Mayerlin

Sadly, we are saying goodbye to Mayerlin who has been working with us now for over a year and a half.
Mayerlin has done such a fantastic job with Women's Empowerment. Mayerlin has really helped the women get projects with their sewing skills and encouraged them to learn how to be able to sell their goods for a fair price.
She has worked closely with Alberto , the sewing teacher and the women who have learned this new skill.  Mayerlin has also organized workshops for the women and opened many avenues for women who make and sell their beaded jewelry.
The women gave a lunch for her last week to say good bye and they were very, very appreciative of all that she has done for them and with them.
Thanks to Mayerlin the women have an ongoing contract to provide diaper bags to a hospital in the U.S. and she has organized that many sponsors buy jewelry directly from the women ....this jewelry is often sold and the money returned to Guatemala to benefit the people we work with.
We are really going to miss Mayerlin.
She brings a beauty and elegance to our office but most of all she has brought a beautiful heart.
Sharon
Sharon Smart-Poage
MAYAN FAMILIES
a registered 501.(c).(3) Non Profit Charity
Tel: 011-502-7-762-2490
Website: www.mayanfamilies.org

Micaela needs an echo-cardiogram in Guatemala

Micaela, is a single mother of three, Juan Eduardo, Yamilé, and Jasmin Aracely, and lives in San Jorge with her 78 year old mother.
She needs an echo-cardiogram to find out what is causing the pain and if her problems have progressed. The cost of the appointment and the transportation she needs from her home in San Jorge to Guatemala City is $92.

For more information on how to help Mecaela, please visit:

http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/micaela-has-three-children-and-heart.html

Thank you!

Dominga fighting Cancer in Guatemala

Hi Everyone,

Rodrigo and Ana Patricia are the youngest of seven children and have lived a very difficult life. There father was never supportive and their mother has been ill for years. Despite their extremely difficult situation, the two will be the first in their family to learn to read and write. None of their five older brothers and sisters had the opportunity to go to school.

Rodrigo's and Ana Patricia's mother, Dominga's condition has recently worsened. Her doctors told Dominga that she did not have much time left, but she was recently diagnosed with cancer and given hope for a longer life with treatment. Unfortunately, she has been too sick to work and none of her family members are able to help pay for the treatment she needs.

For more information on how to help Dominga and her family, please visit:

http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/update-dominga-has-been-diagnosed-with.html

Thank you!

Child Needs Sponsorship

Axyl (pronounced Ashley) is 5 yrs old.  She will be 6yrs old next month on April 19th.  She is attending the Mayan Families Pre-school in Panajachel and she needs a sponsor.

For just $190 US for the year you can make sure little Axyl gets 2 meals a day and a head start program to help her when she goes to school.

Cristina and her 4 children

Cristina is 35 yrs old. She has four children.
They are,
 Merlyn Morelia...she is 12 yrs old this year. She is in 4th grade.
Lesly Fabiola ....is 8yrs old. She is in 1st grade this year.
Wiliam Mauricio is 7yrs old. He is in kindergarten.
Evelyn Liliana is 4 yrs old. She is going to the Mayan Families pre.school .
They are renting the house they live in . It is made of tin sheeting and the floor is dirt.
The family has very little food.  The mother, Cristina sells "atol" on the street. It is a drink made from corn. She also goes to the forest and collects firewood to sell. With the little money that she earns , she uses it to buy food for her children. Often they have only tortillas with salt.
These conditions are not so unusual, unfortunately , many Guatemalans live like this but what makes it very bad for Cristina is that her husband is very physically abusive.
Her husband works but he doesn't give her any money to support the family.
He appears to have a girlfriend that he spends his money on.
Cristina was brought to our attention when her husband threw her out of the house with great force, she hit her head on a rock. Her head was split open. The children were screaming when they saw the blood flowing from their mother's head.
The eldest daughter, Merlyn tried to defend her mother and was also beaten . When she came to us, her face was bruised on one side from her father hitting her.
The neighbors came to the Cristina's rescue...they were afraid that the husband would kill her.
She was taken to the hospital and the children went to stay with their grandmother.
We interviewed her at her mother's house.
She said that she would like to leave her husband but she has no where to go. Her mother has given her a small piece of land but she has no money to build on it . She says that she would go and live on the land if she had only some sheets of tin.
She hopes that one day she will be able to have enough money to be able to build on this land and leave her husband.  The eldest daughter is very traumatized. Whenever she hears anyone fighting or screaming she begins to tremble.
Cristina says that since she married her husband, 13 yrs ago, her life has been terrible. One of physical abuse and hunger. When they were first married he beat her. Her mother came to her defense and her husband beath the mother in law and hit her with a machete, cutting her on the shoulder. She had to be hospitalized.  6 years ago the mother once again intervened when the husband was beating her daughter, he threw her out of the house, hitting her and she had to be hospitalized once again.
 Her husband has threatened to kill her if she leaves but if she can build  a house on her land, it will be next to her mother and her brothers and she would feel safe.
Cristina is hoping that we can help her with food, with school sponsorship for her children.
A house would be a dream come true for Cristina and her children.

Rosita

Hi Everyone,
To see an update on Rosita from Elderly Care, please visit:

http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2012/03/update-rosita-is-in-constant-pain-after.html

They were unable to do surgery for her because of her age but she has ongoing needs at home.

Thank you!

Limnie in Guatemala

Hi Everyone,

Many of you know #225 Limnie Bethzaí and her family. Her mother abandoned her and her siblings and the Grandmother is desperately trying to raise them.

If you know of anyone who would like to sponsor Limnie for elementary school, please visit her student link at:

http://www.mayanfamilies.org/sponsorastudent?id=225

Limnie's Grandmother really needs help to send her to school.

Thank you!

Feinstein Foundation challenge

Hi everyone,
Here is another great way to help in the fight against hunger! Make your gifts and pledges go further!

Till the end of April, Mayan Families is very pleased to be joining forces with the 15th Annual Feinstein Foundation
$1 Million Giveaway to Fight Hunger!

Your generous donations in support of our:
Pre-school Nutritional Centers
Elderly Care Meals Program
Milk Distribution
Prenatal Care
plus
Semana Santa Food Baskets
Egg Laying Hens
General food Baskets
or Emergency Family Food Aid

are all eligible!

At the conclusion of the campaign, the total of all donations and pledges collected through the Feinstein Challenge for
Mayan Families hunger programs will be reported to the Feinstein Foundation who will then divide its $1 million donation amongst each participating charity; the more dollars/food we collect, the larger the monetary donation received.

Make your gifts and pledges against hunger go further!

Thanks,
Sharon
Sharon Smart-Poage
MAYAN FAMILIES
a registered 501.(c).(3) Non Profit Charity

Please visit our web site at www.mayanfamilies.org to see a list of our hunger and other on-going programs.
Visit our blogs to get a realistic idea of what we are doing currently: 

Sharon's Blog
http://mayanfamilies-sharon.blogspot.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mayanfamilies.org

Family Aid Program Blog: http://www.familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/

Mayan Families Elderly Care Program Blog
http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/

Orphan Program Blog
http://orphancareprogram.blogspot.com/

Any questions, please e-mail us at sharon@mayanfamilies.org 

Thank you so much!

Feinstein Challenge to End Hunger

Hi everyone,  Here is another great way to help in the fight against hunger!  Make your gifts and pledges go further.

Till the end of April, Mayan Families is very pleased to be joining forces with the 15th Annual Feinstein Foundation $1 Million Giveaway to Fight Hunger!  Read about this in Mr. Feinstein's own words!!!

Your generous donations in support of our:

ñ  Pre-school Nutritional Centers ñ  Elderly Care Meals Program ñ  Milk Distribution ñ  Prenatal Care

ñ  Semana Santa Baskets ñ  Egg Laying Hens ñ  General food Baskets ñ  or Emergency Family Food Aid

  ...are all eligible!

At the conclusion of the campaign, the total of all donations and pledges collected through the Feinstein Challenge for Mayan Families hunger programs will be reported to the Feinstein Foundation who will then divide its $1 million donation amongst each participating charity;   the more dollars/food  we collect, the larger the monetary donation received. 

Stoves for the Elderly poor in rural Guatemala with Mayan Families

We have a wonderful opportunity to give stoves to the elderly.

The Interact group of Crestwood Rotary has donated 32 stoves.

Several of them have been given to families but there are so many elderly people cooking on open fires on the ground that we would like to be able to give some to them as well.

Each family that receives a stove has to contribute to the cost of the cement blocks that the stoves sit on.

The Elderly do not have the money to be able to buy these blocks and it is not included in the price of the stove.

If you would like to help an elderly person to  have a stove...it is just a mere $8 US. because the stoves have been donated.

Thanks,

Sharon

Sharon Smart-Poage
MAYAN FAMILIES

a registered 501.(c).(3) Non Profit Charity

Florencia

Hi Everyone,
On Saturday, Florencia, a member of our Elderly Care Program, passed away in her home with her daughter. Florencia has been bedridden for over a year and received almost all of her food, medication, and other necessities from Mayan Families. When she was still able, Florencia made tortillas and sold them in the street, with her basket in one hand and cane in the other.

She has been living with her daughter who has been unable to find work and now has the responsibility of paying all of the funeral expenses. We would like to help Florencia's daughter to pay for the coffin so that she does not have to suffer debts over her mother's death. A coffin costs $250.

For more information on how to help Florencia's family pay for her funeral, please visit:

http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2012/03/florencia-has-passed-away.html

Thank you!

Semana Santa Easter Food Baskets with Mayan Families in Guatemala

Hi everyone, Please read our latest Newsletter about the Food Baskets for Semana Santa - Easter and pass it along to family and friends!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Mayan-Families-Semana-Santa-Easter-Food-Basket.html?soid=1103559743325&aid=Elq5JldjQLs

Sewing project participants open their first bank accounts

Showing their new bank accounts

On March 15 and 16th, fifteen women who have previously participated in the sewing project opened their first bank accounts.     These women are part of a joint venture between Madison Women's Health (Weave of Hope) and  Mayan Families.  These 15 women are currently producing back strap woven and hand-embroidered Guatemalan fabric which are then turned into diaper bags for Weave of Hope.  Each diaper bag is gifted to newly pregnant patients at Madison Women's Health.  This endeavor started in 2001 but this year it expanded to include the production of 600 diaper bags by the end of 2012.  

Candelaria signing her bank accout

Crafting these diaper bags is beneficial for all the women involved because they now have a steady income which has allowed them to have enough money to open their first bank accounts.  Because a lot of women in Guatemala are distrustful of banking instructions or simply ill informed about their services, bank representatives were invited to Mayan Families to chat with the women in a more intimate setting about the benefits of having a bank account.  That workshop helped to reduce the fear women had about going to the banks.   During our bank workshop  the women were able to ask many questions to dispel misconceptions about banking instructions.  They were given a chance to decide if they wanted to open accounts or not, and they unanimously decided to give it try. Their dream of having their own bank accounts became a reality last week.  We have asked the women to think critically about how they will use the earnings from this business venture and to start saving with a purpose in mind.  We are proud of each woman who opened their bank accounts and hope that more Sewing Project participants become inspired by this and decide to also take this step.

If you would like to find out more information about this venture or ways to help the sewing project, please feel  free to send an e-mail to mayerlin@mayanfamilies.org.

Orphans In Danger of Losing their House

Hi Everyone,

One of the families that is part of our Orphan Program is about to lose their house and land if they don't pay part of their debt immediately.

The 4 orphans, Ricardo, Juana, Victor and Isabel, live with their extended family in Solola. The father had a piece of land and a small house in the same compound that was supposed to go to the children. However, before he passed away, their father contracted a debt and gave the house deed as warranty. He was never able to pay the debt and now one of the aunts that cares for the orphans is afraid that their house will be taken away.

The total amount of the debt is $750, but the aunt told us that she has to pay $420 by the end of the month otherwise they might lose the house and the land. That will be a real tragedy for these kids who have no parents to rely on.

To read the orphan's story, please visit: http://fa159mf.blogspot.com/ at the orphan's blog and find more details about their complicated situation.

The total amount of the debt is $750, but the aunt told us that she has to pay $420 by the end of the month otherwise they might lose the house and the land. That will be a real tragedy for these kids who have no parents to rely on.

For more information on how to help these orphans keep their house, please visit:
http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/orphans-at-risk-of-losing-their-house.html

Thank you!
  

Orphan family needs help.

Hi Everyone,

One of the families that is part of our Orphan Program is about to lose their house and land if they don't pay part of their debt immediately.

The 4 orphans, Ricardo, Juana, Victor and Isabel, live with their extended family in Solola. The father had a piece of land and a small house in the same compound that was supposed to go to the children. However, before he passed away, their father contracted a debt and gave the house deed as warranty. He was never able to pay the debt and now one of the aunts that cares for the orphans is afraid that their house will be taken away.

The total amount of the debt is $750, but the aunt told us that she has to pay $420 by the end of the month otherwise they might lose the house and the land. That will be a real tragedy for these kids who have no parents to rely on.

To read the orphan's story, please visit:
http://fa159mf.blogspot.com/
at the orphan's blog and find more details about their complicated situation.

The total amount of the debt is $750, but the aunt told us that she has to pay $420 by the end of the month otherwise they might lose the house and the land. That will be a real tragedy for these kids who have no parents to rely on.

For more information on how to help these orphans keep their house, please visit:

http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2012/03/orphans-at-risk-of-losing-their-house.html

Thank you!