Continuing Projects and Mourning a Loss to the Community

We received tragic news that a woman in the community has passed away under gruesome circumstances over the summer. I will not post her name or details publicly, but she does leave behind several children in desperate need of basic necessities including food. Several of us are asking for donations so that we can sustain a monthly contribution to the children throughout the upcoming years. Women in the community are particularly vulnerable to violence and we are starting to coordinate with organizations which can help provide protection for these women.

On a cheerful note, the leaders of the artisan project were able to meet with a non-profit in Guatemala City this fall, who provided us with a very useful training session and taught us how to further develop the goods for sale so that we can broaden the market for them. The artisans also met and decided on an updated pricing structure that is community-based. Artisans produced several new items to test on the international market, so we are hopeful that this will facilitate interest in the community and also help with fundraising efforts.

Over the past year, donations to the community have been used to provide every family with blankets, to help repair leaky roofing, to build two new rooms onto the school (so now there are 3 rooms to the schoolhouse), and to provide physical education classes, and occasional travel funding for those conducting advocacy work in Guatemala City. This year, we are focusing our fundraising efforts to continue repairing roofs, expand the school, provide for the orphans' basic needs, begin a pilot project to start using solar ovens, and develop the artisan project.

In the U.S., interest in the community has been growing, and we are grateful to all of the people who have put in volunteer time and made donations to sustain this project. There will be upcoming fundraising events in Minnesota that we look forward to with a lot of hope for increased involvement.