Serve & Grow
At the end of last year, I spent the time between Christmas and New Year’s in Guatemala, working with orphanages, local organizations, and social entrepreneurs who are all working toward improving the circumstances of kids who have very little aside from their innate potential and the boundless joy and optimism of childhood. This was a follow-up to a similar trip in 2009, and we were happy to be able to check in with friends we met last time, and make new connections that will make a difference in the future.
We traveled to the city of Antigua in Guatemala, departing on Dec 26th and returning on Jan 1st. I was thrilled to have a great group of individuals and families joining us and sharing this intimate experience in service.
Each day we embarked on service trips to a local orphanage, school or other site that needed assistance. Our approach was to work with the local organizations that assist the non-profits of the 22 communities of Sacatepequez, the state where Antigua is located. We are working directly with these organizations and can assure that the money and assistance we continue to bring can be tracked going forward. Your on-going donations to my Big Task Foundation can help to enhance the inventory of hygiene and school supplies that we plan to bring on our return trip this coming Memorial Day holiday – and will also be use to fund life-changing initiatives, such as providing education and infrastructure improvements to these needy communities.
The work we did on this most recent trip built on the progress of our trip in 2009 - supporting sustainability and education in Antigua. I continue to support numerous children from different orphanages around Guatemala and Thailand from previous trips and future trips will present opportunities to continue to expand that base of support.
If you are interested in notes from my recent trip to Guatemala – or in the impact that your donations can have for these deserving kids, please take some time to check out the links below.
Thank you as always for your support – the kids and I are more appreciative than you can ever know.
Blog Posts from my 2011 Trip to Guatemala (including reports from other group members):
In Guatemala, $200 Can Change a Life
Collaborative Action Comes to Life in Guatemala
Growing a Middle Class: The Story of Our Seven
Max Lyons: The Transformational Impact of Service
Joe Livecchi: One Family, One Mission
Sophia Livecchi: Our Guatemalan Mission Through a Child's Eyes
Guatemala Trip Report: Success Through Service
What can my money do?
 |
$10 will provide two weeks of staple foods for Jose's family. |
 |
$100 will buy a sack of soybeans for Carlos to produce soy milk to help feed the children. |
 |
$300 will buy one of Carlos's students a year at a local public school, or build a communal bathroom. |
 |
$1500 will allow another high performing student to go to a private middle school, including clothes, food, and travel, and fulfill their parents' dreams like my father's dream was for me.It can also build the kids a soccer field. |
 |
$5,000 will buy an additional bathroom for Judith's orphanage. Currently, her orphanage is overflowing with 60 kids and only two baths. |
 |
$30,000 will buy a water well so an entire village will have clean water forever. |
Some quick facts on Guatemala:
- size of Tennessee
- not everyone speaks Spanish; there are 24 indigenous languages spoken
- Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion, but many have blended it with traditional Mayan rituals
- the terrain is mostly mountainous
- primary exports are coffee, bananas, and sugar
- 75 percent of the rural (mostly indigenous) population lives in extreme poverty
- only 30 percent of rural students finish 3rd grade
Please make a donation - it will go directly to children there who need it.
