids work. Our Kindergarten Program was integrated into our Sponsorship Program in 2013
	Miquel thanks his sponsors, Joanna and the Canberra Integral Study Group (with a little  language coaching from us!)
	Debora speaks of giving surprises to kids who have never known  them and of winning volunteer of the month at The Scheel Center.

An aspect of education here in
Guatemala is to show parents
the value of education.
When education is valued, then 
the girl in the photo above could
go to school instead of just 
collecting firewood to sell.
.



The front yard of a home
shared by 3 generations.



Another visit to the
home of one of the kids 
from The Scheel Center



Another home visit. Kitchen
is left rear, one room for
10 people on right.


Room for 10. 


Brothers not yet in school





Integral - Second Quadrant
: The 'We' / Relationship

The overall goal of the Integral Heart Foundation Sponsorship Program is to
provide children between the age of 4 and 12 with access to educational 
opportunities and good nutrition which will promote healthy mental, 
emotional physical and social development.

We know each one of the children in our sponsorship program personally.
One of the roles of our Sponsor Liaison is to foster a person-to-person
relationship between our children and our sponsors.

Click for most recent photos


Lunchtime at the Integral Heart Family School.

As with each one of the kids who have entered The Integral Heart Sponsorship
program, we have visited their homes and families to learn about their needs
and to educate them on the responsibility of having a sponsor. Their hopes rest
on the generosity of a sponsor to make the potential we see in them a reality.

With your sponsorship a child can attend school. This literally keeps them off
the streets and in an environment where learning, love and potential replace
the lure of doing nothing, menial labor or even a life as a gang member.

With your help, The Integral Heart Foundation offers a chance to break the cycle
of poverty through its Sponsorship Program, in which each child receives:

- The ability to attend one of our kindergartens, a public school, or one of the
  after-school projects with whom we collaborate.
- A monthly protein basket, meant to supplement the nutritional needs of the
  entire family.
- Additional help when needed, with clothing, shoes, medicine, school supplies,
  and as is the case with several of our sponsored families who need emergency
  support because of frequent flooding and landslides during the rainy season.
- The opportunity to interact via live video  with their sponsors as way of
  boosting their self-esteem and self-confidence.
- The invaluable opportunity to lift their entire family out of poverty by learning to
   value education over manual labor and eventually completing their education
   giving them the opportunity to proceed to university if they so wish.

In Guatemala, many after-school programs exist because children between the ages of
6-11 years attend public school only in mornings, while teens do so in the afternoons.
This is the result of an infrastructure shortage which makes it necessary for them to
share classrooms.  With the help of your sponsorship we can ensure that these children
attend one of the after-school projects with whom we collaborate so that they are not
idle or getting into trouble during their free time. Most of these after-school programs
are provided by other non-profit organizations.

The Integral Heart Foundation collaborates with a number of social organizations
in and around the city of Antigua Guatemala. These organizations work in the
areas of education, health-care and community development, day care centers,
and construction of housing, schools and clinics. We select beneficiary families
and individuals in co-operation with these local partner organizations.

WHERE YOUR SPONSORSHIP GOES:
In Guatemala, a teacher in a public school earns $300 per month and a Police 
Officer, after thirty years of service, will earn about $550 per month. As you
can see, a sponsorship of $35 - $55 per month will go a long way.

$55 p/m primary level child sponsorship:
– 25% on food to family, 25% on shoes/clothing/medicine,
50% to the after-school project.

$35 p/m for tot sponsorship:
– 50% to  the after-school project, 50% on food to family.  

WHY WAIT
A CHILD NOW!

Aside from educating children, the challenge also lies in inspiring the parents
to realize that education has value. 

Since we know each of the kids personally, we are using these funds to ensure
their continued education. Families qualify for sponsorship thru a four page 
interview document that allows us to determine which families simply need help
and which need and actually want help.  Your support will empower the potential
of those who truly want to benefit from this opportunity. 

Your donations will also be used to purchase school supplies, clothing and shoes
as are so often needed. In many cases we take the kid and their family to the local
store to buy them enough food to get through to week's end. 

As the children begin to graduate, your support will pay for transport to school or
college, college entrance exams, or any other necessities such as doctor’s exams
and personal hygiene products.

Sponsor videos: with your support we can all make many smiles!

SPONSORSHIP CLUSTER

-  Ask 4 or 5 of your friends to join you in sponsoring a child

-  Each person commits to $5 or $10 per month

-  Together a cluster can change a life!


ABOUT ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE WE WORK

The Scheel Center is a school and community center, which opened in 2008.
It is built on a former landfill (dump) that abuts a slum called Vista Hermosa 
(Beautiful View). A beautiful view indeed, as you can see, in some  of the 
photos in the left sidebar below.

A view up the hill slum from the roof of the Scheel Center. 35 mins. walking to the top. 300 families live here in constant threat of mudslides & earthquakes.

A labyrinth of corrugated tin and cinder blocks.

The view from about half way up Vista Hermosa of Antigua in the distant valley below. The distant volcano is Volcan de Aqua. (click photos to enlarge)

The Scheel Center is where Debora spent almost two days per week from 2010 to 2012,
giving her time teaching English and Evolutionary Philosophy, doing Big Mind with the
kids, the moms,  and the staff and handing out food to the moms. On certain Fridays,
Debora still treks up the hills to check in on some of sponsored families.

In October, 2010 Debora was honored as volunteer of the month.


Deb with teachers and directorTeacher's DayIf not at school, kids work.



About us:

The Integral Heart Foundation is focused on connecting hearts and has no religious or political affiliation. We are currently working on the ground in Guatemala, aiming to overcome poverty by allowing children and their families to dream through education and will expand our work to other Central American countries as we establish a successful, flexible and scalable model.


About Guatemala:

43% of children under five are chronically malnourished, one of the highest malnutrition
rates in the world. More than half of the population is below the national poverty line
and 15% live in extreme poverty. 

Poverty among indigenous groups, which make up 38% of the population, 
averages 76% and extreme poverty rises to 28%.

Guatemala is a republic. It is 108,890 square kilometers (42,042 square miles), that’s
about the size of Virginia, half the size of the UK and a little bigger than Ireland.
Guatemala is the next country south of Mexico and with a population of 14 million
people, it is the second most densely populated country in Central America.


Please support our work and education programs by making a donation below:
The Integral Heart Foundation is a U.S. Registered 501(c)3 non-profit.