Hope Chests for the children of Guatemala!

HOPE CHESTS “bring joy to a child”

I have been a volunteer with Mayan Families here in Guatemala for two months and have experienced some wonderful sights and unfortunately, much misery.

On a daily basis, I have seen children experience hunger, lack of clean drinking water and wearing shoes that are falling apart or with no shoes at all. These problems are not going away and have no easy solutions.

I have looked for a small source of comfort which can make a difference and have found that many children sleep in a bed with 2 or 3 others or on a dirt floor, keep their small amount of clothing in plastic bags, have no place to do their studies have and no place to call their own.

With the help of others we have come up with a small solution .

It is a hope chest!

This chest can serve as a bed, table, desk, storage unit and also a source of employment for Carlos and Samuel the two Guatemalan boys I have been training.

We have built 4 chests now and 3 of the 4 children who received these chests are now able to sleep alone for the first time.

These chests have the children’s names painted on them and a heart to show that they are given with love.

Please check out the photos of these children receiving their boxes and the joy that this gift gave them.

It is hard to put to words the impact this small gift has made .These chests are built with ¾” ply wood and varnished .They are built strong enough so they can be handed down to the next generation.

Mayan Families is involved with over 1,400 sponsored children, of these about 1/3 are young enough to sleep on one of these chests. That number comes to 450.

That is our goal 450 chests of hope.

The cost is $75.

That includes all materials labor, delivery and administration costs.

We are asking for sponsorship whether it is for 1, 10, or 100 chests of hope.

Each chest will bring joy not only to the child but also to you the giver.

All gifts are tax deductible and can be paid with check, Pay Pal or credit card.

Please use the following link to make your contribution.

http://www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateOnline

Please specify on your payment if you want your box to go to your sponsored student.

Thank you in advance for joining me in making a difference.

Michael