The Shalom Foundation is dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance and financial support to underprivileged children and their families with a focus on Christian values and service. The Shalom Foundation is supported through contributions from private citizens, businesses, churches and foundations.
The Medical Program: The Medical Program is one of The Shalom Foundation’s most important outreach efforts serving children from across Guatemala and changing their lives forever. With the purchase and future opening of the Shalom Surgery Center - The Moore Center for Children’s Health — in Zone 1 of Guatemala City, The Shalom Foundation will impact thousands of lives through these efforts. A number of excellent organizations such as the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Batten & Shaw Inc., Project Cure, AmSurg, Rock City Mechanical, Vanderbilt University, Rotary International and Belmont University currently collaborate and support this program with their time, donation, talents and expertise.
The goal of Shalom’s Medical Program is to improve the lives of children through better health care, improved access to medical treatment and health education. The program includes facilitating surgical mission trips with doctors from varied specialty groups. Since 2005, The Shalom Foundation and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt have sent surgical teams to Guatemala City to serve the children there.
These specialized surgery teams will provide operations that are financially and socially out of reach for acutely poor children. Medical teams will also provide dental care and education for children and their families teaching communities how to better care for their on-going health needs. The Shalom Foundation will partner with other organizations with similar goals such as Children’s Hospitals across the United States, members of the medical community, humanitarian aid organizations, non-profit agencies, universities and other NGO’s
Housing: Shalom Foundation volunteers travel to Guatemala to provide construction assistance to families and children living in desperate conditions. Since 1996, generous individuals and organizations have helped build a school, a church and more than 70 safe, sound homes for dedicated Christian families suffering in devastating poverty. In 2009, Construction Initiative volunteers will travel to build new homes for families providing a light in their neighborhoods. Shalom volunteers will also assist with the renovation of their medical facility in Guatemala City.
Some housing volunteers will help build homes from the ground up, while others focus on much needed repairs and community outreach including health clinics and other community-building efforts. Opportunities are plentiful and impact families for generations.
The Housing Program is expanding to help provide for homeless children and their moms living in the Greater Nashville, TN area. This will also be a collaborative effort with Shalom working together with experienced service providers and the local church community.
Education: Sponsors make it possible for children to attend Shalom School and receive a quality education by providing tuition they otherwise could not afford. These children will develop necessary skills and important values which will enable them to become compassionate leaders in their communities. Volunteers traveling with Shalom Foundation to Guatemala City will visit the school and can meet the students sponsored by this important program.
Shalom School is a ministry of Shalom Church in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is accredited by the Guatemalan government through the Ministry of Education and teaches a Christian-based curriculum. It offers classes from pre-k through the senior level of high school. The ministries of Shalom Church and Shalom School are touching people in the local community, the country and around the world.
Nutrition: The Shalom Foundation has embarked on ambitious efforts to provide meals for students attending Shalom School. When as many as half of the children enrolled at Shalom School were diagnosed as malnourished and had difficulty learning under these adverse conditions, The Shalom Foundation created the “Food for Thought” Nutrition Program. Phase I of the Nutrition Program included the purchase and installation of commercial kitchen equipment at Shalom School providing the facilities required for daily food preparation. This goal was realized in October 2003 with the opening of the Food for Thought Commercial Kitchen. Phase II of the program included securing the necessary food items to provide daily meals for these children. This effort was immediately launched and continues to be a critical need throughout the school year.
Today, the Food for Thought Program feeds approximately 367 malnourished children. On average, 95% of the children in the program reach their normal height and weight within their first year in the program. This program will expand to include Clean Water projects in conjunction with Living Waters for the World and Rotary. This will bring clean water to thousands impacting more lives than ever before and helping alleviate water-related illness.
Shalom Foundation’s next surgery trip will be to Guatemala City in February of 2010. Click here for that trip’s details. To learn more about The Shalom Foundation, please visit their website.
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