Humanitarian Aid in Guatemala - Child Sponsorship
OUR WORK IN GUATEMALA
As more and more Guatemalans migrate to cities looking for work, jobs and housing become increasingly scarce. The consequences of economic scarcity and poverty are felt most keenly by children, and the consequences are dire: Illness, malnutrition, and deteriorating environmental and social conditions. Illiteracy is also high in these communities with only 50% of children entering primary school completing eighth grade. Perhaps most troubling of all is the alarming increase of orphaned and abandoned children who will face a life living on the streets or in an under-funded institution with no hope for a permanent family.
The Guatemala Child Sponsorship program was initiated by our attorneys in Guatemala as a way to keep families intact and combat the consequences of poverty among children living in Guatemala City's barrios, or ghettos. Children from families living in extreme poverty are enrolled in the program. They generally come from singleparent families and range in age from 1-12 years. Mothers typically have several children, and work at low-paying jobs or rely on government assistance to help support their families.
Today, the lives of more than 150 children have profoundly changed through the generosity of sponsors whose monetary contributions provide children with care and education they would not otherwise be afforded. The program funds food, clothing, medical care, and education. All sponsored children who are old enough are required to attend school. Their progress is closely monitored by our staff in Guatemala who track the child's progress and offer support to the whole family.
With the closure of adoptions in Guatemala, child sponsorship is even more critical to keep families intact. Hundreds of children living in Guatemala City's barrios await support through the sponsorship program to give their family an opportunity to break the poverty cycle. Many mothers face an ongoing desperate struggle to provide for the most basic needs of their children and are forced to consider relinquishing their child to under-funded institutions. For these mothers, child sponsorship may be their only hope. Given the dire situation of at-risk children in Guatemala, child sponsorship remains one of the most successful models for protecting a child's future.
Learn more about child sponsorship in Guatemala.