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Christmas Shoes for Martín
Yuly Hoffens (left) and Lucky González helping Martín pick out a comfy pair of shoes.
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Martin is nine years old. The shoes he was wearing last week, hand me downs, may have been as old as him! But that changed last week when Christmas came early for Martin. That’s when Xela AID local staffers, along with Arlene Corral who was visiting from Xela AID’s stateside office, purchased and delivered another dozen pairs of shoes for Martín and 11 other children just in time for Christmas!
The grateful recipients thanked staff, and Martín promised, “I won’t get them dirty!” Yuly Hoffens, Xela AID’s therapist who heads the “Shoes for Xela AID” Project replied: “Get them dirty! Play, run, have fun!” The program is part of Xela AID’s Emergency Relief efforts, and is made possible by donations to our Emergency Fund. Thank you Yuly and team!
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Winter Vacation School Keeps
Kids Learning
The Nativity cast after a day of rehearsals.
Each winter, kids in Guatemala are off school from December to mid-January. But in rural San Martín Chiquito where student test scores tend to trail behind their city counterparts, they can ill afford the break.
Enter Xela AID’s “Winter Vacation School,” like our summer school, where kids can keep learning. During the past month more than 50 young people and adults from San Martin Chiquíto have been coming to take advantage of the opportunity.
“We have been providing reading, English, math and art classes to continue to grow their skills,” described Lucky González, Xela AID’s Education Coordinator and Sub Director in Guatemala. The kids attend mornings, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
To end Winter Vacation School, the young people rehearsed and put on a Christmas skit for friends and families in the village. Little ones dressed up as Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men, shepherds, sheep—six children dressed as sheep! A baby Jesus doll completed the Nativity scene.
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Leaders Take on the Business World
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Leaders of Today who studied Radio and TV proudly display their certificates of completion.
Mariño Perez dreams of being a filmmaker. And because of training he is receiving through Xela AID’s Leaders of Today program, that dream is getting closer.
Leaders of Today, a group of 35 of the area’s top students, just completed a two-month-long business management course, and the group is all a buzz. Each student was able to explore a career that interested them, included Engineering, Radio and TV, or Baking.
The students also learned how to do simple business plans, and gained other skills they would need to start their own small business. As a bonus, each got the chance to attend the El Congreso Nacional de la Juventud (National Congress meeting for youth).
To celebrate their successes, they organized a trip to the beach. They enjoyed some hot weather, cool water, sandy toes and delicious food. “We’re so busy throughout the year we never have the chance to celebrate our successes,” said Elmer Mazariegos, Xela AID’s Leaders of Today Coordinator. “That is why we immediately took the opportunity for a beach trip and everyone was so excited!”
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Emergency Relief:
Safe and Dry for Christmas
Xela AID staff and leaders finishing up the first wall on the second day of house construction.
Xela AID’s Guatemalan team are just as generous with their time and resources at work as they are outside of work. The team pulled together funding from friends for simple construction materials and pooled their time to build a tiny home for a family of six—the Orozco family.
“They had been living in a hovel—literally, tin roofing sheets with a black tarp for a ceiling,” described Arlene Corral, Xela AID Program Associate who just returned from a Guatemala trip last week. “All six had been sleeping on dirt until (Xela AID Director) Luis de León gave them a mattress,” said Corral. The Xela AID team wanted to do more so they decided to build them a new home.
“The eldest daughter and son are so intelligent and do everything they can to help support their mother and siblings but life is hard and sometimes you need a little help,” said Yuly Hoffens, Xela AID’s therapist. “I’m happy we were able to do something so special for this family this holiday season.”
The Orozco family is thrilled they now have a home that protects them from the rain and a bed to sleep sound at night.
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