Our friends at From Houses to Homes have issued their Winter 2010 newsletter. In addition to the excerpts below, you can request the complete newsletter by clicking here.
Letter From Our Founder/Director: Dear Friends, Our hearts and prayers go out to those who continue to suffer in Haiti following the devastating earthquake in January. We hope that they will not be forgotten once media attention on the issue begins to diminish. Most of the world’s poorest people suffer in silence including the impoverished of Guatemala. I hope you will not forget the needs of the poorest of the poor in Guatemala as we all continue to address the needs of the Haitian people…
Construction Begins on Our 300th Home: We have completed our 300th house. That is very exciting for us as an organization, however there are 1.2 million families living in cornstalk shacks in Guatemala. We are in need of your continued support if we are going to continue our goal to replace each and every one of them with a sustainable home that not only provides shelter from the weather, but also gives a family hope. After receiving the keys to her new home, one woman said, “I had no idea anyone was paying attention to us.”…
Meet María de los Angeles Hernández Pío: This is María de los Angeles Hernández Pío. She is a widow and lives in a cornstalk shack with her 3 daughters. Her husband was murdered about 3 months ago. She was left to take care and provide for her 3 daughters on her own. She is unable to work, as she has no skills of any kind. When we met her, she described her husband’s murder and quietly wept while telling the story. She is just like any Mother in any country of the world. Her children’s well being and care is primary. She does not know where she will get food for her children and faces this challenge one day at a time. She has dreams of improving her children’s lives and has them enrolled in school…
Volunteer Perspective: A little bit of faith can go a long way… by Cristina Folan. A little bit of faith can go a long way. We joined the From Houses to Homes (FHTH) family this past summer as we embarked on a mission to build a block house in Santa Maria de Jesus. The pictures we had seen and the stories we had heard about our friends’ FHTH experience deeply inspired us and planted a seed in our family’s heart to embark on such a journey. Yet, I held back as I considered financial concerns over traveling expenses and our ability to raise funds. I am extremely uncomfortable with the idea of asking people for money – even if for a great cause…
Meet Oscar Mejia, Project Director of De Casas a Hogares: Oscar Mejia is the Project Director in Guatemala. I asked him to write a biography of himself so everyone could get to know a little more about Oscar and what makes him the amazing human being he is. Former volunteers describe Oscar as devoted, genuine, balanced, caring, fun, compassionate, calm and a great leader. I personally find Oscar to be a selfless man who spends most of his days devoting himself to the success of FHTH and to bettering the lives of the poor of Guatemala…
Sponsor a Student: In Guatemala, there are many students who have a great desire to go to school, however they do not have the money to register or afford school supplies. At Cambiando Vidas School, students are not charged tuition. Part of the curriculum is devoted to educating parents, so they are encouraged to invest in their children’s studies…
From Kids to Kids: From Houses to Homes received a call from the Wildwood Elementary School in Mountain Lakes, NJ asking us to speak asking us to speak to a group of children who participate in The Giraffe Club Project. This Giraffe Project honors those who stick their necks out for the common good, in the U.S. and around the world…
Updates on Current Projects: J. Brian Moran II Clinic in Pastores - We have just purchased a piece of property to build the clinic. Our friend, Janeth de Reyes, the Director of the Cambiando Vidas School in Pastores, was kind enough to recruit her son, Emilio, to design the clinic, and his designs are beautiful!!! She also introduced us to her son, Edgar, who is a Doctor to guide us through this project with important information about the community and medical needs of the Guatemalan people. We are extremely grateful to Janeth for her support and guidance…
If you are interested in reading these, and other great articles, please click here.
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