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 Our
Charity of Choice:
Since
1992, a loosely knit group of volunteers have been raising money
for and physically building projects in impoverished remote areas
of Guatemala. In 2000, while searching out a new project, they
were introduced to the group of orphanages operated by N.P.H.
(Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos).
After
visiting a number of N.P.H. established orphanages and after extensive
discussions with the staff, volunteers and the children, it was
decided to support N.P.H. This organization not only provides
incredible benefits to the thousands of children under its care,
but accomplishes its task in a pragmatic and efficient manner.
Nuestros
Pequenos Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters) and known
in Canada as Friends of the Orphans, cares for orphaned and abandoned
children in Mexico, Honduras, Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and
El Salvador.
The
children are educated at the orphanage until high school. At the
end of each child's schooling, he or she is asked to "give
back" one year of service before beginning their new life.
In doing this, the organization is working towards being more
and more self-sufficient. Every child has a daily job, from dusting
and mopping to cooking and farming. The older children help the
younger children with everyday life. They keep each other accountable
to work, studies, and relationships with others and develop a
sense of pride in contributing to their family's survival. As
a result, the family needs fewer volunteers and paid staff.
The
orphanage that we are assisting in Guatemala is currently renting
dormitories and school facilities in the slums of Chimaltenango
- all of which are quickly becoming too small for the growing
number of children they accommodate. They purchased 24 acres of
land a few years ago, however, due to the recent shortage of funds,
they were not able to begin construction until our group raised
money for and constructed the first two school buildings on the
site in 2000. Since that time, we have completed two more school
buildings for a total of thirty-two classrooms, a ten thousand
square foot kitchen/dining hall, and two dormitories accommodating
about three hundred children. We will be returning with our construction
teams in the spring of 2004 in order to commence construction
of a medical clinic and volunteers' quarters. Eventually, the
facility will be home to more than 600 children.
All
of the money raised goes directly into the construction materials.
There is absolutely no administrative overhead. None of the money
raised flows into N.P.H's general funds, and not a single penny
is used for administration, overheads or fundraising efforts.
EVERYTHING is applied to the building project.
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