As Luis Bourdet and Yefiny Mena continue their visits to our affiliated sites in Guatemala, Yefiny writes about the Casa Central School, where an inventive program offers students the chance to help others in their own communities.
“One of our greatest satisfactions is knowing that helping these children will positively change their lives by helping them go to school and achieve their goals.”
In the heart of Guatemala City
“Casa Central is located in Guatemala City. At the moment, we have 69 children at this affiliation site. Our coordinator is Sor Alicia G. Morataya, who is also assisted by Lisbet A. Martinez. Our children here attend different schools that go from primary to high school grade. Besides helping the children, they perform other tasks and social work like providing food for homeless people of the community once a week.”
“The Casa Central School is located in the heart of Guatemala City and serves children from low-income families on the periphery of the city, mostly without a stable housing environment, permanent income, and steady provision of educational, nutritional, and health services. The Children Incorporated monthly support helps in the provision of food, school supplies, shoes, and clothing to the participant children,” said Yefiny.
“This is with the purpose of getting them ready to attend local public schools, with very few attending low-cost private schools in the area. Participant children in the Children Incorporated program attend school education all the way from kindergarten to 12th grade, which may prepare them for skill training or for university. However, many are prepared here to initiate the arduous labor life, at least with a high school diploma, which was never available to their parents.”
“The center has some support from a local university by providing students to complete their required practicum, mainly in the Social Services area of their careers. The Center is run by the Congregation of Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic Order dedicated to education, health, and community service missions. The Sisters also run a soup kitchen for indigents here, as well as a home for the elderly,” explained Yefiny.
“The center is a well-care section of the compound, with a large enclosed area for meetings and food distribution and small offices to do social service support and follow-ups. They also have a large kitchen where they prepare food for the indigents. The home for the elderly is in a different location from the center. Children at Casa Central meet here once a month to receive subsidies for nutritious food, hygiene items, clothes, shoes, and at the beginning of each school year for school supplies.”
“According to the coordinator, the help provided to all these children has been tremendous since many of their parents’ economies have been affected after COVID-19, making them struggle to provide for their basic children’s needs. One of our greatest satisfactions is knowing that helping these children will positively change their lives by helping them go to school and achieve their goals, giving them the possibility of having a better future for themselves and their families,” said Yefiny.
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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1 (800) 538 – 5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.