Reading hours, youth concerts, school exchanges and more.

Your support has made possible a number of new initiatives and activities that are encouraging our students' academic and social development. Plus, we are happy to introduce our new website, where you can find even more regular updates on programs, and more in-depth information on conditions in Guatemala. Read on to learn more.

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News from Guatemala

Special activities led by new staff members

In the last few weeks, students and staff in the Antigua area have enjoyed a number of special activities designed to increase student participation, foster self-esteem, and build relationships among students. They have been led by new staff members of our School Partner Initiative, Antigua library, and Youth Support area.

A student enjoys a game that involves wet faces and corn flour.
School exchange
Sixth graders at our two partner schools, San Miguel and Santa Catarina, participated in a school exchange, led by Paty Gomez, our new school partnership coordinator. Students corresponded via letters and then came together for an activity rally, where they participated in a variety of ice-breaker games and enjoyed a dance performed by San Miguel students. Explains Paty, "The idea was for the kids to be able to make friends in other communities." Read more and see additional photos here.

Youth concert
Junior high and high school students recently enjoyed a youth concert, organized by Rigoberto García, the new youth support coordinator. Rigoberto recently returned to Common Hope after coordinating our first youth group programs in 2000-2005 and then gaining valuable experience managing an extensive youth program for another area non-profit. Says Rigo, "The concert was a great way to let kids know about the activities that we have here for youth." Read more and see photos here.

Jacqueline reads to students.
Reading groups
And both students and staff have enjoyed activities led by Jacqueline Figeroa, the new promoter of reading and creativity at the Antigua library. Jacqueline was hired to help students of all ages discover the joy of reading and the wealth of resources available to them at the library. Among Jacqeline's early initiatives have been a daily children's reading hour and a biweekly staff reading group. Read more and see photos here.

Help Angela become Doctor Perez

Fourteen-year-old Angela Perez and her family joined Common Hope this spring a short time before tropical storm Agatha hit. The family's home sustained major damage from the storm, but they received support from Common Hope to make repairs.

Angela's mother, a housewife, has a third grade education, while her father, currently unemployed, studied through eleventh grade. He is receiving medical care from the Antigua clinic for heart and blood pressure issues.

Angela has a goal of not only surpassing her father's education level to get a high school degree. She wants to continue on to medical school to become a doctor. If you can contribute $1 or $2 per day to help Angela become Dr. Perez, please click here or contact Jessie at (651) 917-1045 or jessies@us.commonhope.org.

Interview with an intern

Caroline McGee, Guatemala Communications Coordinator, recently sat down with sponsored student Silvia Gutierrez for an interview. Silvia is interning at Common Hope's accounting office as her last requirement before earning her high school degree. See an excerpt of the interview below and the full interview on our blog.

Silvia at work

How did you decide

you wanted to study accounting?

At first I just sort of randomly chose it. Then I realized that I really like numbers.

Is there anything that has made completing high school a challenge for you?

The programming class was really hard for me. I used to not be very good at computers -- I had to work hard and make an effort to learn it. But I got through it.

What made you want to come back to do your final internship here?

I was really happy to come back, very excited. More than bosses, Xiomara and Claudia [Common Hope account staff members] have been friends -- it's a pleasant environment. I also really like the organization, and I like to learn new things. They have taught me a lot, like how to have better control over the numbers in accounting.

When do you graduate and what are your plans for the future?

I graduate at the end of October, and I plan to get a job and also study auditing at the University on Saturdays. I applied for one of Common Hope's competitive university scholarships.

To read the full interview, click here.

Introducing our new website

We are very happy to introduce our new website, where you can find even more updates on our programs in Guatemala, and more in-depth information about conditions in-country.
Click here to visit.

Supporters in Action

Doug Wahnschaffee

Golf tournament a success

The first annual golf tournament was in all regards a huge success, raising nearly $10,000 for Common Hope. Due to rain, the tournament was moved to a week later, a day that proved to be perfect for golf, 70° and sunny.

Doug Wahnschaffee from Access Point Technologies earned the honor of two closest-to-the-pin prizes. He walked away with a domestic airline ticket, donated from Deb Streese at Carefree Travel, and a Vision Team experience for two, donated by Common Hope. Eric Soderholm from AbeTech achieved the longest drive, winning a new bike. And the team from Access Point Technologies earned the best score, winning four tickets to a Wild Game, donated by tournament sponsor Tom Blindt of Cobra Imaging.

Special thanks to the AbeTech staff and CEO Steve Schmidt, who announced that the Drive Out Poverty Tournament will one day be the most sought after golf tourney in the area. In a short time, Chris Eliason and co-workers put together a wonderful event, complete with prizes, a buffet dinner, and games. Many of the AbeTech employees sponsor a student and have traveled to Guatemala, so working on the details of the tournament was a heartfelt endeavor for them.

Many thanks as well to Cobra Imaging and all hole sponsors (see sidebar). All of you made the event enjoyable and successful. Many golfers said they are already looking forward to next year's tournament!

You Can Help

Change in our supply drives

Common Hope has made a change to our supply drive efforts. Over the past year, our number crunching has shown that the full costs involved with accepting donated items -- sorting, storing, shipping, and importing -- are often greater than the full price of the items purchased in Guatemala.

With these thoughts in mind, we are limiting the list of items we will accept. We will still accept a smaller list of items, mostly school supplies that can be cheaply and easily carried in suitcases to Guatemala, but we will no longer broadcast a monthly need. You can find the revised list of needs on our website, and we ask that you review the list before deciding on your future supply donations.

Another way you can ensure students have the school supplies they need is to give a monetary donation to our School Supply Fund. This will be used to purchase school supplies in Guatemala. Thank you for your commitment to ensuring our students have the school supplies they need to be successful!

Position openings

Common Hope is seeking a new accounting manager for the St. Paul office. This is a full-time position. Interested or know of any good candidates? Click here for more information and help us spread the word.

We are also still recruiting a physician to serve as a full-time, long-term volunteer in our Antigua clinic. Ideally a yearlong commitment, the position includes a stipend for living expenses.

And, we have short-term volunteer opportunities for dentists and early childhood teachers.

For more information on all of these positions, visit our website.