Please Give This Year

    As many of  you know, I have spent the past two and a half years here working with the neediest and most deserving populations: the orphaned and profoundly handicapped abandoned children   here in Guatemala City.  Our foundation currently employs a staff of five:   one  Physical Therapist, Carmen Marie Guatebein and four nurses aides (Nineras).  Our foundation has also  funded and participated in a wide range field trips, educational initiatives, hydro therapies  and sports activities such as the Special Olympics.

 Since we started this ministry in March of 2009 our focus has been to supplement the basic care these children receive from the Guatemalan Government. There are approximately 80 children in residence and the Government has approximately 45 full time employees. Our modest contribution of five staff is a help to the center, but the ratio of adult supervisors to children remains woefully inadequate. It is now our hope that the newly elected Guatemalan Government will significantly increase staffing to more adequate levels. As such, it is our intention to continue to expand our staff and programming. 
 
 One of our more significant  projects  has been the opening of, “Rincon de Suenos”  a pre-school like setting for  18  of smallest and most vulnerable children. The objective is for them  to spend their days in a safe, creative and stimulating environment.  Through generous gifting we have been able to re-design and decorate the largest available work space in the center. We opened the school with two teachers and one Ninera.  The physical space is terrific and local friends have donated educational toys and materials. Unfortunately, the ratio of teachers to children is still quite low and the amount of time spent individually with each child is less than optimal.

    Part of this  mission’s  vision has been to create a charity that assures donors that 100% of their gifts goes directly to serve the children and their caregivers. We have been fortunate to be able to tell people that all administrative and overhead expenses are covered by  some  generous gifts from a  Family Foundation. That  same foundation also  covers as much as 50% of the operating budget.  The monthly expenditures is based primarily on one metric; the number of women  employed.  We view this as a two for one investment:  a) we provide employment to impoverished single Moms and b) the children in the center receive far better care.  The Nineras continue to earn about $250.00 per month and our Physical Therapist earns about $400.00.   As you can imagine the $250 salary for the nineras is a large step toward leaving the lowest levels of poverty,  but they still live an extremely modest lifestyle.  Food here is nearly as costly as in the United States and the population adjusts to that difficulty by eating very simple meals or rice and beans with very little high protein content foods.

   Please  click here   Click for Website Fundaninos    and read how we are thinking about our threefold mission and challenge. Also please visit out blog for more insight into out activities and the day to day challenges the children face. In this letter we refrain from highlighting the heart wrenching anecdotal stories of some of our saddest and most difficult cases. Suffice to say, that we think that  these children’s lives remain some of the most  complex, heartbreaking and meritorious for your consideration.

Please consider giving to,  “The Orphans of Guatemala, Fundaninos.”  We are in the midst of planning programs and ministry for 2012 and are trying to expand and improve services for the children.

Please send Checks to :    Fundaninos   ℅ Jamie Waller 4 Franklin Pl.  Summit NJ 07901-3617