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This is Alba – her favorite color is green, she likes to play with dolls, and her favorite Bible Story is Daniel & the Lion’s Den. In many ways, she’s like any other 6-year-old.  But Alba hasn’t had it easy. Abandoned by her mother, she lives with her grandparents. Their home has a dirt floor and an outhouse, and they cook over firewood. Alba didn’t go to school last year because the money simply wasn’t there. As a descendant of the Qeqchi tribe, Alba could have easily become another statistic of poverty-stricken, indigenous girls who don’t get a chance at an education.  You’re building a brighter future for kids like Alba! This year, Alba graduated from grade 1. Her favorite subject is math, she’s made some friends, she likes singing in school – and when she grows up, she wants to be a teacher!  Our build a brighter future campaign for school construction and educational programs makes it possible for kids like Alba to go to school!  (And, until the end of the year, your donation will be matched, thanks to $75,000 of matching funds!)
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Still looking for a few last minute gifts? Our Christmas Gift Catalog features seven gifts that you can give to make an Impact – with no wait times, no missed deliveries, and no trip to the mall needed Today, we’re going to look more closely at the impact you can make through a gift of health. It’s an ideal gift for any nurses or doctors on your Christmas list – or, for that matter – for anyone with a heart for those who are hurting.  Whether it’s the treatment of injuries and common illnesses, training in healthy living, or opportunities to pray to the Great Physician, the gift of health impacts both body & soul. Our clinic reaches out to our students and their families, our staff members, families from our churches, as well as other Q’eqchi and Poqomchi people in the surrounding villages who otherwise would not be able to afford much-needed medical care.  What can your gift of health provide in Guatemala? You’ve seen a couple examples in our gift catalog, but here are some more:
 Do you have a computer in your home? in your workplace? in your classroom? Needless to say, most of our Vida students don’t go home to houses filled with technology – yet, like everywhere, more and more jobs in Guatemala require digital proficiency.  “Many of the children who study in our schools have not had contact with a computer, let alone have a computer at home,” says Impact Ministries Guatemala IT Director, Norman. Vida Chijacorral has been incorporating computers into the high school English program – teaching two marketable skills, the English Language and Computer Literacy.  “The project has been very good,” says Norman, “students are very interested in their English class, and of course, have a more extensive contact with technology. I feel excited to give that group that opportunity!”  More recently, a donation of computers has allowed Vida Chijacorral to introduce the technology to their upper elementary students. “It was a special moment to be able to see the children each with a laptop in their hands,” Norman tells us “and, since then, the interest to learn.”  Impact Ministries is hoping to expand the computer program at Vida schools. Check out our Christmas Gift Catalog to see how you can help span the digital divide – $250 can put a computer into a Vida classroom!
The complications of bringing computers across borders – and the need to have some consistency when teaching – prevents us from accepting most computer donations, although if you are a business with a bulk donation of laptops, we invite you to contact us. What does it mean to build a brighter future for children in Guatemala? Let me tell you about 15-year-old Zoila, who wants “to help needy children, providing love, and to fulfill the purpose that God has for my life.”  Zoila now has goals for her future – to graduate from high school, to get into college to get a career, to help her parents, to help in the ministry of her church, and to follow God always. Zoila has transformed from a child who had to repeat grade 2 because she didn’t complete her homework, into a teenager with an admirable attitude and good performance in her studies.  “Academically, she is an outstanding student” says her teacher, “and she seems to take pretty good advantage of everything they are giving her.” Like many of our students, Zoila comes from a low-income family. Her father earns low wages at the quarry, and her mother works odd jobs such as buying vegetables to resell at the market, and taking in washing. But they are doing the best that they can by their four daughters, all of whom have graduated from elementary school and have been studying in the high school program at Vida Chijacorral.  Zoila's elementary graduation In a country where girls often have to drop out to help their impoverished families, having Vida schools and educational programs allows girls like Zoila to stay in school, and to see a future for themselves.
Until the end of the year, donations to our Build a Brighter Future Campaign will be matched dollar for dollar! Will you help build a brighter future for students like Zoila? |
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