Child Protection Guatemala Project #12401

Homes for Homeless Families in Guatemala

by The GOD'S CHILD Project

Homes for Homeless Families in Guatemala

Project Report | Jul 12, 2016
A tough choice for Jose

By Rina Lazo | Director of Donations

Jose's house before

The families that the GOD'S CHILD Project builds homes for are hard-working families that are trying their best to make improvements to their living situation but for most of them, because of their lack of education, they are unable to get steady, well-paid jobs that would allow them to better provide for their families.

Jose is the father of one such family. Jose, his wife and their five children lived in a house made of cornstalk walls and a tin roof with a dirt floor. During the rainy season water would enter the house making everything damp and uncomfortable. Jose and his oldest son were the only ones working to support the family of seven and both earned very little money which meant that Jose was faced with the tough decision of either making improvements to the family's home or sending his children to school. Jose says "I chose to send the kids to school because I want them to have a better future. I want them to have the opportunities that I never had."

Upon visiting the family the GOD'S CHILD Project could see that Jose was doing everything that he could to help his family so we decided that they would be good candidates for a home build. At the ceremony to hand the house over to the family the family showed their gratitude with words of thanks, hugs and some tears for the help of the GOD'S CHILD Project and our volunteers who helped make their dream of a new home a reality.

Thanks to donors like you we are able to provide safe, healthy homes to families like Jose's in Guatemala. Please consider making another donation so that we can continue to help these families achieve their dreams. Of if you are interested in becoming part of a build team and seeing the work we do first-hand please contact ServiceTeams@ANAGuatemala.org.

With Gratitude,

Rina Lazo

Director of Donations

Some of Jose's family in front of their new home

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Apr 15, 2016
A new life for Francisco and his family

By Melissa Schroden | Director of Special Opportunities and Donations

Francisco's son Javier in front of his old house

Before the help of the GOD´S CHILD Project Francisco never could have dreamed of better living conditions for his family. Like many Guatemalans, Francisco was unable to go to school when he was younger because his parents couldn't afford it. Because of his lack of education the only work he can find is as a day-laborer which is an unstable job and makes very little money. With the little money that he makes Francisco has struggled to support his wife and three children with the very basics. In their village of Parramos people believe that girls should learn to be wives and mothers and have no need to go to school. Because of this Lucía, Francisco's wife, also lacks the education necessary to find a decent paying job and stays home to take care of their 3 children.

When the GOD'S CHILD Project visited the family they were living in poor conditions in house made of wood and old sheets of metal with a dirt floor. The house did not protect the family from the elements especially during the cold and rainy season and the children would often get sick. The GOD'S CHILD Project decided to help the family with a new home because it was clear that there was no way that Francisco could afford to improve his family's living conditions on his own. In March of this year a team of volunteers helped build a new, safe, and healthy home for Francisco and his family. Francisco can now rest easy knowing that his family will stay dry this rainy season and can use any savings he has to invest in his children's education so that they can have more job opportunities when they grow up.

Thanks to the support of our volunteers and donors the GOD'S CHILD Project was able to provide a new home and a brighter future to Francisco and his family. Please consider sharing Francisco's story so that we can continue to help other families like his.

The family & volunteers in front of the new home

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Mar 16, 2016
A Safe Home for Cristobal and His Family

By Melissa Schroden | Director of Special Opportunities and Donations

Cristobal and his family next to their old home.

Dear friends,

Thank you for your ongoing support towards building families safe, warm, and comfortable homes in Guatemala. We are pleased to share this story of a house you helped build with your generous donation to the God’s Child Project.

Before the help of The GOD´S CHILD Project Cristobal worried about how he would provide for his wife, Ana, and their five children and protect them from the elements. Cristobal works as a day laborer since he does not have the education necessary to find a better paying and more stable job. This made it very hard for Cristobal to put food on the table let alone save up any money to make improvements on their home. Ana takes care of her children and doesn’t work outside of the home. Because of the family's economic situation two of the children don’t currently go to school.

The family used to sleep in a makeshift room mostly made up of sheets of plastic with a few sheets of metal which barely protected the family from the elements, especially now during the cold months, causing the children to get sick often. The family doesn’t own any home appliances and barely even has a dresser to store their clothes. The rest of their clothes are stored in bags.

In February of 2016, The GOD´S CHILD Project volunteers were able to build the family a new home thanks to the help of donors offering monetary support for the building materials and volunteers willing to work along side one of our skilled laborer.

Cristobal and Ana now live in a home with sturdy walls and a concrete floor. For the first time, the family also has a door that locks to keep them and their five children safe.

There are many families in Guatemala in a situation similar to Cristobal and Ana’s. Thanks to donors and volunteers The GOD´S CHILD Project has been able to provide new homes to over 1,000 families in Guatemalan villages. With your generous contributions - we can continue to provide many more!

We hope you will consider sharing this families story, and your donor story with others so that we can continue to raise funds and build homes for more families like this one.

Blessings,

Melissa Schroden

Director of Special Opportunities and Donations

The GOD’S CHILD Project | ITEMP (Institute for Trafficked, Exploited & Missing Persons)

“Breaking the chains of poverty through education and formation”

Guatemala | El Salvador | Malawi | India | United States

All five children enjoying time together.

The family, service team members, and the NEW HOME

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