How it all began: We went to have our weekly leadership coaching class with Lys Flores,
the project director of Semilla de Esperanza y Amor in San Mateo Milpas Altas, Guatemala, where the first
kindergarten is now located. She told us that day about a very particular and most needy case...

She told us about these three kids who needed help. Luisito (7),
Jimena (3) and Chente (1.5) who were just abandoned by their
mom; the father never was in the picture. The mom decided after
having three children that she had the right to look for a husband.
Her kids, of course were a big hindrance for her future plans, so
she simply decided to drop them at her mother's home and to
completely forget about them. The first day we met Luisito,
Chente and Jimena for the first time, this is what we saw:

< Click to enlarge photo: No shoes, ever!

Now, back to our story. Dona Julia, the children's grandma, has 10 children in total including a girl, Grecia who was
6 years old and Minor who was 8. Most of the older boys are alcoholics, and the older girls are single mothers who
live with their babies in some part of Dona Julia's compound. The only ones working are Dona Julia and her
husband who earns $65 per month at his job as a security guard.

Luisito, Jimena and Chente were living in this environment surrounded by many irresponsible adults. The only one
who was taking care of them was the grandma, Dona Julia. But, she also had to work all day, picking up wood in the mountains to sell in the market, for almost nothing, in order to provide for everybody. As you can imagine, when
we first saw them we knew we had to do something and that to simply supply the family with food wasn't enough.

Luisito, the seven year old (left)
could not attend the school
because he had to take care of
his two siblings. So Chente and
Jimena's situation was
precarious. Not because
Luisito didn't love them, but
simply because he didn't know better. They were all living in
a very sad and unhealthy
environment with no chance
of a better future. It was out of
their situation that the Kindergarten Program was born; out of the need to offer youngsters like these ones the
chance of education and better life. 

The picture above was taken about six months after these three kids started in the kindergarten. Luisito can go
to public school because his siblings are attending this program. They only continue to improve!