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A Student In Need
needs a sponsor so he can have the supplies to attend school. Luis comes from a very poor family where the seven children and mother help the father sift sand from the river to sell. They have already lost four children to illnesses, and Luis and his siblings are now in danger of malnourishment. He was allowed home to the family, after being taken to an orphanage, on the condition that he would be properly fed and looked after, but the family cannot earn eno ugh to guarantee this each day. Sponsoring Luis's education would not only provide him the resources he needs to continue to attend school and ease pressure off his family, but it would give him the skills to break this poverty cycle. Sponsorship for Luis costs only $30 per month or $360 per year. If you are interested please email us.
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Sponsor an Elderly
A-54 Cecila Bocel went blind four years ago and relies on her sister's grandchildren for support. She has no other family, and her sister died when they were young. Often, the entire family of five kids, their parents and their great-aunt share the single meal received from Mayan Families. To make a huge difference to her life, sponsor Cecila at $35 a month, or donate for some of her needs. If you are interested, please email us.
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Greetings!
Welcome to the Mayan Families June/July 2013 Newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading about our recent activities, and ways you can get involved and help.
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"Why I Support Mayan Families" by Angela Grussing
Angela Grussing is a dedicated member of Mayan Families. She has two adopted children from Guatemala and is currently on her fourth service trip here with her group, Nuestros Ninos. Angela offers us a firsthand account of why she helps Mayan Families, and three pieces of wonderful advice for existing and potential supporters.
"1. If you have the time and resources, come and visit Mayan Families headquarters in Guatemala. It is not a scary place at all, and the opportunity to build a relationship with the people here is incredible. If you sponsor students already, seeing how they enjoy their schooling and how grateful their family is for their child's education reminds you how worthwhile it is. If you were considering sponsoring, seeing the beautiful children and forming a personal connection makes you feel closer to them and more willing to help. Additionally, seeing the family in their own home gives you a full picture of their life and ideas of other ways you can help. This trip we built a house and installed an oven for an extremely poor family of ten who were living in a house made of cardboard and beds with no mattresses (pictured). They were so happy, it was beautiful to witness.
2. Fundraise for a cause you believe in and witness the changes your donations make. We do various activities in our community such as change for chickens in our kids' schools, garage sales and selling Guatemalan Tipico handicraft. Once we managed to raise $10,000 US before coming on a trip to Guatemala!
3. Actively spread the word in your community. Through this method I have been able to start a nonprofit myself, teaching children about doing service, offering a chance for them to help the people of Guatemala and instilling a sense of pride in their roots. Mayan Families helps us make this possible through their programs supporting, developing and empowering the lives of so many people who live in poverty."
For more information on visiting us, contact our volunteer coordinator.
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Muchas Gracias for the 'Día de la Padre' Gifts
On June 16th, Mayan Families celebrated Father's Day with the hardworking and honorable fathers, men and some hardworking women who play the role of both parents around Lake Atitlan. Thanks to generous donations from our sponsors, 158 food baskets and bags were delivered to underprivileged families, elderly men and our orphan families that otherwise would not have been able to honor the important family members in their lives with a proper meal. The baskets contained enough food to feed a family of ten, and included essential ingredients for preparing everyday traditional local recipes. Thank you for helping make this a memorable holiday! To purchase
food donations for a family in need, visit here.
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Rain or shine: Summer holidays in Guatemala
Summer in Guatemala means sunny mornings, rainy afternoons and a lot of visitors! Global Hands of Healing, medical mission volunteers from Texas, visited us last month to provide health and vision care to suffering and impoverished residents of Nahuala and Chuk Muk, Solola. With an entourage of physicians, nurses, translators and other volunteers as well as a fully stocked pharmacy, the team impacted the lives of over 500 people in just three days.
Another team, Without Walls Dental and their vision clinic from Florida, endured the pouring rain and dangerous roads to seepatients in Nahuala, Chichicastenango and Panajachel to offer them fillings, cleanings and extractions. We are so grateful for all their enthusiasm, help and compassion.
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Mayan Families Women Empowerment Program
Mayan Families will be running beauty school classes as part of a project to empower women to create their own source of income by equipping them with a new skill. Susan Maybry, an experienced beautician of over 20 years, will train ten participants for six months beginning with manicures and pedicures. Thanks to the help of donated start-up capital for equipment and construction, the Mayan Families Spa is due to open to the public later in July and is adjacent to the MF Headquarters in Panajachel.
Mayan Families will be accepting applications for the beauty school classes soon and we are currently looking for sponsors for these women - this is a great opportunity to empower a woman in need to provide for herself and her family! Please let us know if you are interested in helping.
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Anciano Stories
Filmmaker Nisa East and our family aid coordinator, Megan, collaborated to create a moving video of interviews with members of our elderly care project. The video (click the image) features sponsored ancianos Celestina Simion, Gregoria Perez and Ramos Cumes, as well as unsponsored anciana Cecila Bocel (see 'sponsor an elderly' section for more info).
A book compiled of many of our ancianos is now for sale! The book features beautiful photographs taken of the elderly by talented photographers Rob Bain, Hiroko Tanaka, Rhett Hammerton and Nisa East, and stories written by ancianos coordinator Megan Gette. You can preview and purchase a copy of the book here. All profits go to the Elderly Care Program.
This is Megan's last month at Mayan Families and we are so grateful for her hard work in growing the Ancianos program. Thank you and we wish you the best of luck!
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Spread The Word
We are so grateful for everything you have done and contributed. We couldn't have done this without you. However, we still need more help with student sponsorship, family aid, our nutrition program and other projects that better the lives of those we work to protect.
Here's how you can help:
Share this newsletter on your Facebook or other social media tool.
Forward this to your friends, they would love to hear from you.
Mention our causes next time you are among influential people.
Group together with relatives and friends to donate to one of our funds.
Come visit us in Guatemala and create a project you, and above all those you help, will never forget.
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Volunteer and Internship Opportunities
We could use your skills and expertise, whether you're in Guatemala or at your own home! Check out our listings here or email us.
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Donate To Support Our Work
We could use your help, and every bit counts. You could sponsor a student to complete school this year, feed a family who have no means to eat otherwise, put a roof over a house or provide a bed to a family in need, fund medicine to sick individuals or fulfil other needs to reduce a struggling family's daily hardship. View all our donation options here.
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Read more about individual projects on our dedicated blogs:
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