Although our main focus is to relieve poverty through education, at times our children and students are not able to succeed in school due to a lack of the basic necessities of life. They do not have enough food nor adequate shelter to keep warm and dry. For the past four years we have focused on assisting a few families from the Jocotenango area of Guatemala.
The Mixia Family
The first, the Mixia family, lost their father due to alcoholism. The mother was left with four children to support on her wages of $150 per month. Although Dona Elena is illiterate, she is a strong and caring mother. We have been helping her with a food supplement allowance as well as educational expenses for her children. One of her daughters, Helena has been diagnosed with Lupus disease. We have been assisting with medical costs for her as well.
The Vega Family
We also help a second family who were in a desperate situation. The father abandoned them leaving behind six children. The youngest died in the winter of 2009 likely due to unresolved infections and poor living conditions. The mother again is not educated and can only earn a living doing laundry by hand for others. We, through the assistance of CasaSito Organization, help her with food and clothing for her children, as well as educational expenses. We want to be absolutely sure the children remain in school. The eldest, a scholarship recipient of Give Kids will graduate college this December. It will then be his responsibility to find work and help support his family. The eldest, a scholarship recipient of Give Kids graduated college in 2010. He is working for one year and then hopes to attend university. When he graduates this family will be independent and will be able to support themselves, a future they could not have dreamed of without your support.
One of the brothers of this family is training with the Guatemalan gymnastics team. He is a great kid, dedicated and working very hard every day with his team to improve his skills. Pleae view the video which will open in a new window by Clicking Here. (6 Minute Television Short produced by the Department of Physical Education to promote school sports and physical education in Guatemala. The video features Jorge Vega, an outstanding gymnast)
The importance of this achievement is not only that he will be able to help bring his family out of poverty cycle, but he will be the one who bring hopes and dreams to those who grow up like him. Many people like Give Kids a Chance and CasaSito have been helping his family with food, scholarship and clothing etc… but none of us achieve what he does. Give Kids a Chance and CasaSito are proud of him.
Winter Outing
Each winter the directors of Give Kids take all the children from these families for an outing, to a zoo or a park for instance. It gives them one day to just play and be free of their continual problems.
