What an amazing year it was! Our blogger has been away from it much too long, instead focusing on Social Media updates. For the faithful readers that get updates via our website or through blog content delivered by email, this is meant to catch you up! We are so excited to share this update!

January 2021

To begin the new year, we provided seed money to start or grow six businesses in our newly developed economic development program. Three of them were brand new. And, three of them extended business models already in existence. The first to be implemented actually met with the most success and quantifiable results. In Chulumal Tercero, Olga used a small gift of $700 to improve her existing roadside French fry business.

The French fry cart that she had was a little shabby looking, but the enclosure where she operated was even more rundown. With the funds provided, a new “galera” (food stand) was built and the food cart was scraped and repainted. In addition, the funding allowed Olga to purchase a refrigerator to serve cold beverages along with the French fries and tacos that were served from her cart.

After the construction and refresh was complete, there was a grand opening. As a result of her efforts, she saw an immediate increase in business. Moreover, she started entertaining catering orders! Her profits increased quite a bit and before long she had saved enough to begin construction on a simple adobe home! Congratulations Olga!

February 2021

With the school year just underway, many schools we support were requesting help providing the students with hand gel, sanitizers, face masks, and other equipment that helped them clean and sanitize between each class session. In Cantón Río Camanibal and Cantón Xabillaguach, Guatemala Service Projects provided the requested supplies.

The staff in at both schools REALLY loved the “bomba” because it automated the spray of the sanitizing mist and made the disinfecting job much easier and faster! Amazing!

March 2021

In March, our travel team had the pleasure of being present for the grand opening of the community “pila”. The large wash basin stored the potable water being channeled from the nacimiento (clean water source) and in each of the four corners was a concrete ridged basin for scrubbing clothes. What an improvement over scrubbing clothes over rocks in the river!

This project involved several months of hard labor, including digging trenches to lay the pipe for the entire distance from the clean water source to where the pila was constructed. We used labor brought by the albañil in charge of the construction crew. In addition, men from the community contributed to the efforts.

April 2021

Although we didn’t officially become part of the Global Community Outreach family of nutritional rice recipients until later in the year, we had some boxes shared with us in April. Thanks to our partner in Santiago Atitlan, OSDIFGUA!

Being chosen for partnership in this program was such a blessing in many ways. For example, it allowed us to distribute some ready-made food while families waited for their crops to grow. Because of the pandemic, food relief was again one of our points of focus.

May 2021

Over the course of several weeks in May and June, we delivered fruit trees to 50 families and multiple varieties of seed packets to 570 families! Beginning in May, Diego packaged and delivered all of the fruit trees and seeds to 175 families all by himself. Deliveries were made to Chuwexa Segundo A and Xepocol. Many of the families receiving fruit trees were happy to have Diego’s help planting and they were all excited and thankful for the opportunity to grow fresh fruit. In actuality, it will take 2-3 years for the lemon and avocado trees to bear fruit. But, it will certainly be well worth the wait!

Senacri is a seed cultivator local to Chichicastenango, famous for producing varieties that are native to Guatemala. Without a doubt, acquiring the product and the knowledge of our friends at Senacri helped us provide seeds that were destined to grow well!

June 2021

More seed packets were delivered in June. Nonprofit president, Jennifer Demar, began her two-month stay in this same month. So many exciting things were happening at this time that it was hard to pick one to fill the spot on our calendar photo collage! However, we would be remiss if we selected anything other than the donation of technology to the elementary school in Panimache Quinto Alto.

Ten ChromeBooks, a printer, a surge protector and a RACHEL server for distributed content following the Guatemalan Ministry of Education’s approved curriculum were donated to the small school.

Many people and entities worked together to bring this idea to reality. But, it was through a partnership with author Dennis Avelar and his book “The Blue Q: The World as I See It” that the project took flight!

July 2021

Two travel teams joined Jennifer in Guatemala in July. Adult adoptees comprised the first of two teams. They traveled extensively in addition to performing service work in Chichi. They visited Xela, Cobán and the Mayan ruins at Tikal National Park! For some of the adoptees, it was their first visit back to Guatemala.

The second team also had some adoptees as well as fellow Board member, Mike Margolies, and his family. Both teams delivered chickens through our 10 Bucks a Cluck program as well as water filters, but the second team had the added pleasure of participating in the ground-breaking ceremony for our health clinic in Panimache Quinto Bajo.

August 2021

At the end of August, the potable water committee of Cantón Chucám received a final donation from Guatemala Service Projects to apply the finishing touches on the water project that benefit over 2000 people in 300 families. Kudos to the community of Chucám for raising almost all of the money on their own. We were proud to contribute the small amount that we did and applaud their efforts for a job well done.

Also in August, we had the pleasure of granting certificates to the 10 students that completed our online English course. This course was a collaborative effort with Strive2Thrive and provided students in Chichicastenango with the opportunity to study English at the beginner level.

September 2021

During the month of September, we had the pleasure of ordering, delivering and installing 15 low-emission Chispa stoves in Panimache Quinto Alto. This community, on the outskirts of the municipality of Chichicastenango, is one of two villages where we hope to provide this type of stove to every family living there. The benefits are many. For example, with a vented stove pipe, the chimney can carry harmful smoke outside the walls of the home. As a result, respiratory health is significantly improved.

The Mukwonago Rotary Club in Mukwonago, Wisconsin donated these 15 stoves and they were delivered in September! It is with much gratitude that we thank these Rotarians. They had partnered with us in the past on a rainwater collection system that served a community garden. And, in the near future, we’re looking forward to having them accompany us to Guatemala to build a house!

October 2021

Earlier in the year, there were devastating tropical storms that hit portions of Guatemala. Thankfully, the areas we serve did not suffer much damage. Unfortunately, our communities did feel the impact of heavy rains. We know of 8 families whose homes received significant damage from mudslides. One family in particular needed our help!

Our project manager in Guatemala, Diego Xirúm, created a Facebook fundraiser in honor of his birthday. All funds raised allowed us to construct a retaining wall to prevent a home from sliding down a cliff. Had the wall not been built, the mudslide that had already started the erosion would have continued. As a result, the remnants of the home would have fallen on top of other homes built below it. Thankfully, we got to work and prevented further harm before it happened.

November 2021

The single most expensive completed project for Guatemala Service Projects, to date, was the construction of the health clinic in Panimache Quinto Bajo. Board member, Patti Stewart-Garbrecht, conceived the idea during our March trip. We broke ground in July and celebrated its completion in November!

Diego coordinated the entire construction, from start to finish. Members of the COCODE and Health Committee actively participated in all phases, including the manual labor. The project exceeded expectations for quality and functionality. With no doubt, the community is very happy with the result. It is a place for midwives to tend to pregnant patients. Also, visiting doctors and nurses from CAP Chupol will have a quiet, private, dignified place to chart the growth of kids in the community while performing well-child visits. Sick patients will have examination rooms and a stocked bodega will have the medicines and supplies needed to adequately care for the healthcare needs of the community as well as the overstock of vitamins distributed through our program there.

December 2021

For the entire month of December, we had the extreme pleasure of spreading a little Christmas joy. Each entrepreneur in our economic development program and each student in our scholarship program came together for a year-end celebration. At this event, each family represented received a lovely food basket, and the little kids received soccer balls.

Another highlight for December was the delivery of three water filters, thanks to a fundraiser by Wauwatosa West High School in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Last but not least, there was a slew of chickens donated this month! Wonderful gift!

What a wonderful way to wrap up the year, share gifts, and give hope to so many. It was a blessing for us to be the hands and feet in this task. Likewise, it was an honor to receive the donations that made it all possible. Thank you to our donors for your trust and support!