The need for an orphanage

A post from Vicki Dalia

Well we are home from Guatemala and I have a ton of stories to tell. Uploading pictures for a blog is difficult down there so not many got done, but a tremendous amount of work got done. I will start with one that continues to impress upon my mind.

This is Carla. She was abandoned by her mama and papa and is being cared for in the room of her grandmother. She does not receive much care. Safe Homes For Children provides all her formula and clothing. When I saw her in January she could not turn her head as she has not been held much. When I brought her to my house to bath her and cuddle her, it was obvious she had not had a bath in her 4 short months.
There is a tremendous shortage of quality orphanages in Guatemala now with adoptions shut down completely. Many children are being abandoned or severely neglected. Ones like Carla. This weighed heavily on my mind. I had a dream down there that we opened an orphanage. Two days later, my husband had a dream that we opened an orphanage. I have talked with other orphanage owners who are also from the USA and they have told me the government is much more supportive of their efforts now. We have met with our attorney and he says our paperwork is in order for us to open an orphanage. The next step is twofold: hiring Edy Tum, the top social worker in the country, and the one other USA  orphanage owners work with. He will get everything done that needs to be done before we open our doors. It will take 6-8 months and cost $6000.00. Edy wants $3000.00 of it up front, but he is worth his weight in gold in this area. Then we need to add a third floor to Casa de Sion.
We bring in money from our volunteer teams and want to build the third floor for them. The first floor would be for 24 orphans and the middle for the Director and bodega.. This will cost about $50,000.00. Then I figure about $70,000.00 a year for the day to day running of it. Our business is improving and we will donate part of that profit, but we want partners to do this with us.

PLEASE HELP CARLA AND OTHER CHILDREN LIKE HER TO HAVE A HOME WHERE SHE WILL BE LOVED, PLAYED WITH AND EDUCATED. WRITE ME AT 20.vicki@gmail.com today and we can talk about your involvement or agree to sponsor a child for $300 a year or just donate for the building or bring a team down to build. But do something.

thanks
Vicki Dalia
PS. we are not abandoning any of our other projects, just adding another badly needed one

Blessed are those who help those with Special Needs

There is no safety net for the poor in Guatemala.   While there is a National hospital system that does help without cost, it is not free because of the many other services that are often beyond the pale for most of the indigent in Guatemala.  You must bring your own food to the hospital, medicines and auxiliary procedures are not necessarily free and you must have a family member be the nurse because that service is not included.  Neither is transportation or the cost of an overnight stay if you are not being treated in-hospital.

With this knowledge and a heart for the many special needs kids that come to our programs, we try to help get medical treatments for the poor that we often take for granted in the States.  For you that support a medically fragile child here, know that sometimes you are literally a lifesaver but always a good Samaritan.

On Vicki’s first visit to the Momma’s and Tot’s program this year she had a ready line of those asking for help.  First was Eli (his name is way too long to write).  He was two months old and his head was the size of a basketball—hydrocephalus.  The mother was young, poor, with one other child and no husband.  She had been to the National hospital once already and they had drained the fluid from his head.  The incision was visible.   Since the fluid returned he was going to need a shunt but she didn’t have the money for a return visit nor the series of visits it would take to treat this condition.  Vicki gave her Q100 for travel as well as two cans of formula because she had no milk of her own and obviously could not afford formula on her own.   She lives in a village next to Godinez.

Next was Flavio, the 5 year old, blind Downs boy that Peter, our Boston pediatrician, has seen several times.  Peter recommended a professional examine and the child has diagnosed with cataracts.  Again his family is VERY poor. (Dominga checks these things out for us.)  The next step for him before he can be considered for surgery is an appointment to get an echo-cardiogram since Downs kids often have weak hearts.  That procedure is Q275.

Eduardo was next.  His parents have been regulars at our programs for years.  He needs a hearing aid that we hope Peter can come up with.  Meanwhile, we have a faithful donor paying for his transportation one day a week to go to a special school for the deaf in nearby Panajachel.   His mother would like for him to go every day and is willing to do the leg work if we can find a sponsor to pay for the other days.  Sorry his picture was in the shadows as he has the sweetest, most humble eyes of any child I can think of.

This was just an average day in a land with abundant need.  If you’d like to help any of these situations or any of the numerous others that are going to pop up, let us know.

I have given the money for the preliminary needs knowing I could trust you to make the donations to replace it and also knowing I did not have the words to turn them down. 

thanks for the help

Vicki

To help these and many other children please click on the DONATE button.

A sad but true reality!! We can make a difference one child at a time.

UN: Guatemalan Children Still Facing Sexual Exploitation, Forced Labor 

http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/un-guatemalan-children-still-facing-sexual-exploitation-forced-labor/18248/ 

Please help our fight to help educate these children. Donate today by following the link below. The change begins with help from people like you. 

http://www.guatemalachildrensproject.org/sponsor.html#donate 

Want to volunteer? Please contact us, we are planning our 2013 adventure.

Lots of Moms (as posted by Joel Greer)

Today we had 54 mothers with 98 children and numerous infants. It was a big day and we used every bit of food and still needed to raid our fridge for a few leftovers that we had there. Today we distribute formula and encaperina to all the moms. And this is only half of them. The remaining moms come on Thursday cuz the group got so big we had to split it.

Before lunch all the moms were treated to a demonstration on making some sort of handicraft that they can make themselves and sell. We are always looking for ways to teach mothers self sufficiency as well as other pertinent topics.

While the moms waited, our wonderful volunteer finished interviews and pictures so that we now have a fantastic database of all of our moms and kids with birth dates and other important information. Andrew created a terrific program that allows us to monitor the progress of each family over time and has made it so anyone can update and add new mothers. This will be a vaulable tool here at Casa de Sion.

Everyone lined up for lunch and enjoyed very much the hot nutritious meal our cook, Dominga prepared. It's a miracle we are not all fat with the great cook we have. But then it seems that natural whole foods with no preservatives and sugar don't tend ot make you fat regardless of how good they are.

Dominga is always here and never slows down. She cooks, cleans, serves, directs, delegates, manages programs and just about everything here at Casa de Sion.

Most of the moms and kids sought out some shade in our warm sunny weather here in Guatemala. It was a great day and everyone went away full and satisfied. It was a great day.

Maria Comes Home Posted by Joel Greer

 

I have written recently about Maria who lives in Nueva Victoria, a community far from the main road, high in the mountains. Maria nearly lost her foot due to an infection caused by her inability to walk which left her dragging her foot in the dirt with crutches too small. The infection was so bad that most feared her foot could not be saved. Maria could not walk due to a very common disease in Guatemala, Spinal Bifida, which is due to a lack of certain nutrients during pregnancy. With the highest rate of malnutrition in the western Hemisphere, Guatemala also experiences extremely high rates of many other diseases as a result.

Several people helped out and we were able to get Maria to a hospital in Guatemala City where, through some fortuitous connections, she was able to have surgery and have a membrane placed over the hole in her foot. Our only cost was transportation for the mother back and forth to the hospital and food and medicines. She spent a good month in the hospital. The mother was able to stay part of the time but with seven other kids at home, she had to return regularly to Nueva victoria.

 

Today Maria and her mom were released from the hospital to return home, much to everyone's joy. Maria has progressed well and although she will need considerable therapy, she is whole and all that helped are to  be thanked. We all have great expectations for the future for Maria.   Posted by Joel Geer 06Oct11


We here at Guatemala Children's Project wish to thank all who have supported Maria through this miracle with your prayers and financial help.  This young woman surely would have lost her foot and quite possibly her life without your help.  You are truly her angels.  Thanks!!

Maria needs your help

Hello friends

Please be warned that some the pictures in this post may be graphic due to the medical condition of Maria.

I am writing you today with a sad heart.  It has been brought to our attention that there is an 11 yr old girl in the Village of Nueve Victoria who was born with out being able to use her legs. She has had to crawl everywhere she needs to go.  Because of this she has not experienced what it;s like to run or play.  Some time ago she has injured her foot and the wound will not heal.  It is very infected and she need medical attention very soon.  We are raising funds to help Maria and her mother travel to the capital to receive this medical care.

If you are able to help with any amount we will all be very grateful.  Our goal is for this young woman to live a long healthy life full of love and happiness.  Please help by donating today.  Just click on one of the donate buttons.

Nine new Mamas and 21 new Children From Chipop as posted by Vicki Dalia

Our mama/toddler program is growing like crazy. Way too many starving people in this country and what mama wants to see her little one starve. last Tuesday on distribution day we had 47 mamas and 88 children 1 to 5, 20 0 to 1 and 35 over 5. On Thurs. at the same program just for another group of woman and kids we had 37 mamas and did not count the kids. I added 4 more mamas and kids two days ago. Precious. A 5 year boy with CP who is being raised by his grandma and can't walk or talk , but he sure can do a pretty smile. Another women who is blind, has 5 kids and was pregnant with no. 6.
These nine women and their 21 assorted kids are all from the pueblo of Chipop. it was a difficult decision about whether to take them as they are known as a community of bandits. But they were there and the children's faces are sweet and you can't blame the kids for the parents, so we took them. Hopefully it gave us a measure of protection. From the bottom up , here are the women, some of the kids and the number of children they have.
1. Estela Dias 2 children
2. Ismelda Chavez. 5 children one of which is Wendy who has Juvenile Rheumatory Arthritis. Thanks to a medical student we were able to give her Prednizone to help control this for Wendy.
3. Juana Perez 5 children
4. Rosenda Martin 2 children
5. Vidalia Sicay 1 child
6. Gloria Sancales 1 child
7. Maria Keju 2 children
8. Estela Lopez 1 child
9. Candelaria Martines 2 children

Five new Mothers added to Our Program

Our mama/tot program in Los Robles is very popular. One of the only places that moms can get formula and incaparina for their hungry children and a meal for themselves. Last Monday we had 4 new mamas join. Here are their pictures. Yesterday we had two more join. I do not have pictures of them yet. One of them was a mom with 6 children ranging in age from 3 months to 14 years. The infant who was with her was one of the most ragged looking infants I have seen. Her husband kicked her and the 6 children out of the shack they were living in so he could move in a new girlfriend. Her 14 year old son is working to provide the only money coming in. This family needs your help. Can someone please sponsor them? We also need many more sponsors as we now have 69 [ not including these ] mamas and their kids. My husband who believes in a budget says no more until we have sponsors. I, who have to look in their hungry eyes, say they can join. Not good for my marriage. Please think about committing to $20 a month to help one mama and her family. Ask your relatives to help. You will receive a picture and a short bio. Another family that was at the program yesterday Joel wrote about and did a blog on when he was here. They walk for 2 hours to come to the program. They have 3 month old twin boys, the cutest 2 year old girl, a 4 year old, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 14 years old. The dad was hurt in an accident and can not work long hours doing physical labor. He grows some corn and beans to feed his family. They have no school supplies for the 5 in 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 grade. One of the twins is severely malnourished. I paid their transport for them to come to my house yesterday to go over in detail what they were eating. The tiny one was only getting 3 ounces a day of nourishment. I fed him a 4 oz. bottle and he drank the whole thing. I sent them home with formula, bottles, newborn kits and tuna fish for the older children. They were so grateful. They desperately need a family sponsor. And I need advice from you medical people on what to feed the twins to put weight on them.
Lots of suffering down here and lots of work.  Please give anything you can today.  Your help is needed!

DONATE NOW!


Vicki Dalia
Safe Homes for Children

The Eyes of Hunger

As I get ready to return to Guatemala, these are some of the children I will see and relate to. I will actually look in their eyes, not just see them from these pictures. They are real people suffering the real pain of not enough to eat. I need your help to help them. Please look in their eyes and see if they are telling you to help. I know when I see them again, that is what they will say to me.

To help you can push the donate button or click here to send send a check. 100% goes to these and other children. We still need more sponsors for our mama/tot program. $20 a month for a year feeds and gives supplements to one mama and her infant and toddler children.

Vicki Dalia
Safe Homes for Children
01/10/11

Food needs For 2011

Bad Omens for 2011 – FOOD-GUATEMALA

By Danilo Valladares

Food distribution from Safe Homes for Children

GUATEMALA CITY, Oct 16, 2010 (IPS) - Guatemala needs to take steps to prepare for even worse problems of hunger in 2011, caused by climate change and farmers' heavy dependence on a few basic crops like corn and beans, experts warned on the occasion of World Food Day, celebrated Saturday.

"The phenomenon of La Niña is expected to last through 2011, bringing extremely heavy rains," Eddy Sánchez, director of the National Institute of Seismology, Vulcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology, told IPS. "Extreme climate conditions will continue to be seen over the next few years."

La Niña is characterised by cooler than normal sea surface temperatures and unusually strong trade winds in the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean, which often bring torrential rains.

El Niño and La Niña are opposite phases of a Pacific Ocean cycle that affects temperatures in the ocean and the atmosphere above it. They repeat every three or four years on average, and are the extremes in what is known as the Southern Oscillation.

Mothers and children waiting for dontions

The proportion of malnourished people in Guatemala rose from 15 percent (1.4 million people) in the 1990-1992 period to 21 percent (2.7 million people) in the 2005-2007 period, according to the "Panorama de la Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional en América Latina y el Caribe" 2010 (Overview of Food and Nutritional Security in Latin America and the Caribbean).

Honduras and Nicaragua, meanwhile, reduced their malnutrition rates from 19 to 12 percent and from 50 to 19 percent respectively, in the same lapse of time, the report adds.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) study released this week warns that the food security situation in Guatemala, as well as Bolivia and Haiti, is serious.

The production of corn, the main subsistence crop in this Central American country, has declined due to the impact of climate change. The projected harvest for the May 2010 to May 2011 period is 28 million quintals, while average annual consumption is 40 million quintals, according to the United Nations agency's office in Guatemala.

Sánchez said that in order to counteract this situation, the country must adopt measures to adapt to global warming, using flood- and drought-resistant seeds, and diversifying crops, for example.

The situation has not been easy for Central America, especially Guatemala, one of the poorest countries in the region. Half of the population in this country of 14 million people lives below the poverty line and 17 percent of Guatemalans are extremely poor, according to U.N. figures.

Tropical storms Agatha, in May, and Alex, in June, and torrential rains in this year's rainy season left more than 100,000 people homeless and caused serious damages to roads and other infrastructure.

Paradoxically, the main problem in the region last year was drought, which caused severe losses in grain crops, and even the malnutrition-related deaths of at least 54 children in Guatemala.

Furthermore, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala are still feeling the effects of the devastation caused by hurricanes Stan, in 2005, and Mitch, in 1998.

"We are entering a more alarming stage," Roberto Cabrera, with Action Against Hunger, told IPS. "We have had three years of virtually continuous shocks since the 2008 global economic crisis, the drought caused by El Niño last year, and the excessive rains this year."

The expert said small farmers have not had "a single successful harvest season" due to the erratic climate conditions, which "this country is not prepared for."

This year's heavy rains caused crop losses mainly in the south and the west, while the so-called "dry corridor" in the centre and east of the country continued to suffer the effects of drought and the food crisis, although there was less crop damage, Cabrera said.

Guatemala needs "an integral government policy that creates alternatives which would free farmers from having to grow corn and beans, their main sources of livelihood," he said.

Sucely Girón, with the Food Security Observatory, told IPS that it would be very important to "put a priority on food and nutritional security" when the government budget for 2011 is being discussed.

She called for strengthening the Secretariat of Food and Nutritional Security information system in order to map out where the hungry are located, and for the earmarking of funds for the institutions that make up the National System of Food and Nutritional Security.

These institutions were created by law in 2005 to promote policies and mechanisms specifically designed to fight hunger. However, they have not yet had tangible results.

Girón also said it is necessary to invest in studies to explore other possibilities of subsistence for people in rural areas, such as tourism. "People cannot continue to depend on the cultivation of corn," she argued.

In addition, "crop diversification must be promoted, as well as the use of agro-forestry systems," or the combination of agriculture with the planting of trees, to optimise production, she added.

Gustavo García with FAO Guatemala also commented to IPS that alternative sources of income in rural areas must be explored. But he stressed that access to credit must be improved in order to do this, because "many farmers would like to diversify their crops, but don't have the means to do so." (END)

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Posted by Vicki at 3:21 PM