Change a Life, Educate a Child

Dear Scheel Center Friend,

Thank you so much for your past support of our “second chance” school! Because of generous donors like you, low-income Guatemalan children have the opportunity to get the education they need in order to break the cycle of poverty that their family has lived in for generations.

Let me tell you the story of one of these young men that is currently living his second chance. José is 20 years old and is originally from the department of Jutiapa, Guatemala. His family moved from town to town throughout Guatemala in search of better work and educational opportunities until they finally decided to live in Antigua, Guatemala. José’s biological father left his wife and children to be with another woman and started a new family with her without a care for the children he left abandoned.

José’s mother also decided to re-marry and had two more children with her new husband, making a total of 5 children to take care of. After a few years José’s step-father began to drink and to physically and emotionally abuse his family. José was greatly affected by this change in his step-father and began to get into fights at school.

As soon as he came to the Scheel Center José began to receive the benefits of the program such as psychological therapy, legal support so that the step-father would no longer abuse them, as well as vegetables, clothes and shoes and, perhaps most importantly, an education.

This year José has shown great improvement. He has changed his attitude and gets along better with his family; he even helps his siblings with their homework. He is now in 7^th grade and is thriving. His mother is also receiving psychological support and has joined the Mother’s Club so that she can receive benefits from Asociación Nuestros Ahijados. José is very thankful for the support and education that the Scheel Center gives him and he says that he wants to be a teacher when he grows up. He also says that he is happy that his family is no longer being abused.

José’s story is just one of many stories of Scheel Center students who are getting not only the education that they need but also the medical, dental, psychological and legal support that they need in order to break the chains of poverty. Once again, thank you for your support and for giving José, and others like him, hope for the future.

Sincerely,

Kendell Martell

Director of Benefactor Services

Asociación Nuestros Ahijados de Guatemala, ONG