Raising Hope for Healing Survivors

Our Empowerment and Protection Programme will commence in 2026 with significant updates, welcoming Shara Barrios Carrillo, our new Psychologist and Empowerment and Protection Programme Coordinator, and Karla Garcia, our new Empowerment and Scholarship Programme Assistant. Together, they aim to infuse the programme with fresh energy, building upon the foundation laid in previous years while introducing innovative strategies to enhance the programme’s growth and effectiveness in serving our target population.

Shara brings extensive expertise as a psychologist specializing in both clinical and forensic fields. With years of experience in clinical practice, university-level teaching, working with victims of violence, managing nutritional programmes, and developing psycho-social and empowerment workshops, her background is a valuable asset to the programme. Alongside her, Karla Garcia, who is finalising her degree in social work this year, contributes her experience working directly with the population served by Nuestros Ahijados over the past 8 months, further strengthening the team’s capacity to meet community needs.

Our Empowerment and Protection programme is dedicated to supporting women, men, boys, girls, and teenagers facing vulnerable situations through a comprehensive approach. Its strategic pillars—prevention and interruption of violence, parenting education, and social and economic empowerment—are designed to promote the full exercise of rights, family well-being, women’s economic autonomy, and the transformation of their living conditions.

All services provided by the programme are completely free, aiming to improve the quality of life for those served. Additionally, we collaborate closely with other areas within the organization to ensure holistic support is delivered to families in need, working together to offer the highest quality assistance to vulnerable populations.

This year we are starting up a new School for Parents. The School for Parents workshop is being implemented to support parents and legal guardians who are part of the programme, as well as individuals outside the programme who are interested or have been referred by the court or social services. The School for Parents is designed to guide parents and guardians in parenting, offering tools to improve communication, positive discipline and the integral development of children. It works through workshops, talks and reflection forums to share experiences, address challenges of each evolutionary stage and strengthen the family bond without violence. This semi-monthly programme consists of 18 sessions spread over a nine-month period, beginning on March 3rd, 2026. To accommodate different schedules, the workshop will be offered in two time slots: one in the morning and one in the afternoon, considering the needs of parents who work or have other commitments during those times.

This year we will also be continuing many of the workshops and courses offered last year, such as our basket making and jewellery courses and the social empowerment workshops on topics such as self-esteem, the cycle of violence, women’s role in society, sexual and reproductive health, responsible parenting and life planning, among others. These workshops are planned to start in March 2026. This year there will also be workshops directed to children from our Dreamer Center looking at their emotional improvement, with workshops on emotional expression, knowing yourself, respect towards others and many more.

We also plan to continue our alliances with other organizations such as ASOGEN, SVET, ECOSABA, DIGEEX and ALAS GUATEMALA to continue with the programmes developed in previous years.

Finally our weekly vegetable distributions will continue to support an average of 200 people each week. Women in need, as well as elderly people, are benefited through the distribution carried out by the Association thanks to the funds raised by cooperatives, private companies and the valuable support of national and foreign volunteers. The supplies collected during the week are delivered every Friday directly to the most vulnerable people as part of an ongoing humanitarian intervention. This effort is made possible by the commitment of the organization's team and volunteers, who coordinate and carry out these acts of solidarity continuously, reaffirming the association's commitment to the well-being and dignity of those who need it most.

Already this year, in addition to the vegetables, 534 packs of supplies of collected materials have been delivered — including food, clothing, groceries and other essential items.

In recent years, the programme has made a significant impact on improving the quality of life for beneficiary families through targeted actions focused on personal empowerment, economic autonomy, and the strengthening of emotional, family, and community well-being. By implementing technical training, psychosocial interventions, and providing access to essential resources, participants have been equipped with vital skills to transform their environments.

Looking ahead to 2026, with the new team in place, it is anticipated that the programme will continue to build on these successful processes. The goal is to expand the population served and introduce new initiatives that will further enhance the comprehensive care ANA strives to provide to all beneficiary families.