Improving health of 500 Guatemalan school children

Thank you for your ongoing support of the work that we do in Santiago!  Although the direct effects of the pandemic have passed, the impacts to the education of children and socioeconomic repercussions in Santiago continue. We returned in July 2023 and are excited to share updates from our work and some of the pictures that we took on this trip. 

In July, our team of volunteers returned to Santigo as part of our bi-annual health screening.  We saw 541 children in 4 schools and provided measurement of height and weight, checking hemoglobin for anemia and providing the children with deworming medication.  This work helps to supplement the weekly health education provided by our team of health educators.  

Fundraising in 2023 has been challenging to say the least.  We are committed to continuing the work that we began in the community of Santiago and hope that you will support our work this year.  With your support of this program, we support health educators, supply a daily multivitamin, twice yearly antiparasite medication and the supplies to do health screenings for over 500 school children in Santiago.  

Please consider making a donation this Giving Tuesday or any time now until the end of 2023.  All donations directly support the work that we do in Santiago.

Dear Supporter of Mayanza,

We are excited to share with you that our team will return to Santigo next week for another busy and fulfilling week of work in the schools. 

This week was the community wide fair that honors the namesake of the town of Santiago, the "feria de santiago apostol".  From music, to dancing, beauty contests, rides and special food, the fair is an event for the whole community. Most children attend this celebration with their parents, and these celebrations go on for many days into the wee hours of the morning.

So, we decided to bring our team down the next week and increase our chances of more children attending school and receiving the benefits of our health screenings. We will continue to screen for anemia, check growth and offer de-worming medications in an attempt to prevent anemia. 

Why focus on anemia?  Long-term anemia effects the growth and development of children, physically and mentally.  Children who grow and develop healthy go on to become a source of economic stability in their families which in turn affect the rates of poverty, abuse and malnutrition in the community. 

Help us to break the cycle of anemia, a contributing factor in poverty in Guatemala!  We need your support to continue this important work in Santiago.  Please consider making a donation today.

Thank you!