Caras Alegres - Help women & children in Las Rosas

Want to support women and children in Guatemala that are living in poverty, giving them a better outlook on the future? Keep reading!

Volunteering in Guatemala
More and more great initiatives, organizations and charities being established around the world. Guatemala knows a large increase of (human rights) organizations that are all trying to contribute to a brighter future of this beautiful country and its people. And for good reason, because there is LOTS that needs to be done since the country suffered and is still suffering from the 36 year civil war (ended in 1996), is still very corrupt and relatively dangerous. Most of the mayor problems (poverty, illiteracy, lack of education and health care) are still a long way from being solved and the country is being exploited by foreign companies, but poco a poco (little by little) the country is going forward.

Personally, I’ve always been fond of a more personal and proactive kind of approach, when it comes to helping other people. Since I have the possibility to travel, I’m taking this chance to not only enrich my own journey, but also explore possibilities of supporting other people on their journey… hence, volunteering!
Although I’d like to participate in different kinds of projects, my main aim is working with children. As most of you know this has always been where my heart lies and most of all, children are the future!
Also, by having personal contact with the projects, I know that the people working in the project are motivated to improve the life of the children and that the money I donate will go directly to their benefits.

After working with children at It’Skool (see previous blogs), my priority became even more to learn Spanish so I’d be more able to communicate with the local people and of course the kids! While studying in Xela (official name: Quetzaltenango) I looked into information about many projects and went to visit a few of them. Finding ‘my current project’, Caras Alegres, made me enthusiastic right from the start!

Caras Alegres (Spanish for “Happy Faces”)
http://www.carasalegres.org/ -    [email protected]

Caras Alegres is a comprehensive project, founded by Dutch people in July 2004. It is located in Las Rosas, one of the very poor neighborhoods on the outskirts of Xela. Caras Alegres aims to help the families (mainly women) and children in this neighborhood who are living under poor to very poor circumstances and have very little.
The director, Judith Bank, is not in Guatemala right now, but will be back later this year. Locally the project is run by Andrea (my Guatemalan roommate), who is the coordinator and two other Guatemalan women (Gaby, the social worker and Gris, her assistant). In total the project employs 11 Guatemalan people, offering different projects:

• Daycare and pre-schooling for very young kids (about 40 kids);
• Afterschool care for kids up to about 13y (30 – 60 kids, daily around 40 now because the rain season started);
• Women’s programs that aim to support and guide them to a more independent existence, 
  They offer a literacy program, baking school (which provides the women with a diploma so they can) work in bakeries) and scholarships for women to obtain their primary and high school diploma (since most of them never finished school – classes are being giving at Caras Alegres as well);
• Family support, Gaby and Gris go out into the community to find out what the families (of the children in Caras Alegres and sometimes other families as well) need and offer support.

For a little impression of Caras Alegres: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoOMzq82aEc

Also, Caras Alegres works together with Infancia Solidaria (http://www.infanciasolidaria.org/index_ru.htm), a Spanish organization, that is providing families with food/necessity-boxes and scholarships for children to go to school. The adolescents who receive a scholarship from Infancia Solidaria are also asked to come and help out at Caras Alegres.

Working in the afterschool care, I’m getting to know a lot of kids, some of the employees and quiet some of their stories. It’s amazing to see how involved everyone is and how willing the kids are to participate in the activities. It is a loving and accepting environment, which is something most of these kids very much need, because they oftentimes don’t find this at home. Not necessarily because of unwillingness, but because the families are often struggling to survive, having little means and many mouths to feed. Oftentimes big families are living together, housing many children (brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews), parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents. The majority of the kids don’t have a father who is around (because he passed away, went to the USA to find work, left the mother, is in jail or just disappeared).
It is common that the children need to help their family in the house and/or work (on the land, selling or producing things etc). Also seen are cases of malnutrition, many illnesses among the kids because of the living circumstances, problems with the housing specially now with the big amounts of rain (no electricity, situated at edge of ravine, lots of water in the house etc), lack of sleep (because the kids often sleep in the same room with many others), lack of personal hygiene, rotting teeth, lack of clothing/shoes and of course developmental, emotional and behavioral problems.

Together with Gaby, the social worker of Caras Alegres, we defined some of the families that really need extra help at this moment. Although most of the family (hi)stories are alike, I’d like to ask your special attention for these cases: We can make a huge difference in their lives with what seems to us like a small contribution!

Keily (almost 8 years), is living with her brother, sister and mother with the grandparents of father’s side (father himself is in jail). The mom sells refacciónes (little snacks, like fruits) once a week and washes clothes, which in total earns her about Q 20.00 (€ 2,-) per week. The financial situation of the family is very instable and not sufficient to support the family’s needs. The youngest child has a level of developmental delay.

Ana Selma (13 years) lives with her brother, sister and mom. The mother is very sick (nervous system illness) and the doctor determined that nothing much can be done. There’s no father offering any help, the grandfather just died and the mother is not able to work. Therefore Ana is selling tamales (food) in the street with her niece in Las Rosas. The family is oftentimes not able to buy gas to cook, sometimes more than a month passes before they can buy gas again.

Some of my little friends in Caras Alegres that need extra help (see pictures):
Manual Menchu (11y) has two bigger sisters, last year his little sister died. His father is alcoholic and doesn’t help with the expenses for the kids. His mom works in a tortilleria but earns very little money.

The Flores sisters: the father of these 4 sisters (Mireilla, Marisol, Wendy and Paola) is in prison and the mom hasn’t got work. Sometimes the girls only eat tortillas while the mom leaves them at home to go look for work. The girls are always looking for a lot of love and attention at Caras. The two oldest girls have learning problems, probably because of the lack of attention of the mom and malnutrition.

If you want to support these families too, that would be fantastic!!!
With the money we donate, Caras Alegres will be able to provide the families with e.g. medication, doctors visits, school payments, gas supplies, milk for the children, food, clothing, etc.
If you’d like to support a specific family or goal, that is very possible too! For example, with the money you donate we can offer a year of gas supplies for Ana Selma, a monthly alimentation for the four sisters, a monthly contribution for Keily’s school or paint for Caras Alegres to paint games on the playground.

I will gather the donations in my own bank account, so I can give it to Andrea (coordinator of Caras Alegres) all at once. We agreed that this would be the easiest and it’ll also allow me (and you!) to designate your donation for specific causes. For example, this week I’m going to inform what Keily and Ana Selma’s families need most at this moment and go shopping for them (buying things like water, milk, rice, beans, sugar, gas).

You can send your donation to:
account nr. 8405218 (ING bank)
in name of R. M. Sportel
(if needed: ) at Uitgeest

For donations from countries other than The Netherlands, you need the following information:
IBAN (International Bank Account Number): NL78 INGB 0008405218
BIC (Bank Identifier Code): INGBNL2A

Add a description mentioning something about “Caras Alegres” so I know it’s for the project (but if you just want to support the “go Rianne funtravelingfund” that’s perfectly fine too of course! It’s not very well promoted, but certainly existing - same account nr!) ;)
You can add a specific goal for your donation in the description if you want or send me an email about your ideas. Also, it might be wise to send me an email in any case if you’re sending an donation from a non-Dutch bank account, so I can keep track if it was successful or not.
Of course, feel free to email or call me about anything else as well J You guys all know I love to just talk with you J

email: [email protected]
Guatemalan cellphone: +502 – 506 47 889

In name of all the women and children of Caras Alegres, GRACIAS!!

Love,
Rianne