Dear Family and Friends,
Hello! I am hoping this letter finds you well. As always I am looking forward to summer, but this year I am a little extra excited! I have been given the amazing opportunity to travel with a team of educators and healthcare professionals to two impoverished communities located in Guatemala City and Chiquimula, Guatemala.
While there, our team will provide training to educators, healthcare workers and other community leaders who rarely, if ever, receive professional development opportunities. Guatemala’s population of 15 million is one of the poorest in Latin America. Nearly 25% of the country’s population is illiterate, ranking Guatemala 174 out of 194 countries in terms of literacy rate. The average schooling in Guatemala is four years and only three in ten children graduate from sixth grade. It also has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition in children under five in all of Latin America. There are approximately two doctors per 16,000 people in the garbage dump community of Guatemala City.
Our team will be working with a fantastic organization called the Potter’s House. The Potter’s House has been providing support for over 11,000 children and their families that live on a garbage dump in Guatemala City for over 27 years. Because of their strong ties within the community, we will be visiting homes and learning about the challenges faced on a daily basis.
Now for the hard part...Would you consider making a small donation to help this work? Because this is a volunteer service trip facilitated by the non-profit organization INGAGE Unlimited, all donations are tax deductible and can be made online here. Just select my name from the drop down menu for team members. Verbal and spiritual support are also very welcomed and appreciated!
I look forward to sharing our experiences with you. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions, comments, or stories to share about an experience you’ve had with a trip of this nature.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration!
With gratitude-
Julie