Sponsorship staff have started to affiliate primary school children at our new satellite in San Rafael. Rocio Gonzales, San Rafael Satallite Coordinator, recently conducted an introductory session in the school courtyard which was filled with parents eager to learn about Common Hope. One group of mothers was so impressed, they asked to fill out applications as soon as Rocio had finished speaking.

Since then over sixty families in the village have chosen to partner with us. Rocio says,  "It was very exciting to see the faces of curiosity about what Common Hope does and their hope to receive support."  Staff will continue to meet with teachers and parents to learn more about the needs of the community and prepare for the new school year beginning in January.

Education staff kicked off a new mentorship initiative this year.  Although common in the states, such programs are largely unheard of in Guatemala.  Common Hope's education staff recognized the need, and now university students are being paired with younger students who are at risk of dropping out of school.  Finding participants was a challenge at first, since this is a new concept, but gradually the idea is taking hold.

In a recent parent/teacher meeting for the mentor program, a father spoke highly of the benefits for his son, who had been struggling in school. "He's doing math that they simply didn't teach when I was in school. ... He needs help that I can't offer."  The father also spoke about the importance of the friendship provided by his son's mentor.  Thankfully, the tangible benefits of the program are helping parents to appreciate its purpose.  According to this father, it's a program more kids and their parents should experience.

September 9 was election day in Guatemala for President, Vice President, 158 Congressional representatives, and 332 municipal council members. After a notably contentious election season with violence exacted on a number of political candidates, election day was relatively peaceful. Since no presidential candidate took 50% of the vote, the top two contenders, Álvaro Colóm and Otto Pérez Molina, will compete in a run-off election on November 9.

In Guatemala, all high schoolers must complete 200 hours of work experience in order to graduate.  This year Common Hope received seven interns who worked in a wide variety of areas including administrative support for our Country Director, Tamalyn; sponsorship; and systems.  Their tasks varied from completing inventories, translating letters, compiling statistics, registering new affiliates, and much more.  Having completed their internships the seven young women -- some of whom were affiliates of ours -- are a step closer to becoming the graduates of 2007.  We thank them for their hard work!

Interns (from L to R): Alicia Aída Campos, Andrea Barrientos, Miriam Mendez, Mindy Fabiola Ramos, Gladis Alicia Elías, Mildred Elizabeth Díaz, Flory Aracely Alonzo.

Recent Vision Team volunteers helped add a little color to our youth program. Grupos de Interés is a program of educational and supportive groups that encourage students to develop skills in leadership, communication, and critical thinking, among others. Members of Penny Bartzen's MN team brought the supplies necessary to make tie-dye t-shirts and spent an afternoon creating colorful apparel with the youth. Other teams have interacted with students through cooking activities, games, and art projects.