Progress in Guatemala: The Proof is In the Photos

Change comes slowly when working deep in the recesses of Central America. Remember the childhood game of Whack-A-Mole? Armed with a huge mallet, the player pounds a large crayola-colored mole back into place, only to have one more surface too quickly to leave the you with a sense of gratification.

There is Progress in Guatemala: The Proof is In the Photos

Helping the poorest of the poor can feel just as frustrating. For every one poverty-induced issue we solve, ten more await our efforts.

It is good to remind ourselves that we do make progress, and it is significant. Our numbers are not huge; we have 302 widows and their children in our data base of participants. For some of those 300+ people, the impact Finding Freedom created in their lives is lifelong and life-changing. The proof is in the photos.

Pedro and his wife (above, right) work diligently for FFF, and there is never a need, no matter the time of day or night, that they don’t meet for our widows. Over the last five years Pedro has supervised construction of five donated houses for FFF participants, all while living with relatives…his own home had been irreparably damaged in one of Guatemala’s frequent earthquakes. Knowing that Pedro could never afford to replace his house on an income of less than $250 a month (he owns a tiny restaurant), a generous donor made sure that Pedro and his family recently put homelessness behind them.

Fransico (right) was a handsome and academically gifted student before an electrocution accident left him with no arms. In an instant, this young man’s bright future dimmed into an eternity of dependency and depression. After appealing to Finding Freedom for help, Fransico received a donated  laptop. Using his mouth as a computer mouse, Francisco is determined to find a way to use his new donation to earn an income and perhaps return to school for his final year of high school.

Willi and his brother Marcelino, (below) are typical of all of our FFF children. They were accepted into our program as fatherless, malnourished and homeless children of a Mayan widow. Their mother has been gifted a home, the boys have regular food donations and they are sponsored for school. Mayan boys are frequently valued for their ability to produce labor to help feed their family members. These brothers have escaped the fate of many other children in their village.

These three photos represent only thirteen family members; a smattering of people spread across a rural mountain country full of poverty.

The number thirteen is an insignificant number unless you are Pedro, Fransico, Willi or Marcelino. In that case, shelter, scholastic opportunity and economic security means the end of a lifetime of uncertainty and concern.

It means everything.