They were living in a very depressing makeshift room at the edge of a verandah. The room was tiny, had space for just two single beds. The walls did not reach the roof, there was lots of wind and rain that came in, the walls were made of tin sheeting so during the day it was unbearably hot.

When we first met Ernesto he was in very, very bad shape with huge bed sores that were causing him to have a terrible infection.  His biggest concern was that he would die and his family would not have anywhere to live. His dream was to have a house for his family.  This took some time but........

Thanks to many kind people - Ernesto and his family were able to

purchase a piece of land and eventually build a house.    The family

is photographed in the kitchen with their new onil stove, you can also see their water filter on the side.

Their eldest daughter has been sponsored to go to school this year and she is very excited about it.

The family is so thrilled with their new life and they have repeatedly asked me to thank all the people who helped make their dream become a reality.
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The wonderful folks from Miracles in Action brought us brand new sewing machines and fabrics for the sewing classes!  The women in the

sewing classes are going to appreciate this so much!!   Thank you to

Lois and her husband, who were at Wal-Mart at 5.am. the day after Thanksgiving  to get this great deal!!!

JANUARY 26, 2008 SPAY AND NUETER CLINIC:
I just want to let you know that we held another very successful animal spay and neuter clinic yesterday.  26 dogs were spayed or neutered . Two others were too weak to be operated on and they will be getting regular food for the next week and then will be operated on. 

Selaine, Patti and crew  worked out of Vet. Miguel's clinic. There were a group of last year Vet. students who were able to come and participate and learn the techniques that Miguel learnt last year at the McKee Project in Costa Rica.  We have recently learnt that graduating vets do not often get the chance to actually practice before they graduate so this is providing a great service to the new vets and it is also making them aware of the need to spay and neuter.

This makes a total of 300 animals that have been spayed and neutered in the past ten months!  This will be a lot less puppies and kittens being born to starve and suffer on the streets of Panajachel.

If you are interested in sponsoring a dog or cat to be spayed and neutered - it costs us $20 US for each operation.  Please make your donation to the Mayan Families Healthy Pets Project.   Thanks, Sharon
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JANUARY 25, 2008
Yesterday we had time to sit down and talk about the experience the team that went to Panabaj  had.   Gloria, Julio, Sandra and Oto ( a new and fantastic staff member)  spent two days in Panabaj, going from house to house to visit the people who had been suggested as being in need.

They were disturbed by the sad living situations of the people there. The people are living in wooden structures but the sides are a heavy duty canopy /tent like plastic , most of them have dirt floors, there are large gaps between the walls and the ceiling which allows lots of cold air and dust into the house.  Gloria said that it is very cold there at night and people do not have enough blankets to cover themselves.    They try to cover their children the best that they can at night to keep the cold from them.  This time of year it is very cold and the winds are very strong.

 Many of them do not have stoves, the water filters that they had given to them two years ago by a Relief agency have dirty filters and the water is undrinkable.

 Many children do not have shoes and most of them do not have enough clothes.  The younger children are not wearing traditional clothes because the parents cannot afford it.

Gloria found two babies that were definitely malnourished and she has arranged for them to go to the clinic tomorrow for medical attention.

 These temporary structures that they are living in may be home for the next year or two.

 Many of the children had not been registered to go to school because the parents or grandparents could not afford to send them.

 Thank you Louisa for arranging sponsorship for 36 children there. It will make a big difference to their lives.

 Sharon

JANUARY 18, 2008 Twins in Tierra Linda:

These beautiful twins were born two weeks ago. The family already has

five children under the age of 7.- all girls.   When Judith and Eileen

were visiting Tierra Linda for the stove ceremony - several women from the village approached them and asked if they could help this family.

The mother is not producing enough milk to feed the babies.  She feels

that she  has barely enough milk to feed one.   Eileen tested the

babies sucking capacity and found that they could suck well but were very weak.  They have been crying a lot because they are hungry.

We sent milk yesterday for the family and will be providing them with milk until the babies are older.

If you would like to help these babies and other babies like them please consider sponsoring  them for a can of milk - a can of milk costs $7 US  and lasts one week.
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TIERRA LINDA SCHOOL:

The students helping to paint the school before re-opening on Monday.
Stoves for Tierra Linda School:

Yesterday we delivered the two new gas stoves for the school in Tierra Linda.

The kitchen is almost complete and the school will be opening on Monday for the children to resume classes after the Christmas vacations.

All the women of the village turned out to welcome the new stoves.  I couldn't attend the ceremony but Eileen from Mayan Families Connection and Judith from Paso por Paso attended with Julio and Juan from Mayan Families.

These stoves will really help the women who do the cooking at the school. They will no longer have to breathe in the smoke from an open fire and the children will no longer have to collect firewood to bring to school.  This will definitely help the environment.  The families have all agreed to pay a small fee each to pay for the gas.

Eileen from Mayan Families Connection and Judith from Paso por Paso listen to speeches from a village elder.  The village was very appreciative of the stoves and all the help that they have received for the school.

JANUARY 11, 2008

New Gas Stoves for San Jorge School:

The school in San Jorge had been using huge wood burning stoves to
cook the  snack provided each day to the children.   This snack is

sometimes the only meal that the children have from the moment that

they get up until they go home at 12.30pm.   Many children do not have

breakfast before they come to school.   The school provides a cooked

oatmeal drink called mosh, or sometimes a meal of noodles and meat.

This has always been cooked over these very large wood burning stoves.

 The kitchen was laden with smoke, it was so hot for the women working in the kitchen.

The school had a wish to be able to buy these gas stoves but no money to be able to make that a reality.

Along came a school in the U.S. that wanted to be able to do something for the children of Guatemala.  They sent the money to buy these stoves.

This will not only help the health of the women working in the kitchen but it is going to really help the environment. Before each child had to bring wood every week to be able to keep the stoves going.  Now the school is charging $1 per child per year to be able to buy the gas.

Now the stoves are being installed in a smaller room that used to be a very crowded classroom. There was barely room to move.  The old stoves are being dismantled and the old kitchen which was much bigger than the small classroom is now going to be painted and used as a classroom.  This will give the children and the teacher much more room to move.

Today the arrival of the stoves was greeted by loud firecrackers and applause and many speeches of appreciation.

Most of the students and parents gathered to see these stoves and waited in the hot sun to hear the speeches.

Thank you to all the people who made this dream become a reality.

JANUARY 9, 2008 Baby with Cleft Palate:

This little four month old boy was brought to the clinic today. The mother is seeking help for his cleft palate. Fortunately, we have a medical group coming in January and another one in February who will be able to operate on him.

He and his little cousin , approx. 6 months old were both suffering badly from scabies.  We were able to buy the scabies medicine for the two babies and we gave the baby a can of baby formula. We will be putting this little one into our baby feeding program.   His parents are very young and do not have enough money to be able to buy enough baby formula for him.

If you would like to help supply this little baby with formula - please send your donation to Emergency Food Program.

A can of milk costs approx. $8 . This little baby needs a can per week.
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Students:

Students waiting to receive their school supplies were very happy to be able to sit down and write a note or draw picture for their sponsors.
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Today we have been very busy giving out school supplies to some of the more than 500 students that we sponsor.  We must have had over 200 people come through the house today, either getting school supplies, getting a water filter or coming to see the doctor.  Here is a photograph of Dr. Jennifer treating a young girl who she diagnosed

with hepatitis.   We were completely out of space with all the school

supplies and water filters, Dr. Jennifer had to hold clinic on the verandah amongst all the chaos, she did a terrific job and the patients were just happy to have a doctor for them.

JANUARY 8, 2008 HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Expectant Mother

This young 18 yr old girl is pregnant. She will be a single mother, the father of the baby is not helping her at all.  She has not seen a doctor during her whole pregnancy. Dr. Jennifer examined her and thought that because she is so tiny she may have delivery problems. We are sending her for an ultra sound this week. We were also able to give her pre-natal vitamins and supply her with some clothes and blankets to prepare for the baby.

Thank you once again for your donations to the medical fund, for the donation of vitamins that Sue Frank works so hard to send  and for all the baby clothes that are donated  - without you, we would have nothing to give her.
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Underweight Baby

This little baby boy came to our clinic this week. He is 4 months old and weighs 7lb.  He also has Downs Syndrome. The mother knew there was something wrong with him but she didn't really understand what his

diagnosis was.   We are providing him with medication for his

respiratory problems and milk formula to help build up his weight.
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Little Boy:

This little boy was brought to the clinic this week by his mother.

She says that he sleeps all the time and does not want to eat. He is very underweight and Dr. Jennifer found that he also had a urinary tract infection.  We supplied him with medication and dietary and vitamin supplements to help him.

Thank you to everyone who donates to our medical and emergency food programs - without your help we would not be able to help children like this little boy.
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Little Girl with skin problem:

We have been treating this little girl for a painful skin condition that she has on her face.  We also started treating her for scabies on her arms and body.  Thanks to the donations to the medical fund we were able to provide her with the medicine that she needs and the on - going medicine for her skin treatment.
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Sad Animals:

This little puppy was dropped off at my door this week, she is a female and the owners had dumped her on the street.  Someone found her and brought her to us for help. We have sent her to the Vet. clinic where she is being de-wormed, vaccinated, nourished and hopefully, we will find a home for her.

Dr. Jennifer found this little kitten trying to scratch for food. She is also a female and unwanted. We have sent her for medical treatment and Dr. Jennifer is giving her TLC until we can find a home for her.

She probably would not have survived another day without being rescued.

There are so many unwanted and suffering animals on the streets, if you would like to help these animals, please send a donation to Mayan Families Healthy Pets program.