Educate 300 Guatemalan Children

When Sofía joined the preschool class in our Dreamer Center School in January 2020, she became the fourth child in the family to study there. Three of her older sisters were already studying at the school; Anelis in fourth grade, Terecita in second grade and Naomy in first grade.

The family had gone through hardship the year before. In early 2019 the girls’ mother had been diagnosed with cancer and within two months passed away. It was a huge shock to the whole family, as the illness affected their mother so rapidly. Their father, José, was left to look after six girls by himself, the youngest of whom was only a few months old. Matters were complicated even more when the oldest sister, Daniela, decided to go to Guatemala City and live with her aunts rather than having the responsibility of caring for her younger sisters.

This situation left the family in dire straits, as José had to find work in order to pay the rent and put food on the table. He was able to find a job working as a waiter in special events, although this means that he has to work long hours and the children are often left alone or with their grandmother. It is 12-year old Anelis who takes care of them in the house, cooking and cleaning as well as ensuring that their homework is done.

At the school we have taken measures to support the family during this time. We accepted in Sofía early so that she could have somewhere where she was well looked after during the day. We also changed our school hours for the family so that José could pick up the children and take them home rather than leaving them to walk by themselves. Through our sponsorship program in the Project we have found people who are supporting the family, including a sponsor who is looking into building a house for the children so that their father does not have to work as long to pay the rent.

The girls all enjoy being in the school where they have lots of friends and are making good progress. It is important for us to provide a safe and welcoming environment where the children feel confident and happy. We have a psychologist available to work with the children in the Project to make sure that they are mentally healthy as well as physically, and our staff regularly visit the family to make sure that they are safe and well.

All the girls have ambitions for the future. When Sofía grows up she would like to be a police officer, Naomy would like to be a decorator, Terecita would like to be a vet or a doctor, and Anelis (Jasmín) would like to be a teacher. We will continue to work hard to help those ambitions become a reality.

Links:

• The GOD'S CHILD Project
• ITEMP
• Atkinston Center