Greetings!

People for Guatemala is a small organization - no expensive media campaigns, no fancy offices, no extravagant salaries. We are volunteers, live in Guatemala, and work out of a small office in our house.

There are 12 full time and 9 part time employees in Guatemala who manage the health care of over 1,000 patients a month, 100 scholarship students, over 300 students attending classes at our learning and skills center each week, and community development projects including Chapina stove installations, school improvements, and teacher training.

Every day we continue our ongoing commitment to support children who are at risk of never going to school or adults suffering from an untreated illness. We are not a disaster relief organization but for some of our patients and students, every day presents a new disaster. With your support our health team delivers quality health care and assistance to anyone who needs it...from a infant at risk of malnutrition to a grandpa with cancer. Instructors teach young adults who have the potential of earning an income and changing their lives.

Your contributions fund our core mission: To promote human advancement by engaging people with low resources in rural Guatemala through health, education, and community development initiatives to effect long term change in families and entire communities.

Today, with the enormous growth we've experienced, it is more difficult to meet the basic needs of people living in rural Guatemala. Stand beside us to give people hope. You can make a difference by supporting our vital work.

Kind regards,
Lois & Ken Werner
Co-Founders
THANK YOU GRACELAND UNIVERSITY
Graceland students and faculty in La Majada with the teacher and students .
Students and faculty from Graceland University's Lamoni, Iowa and Independence, Missouri campuses visited us in May.

The first group, led by Associate Professor Max Pitt, painted the junior high school in Palo Blanco where their fund raising efforts helped build the junior high school.

Students in the second group, led by Dr. Sharon Little-Stoetzel, Dean, School of Nursing, conducted a foot clinic for 53 patients and dental hygiene clinic for 70 students in El Sapito.

Both groups had the opportunity to celebrate with students, teachers, and parents in Sajcau where they are supporting a new computer classroom.

Graceland University students, faculty, family and friends volunteer at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and participate in campus activities to raise money to support education in rural schools in Guatemala.
Graceland nursing students and faculty in El Sapito after dental hygiene workshop
Guatemala Trip Reflection
Kami Tabor
May 2019

           This Guatemalan experience has influenced my life by opening my eyes as to what life is like for some other people and communities in the world. This trip has shown me a completely different world from my own and has helped me pick out the things I consider to be really important in my life. By seeing the various conditions that the Guatemalan people live with, I am beginning to appreciate things differently that I have always taken at face value. Things like clean faucet water, electricity, houses, and schools (the list goes on) I am no longer taking for granted. However, things like the community connectedness, faith, and aspects of relationships that I witnessed in Guatemala, have led me to believe that America is a poorer country in these regards. This experience has further reinforced my desire to go into a profession in healthcare. Not only will I be able to help people, but I will be able to aid in their medical needs which as seen throughout the trip can be a very concerning issue. By having a profession in healthcare I also get to build relationships with patients, which is something I long for, especially after the experience in Guatemala. 
DID YOU KNOW?
Cervical cancer ranks as the most frequent cancer for women between 15 and 44 years of age in Guatemala. Our health team treats between 15% and 20% of women attending our monthly screening clinics.

You can help us detect cervical cancer early and save lives.
$75 will cover the cost for 10 women at our cervical cancer clinics

CHANGING LIVES
Women's Learning and Empowerment Project
The women in Los Cerritos wanted to know how to talk with their children about sexuality. We responded and 38 women attended a 10-hour workshop conducted by Eileen Ranscht. Besides classes with the women, Eileen met with the teenage boys and teenage girls in the village. They asked questions and got honest, accurate answers. "This is the first time we learned about our bodies" said Rosita. "Ms. Eileen gave us information we never knew." At graduation the women were given a manual with photos and simple text. "Now I have something I can discuss with my husband and my children" said Silvia. We never had anything to help us."
"I WANT TO BE A PROFESSIONAL NURSE SO I CAN CALM THE PAIN FOR MANY PEOPLE"


Jose Danilo Estrada Cusanero, 13 years old, attends 7 th grade. His father is Edgar Yucute, 43 years old. His sister is Claudia Elizabeth, age 15. They live in the village of Quimal.

On September 9, 2013, Danilo’s mother, very early in the morning, got up to prepare her children to go to school. In the same way, she prepared herself to travel to Chimaltenango to sell cheese, cream and butter. She went to Chimaltenango every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to sell her merchandise and bring home food. Dad went to work in the field and mom walked her two children to school, giving them a kiss ... READ MORE
Youthlinc Guatemala Team

Youthlinc, 33 strong, arrived on June 13 in Los Cerritos. During their 13- day stay, students and mentors poured concrete to cover dirt floors in 30 houses, taught English, business and sewing classes, painted a mural at the school, as well as held a health fair for the entire community.

Youthlinc participants travel to Guatemala each summer to work with us in a rural village in San Martin making a difference for hundreds of families.

THANK YOU YOUTHLINC


Youthlinc invests in the service ethic of youth in order to foster individuals in our society who understand local and global needs, and who are deeply committed to work to relieve those needs through personal service, partnership, and good will.
CHANGING LIVES AT THE LEARNING AND SKILLS CENTER
300 STUDENTS ATTEND
CLASSES EACH WEEK
Young men and women from rural villages converge at the Learning and Skills Center each week to learn how to sew, bake, cook or cut hair. They also take classes in English, technology, and basket/purse design and construction.

At graduation ceremonies the students expressed their gratitude and explained how the classes have changed their lives. "It was difficult sometimes to make the effort to attend class but I know it is an investment in my future" said Lidia. "With my husband's help I bought a sewing machine and now I make things and sell them to my neighbors" said Rosa. "I am contributing to the expenses of our family and that makes me feel proud."
Cosmetology student, Jonas, concentrates on a precision hair cut during cosmetology class.
3 students exhibit their basket work
Basket design and construction class creates micro-enterprise for families in rural villages

Students in baking class completed their first course of study.
Meet our dedicated instructors: Norma, Silvia, Flor, Luis, Amelia, Ana and Prissila.
Students attend technology classes each week.
Sewing students proudly show off their sewing skills
Sewing students proudly show off their skills. Ages range from 13 to 53 years old.
DEDICATED JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL ON JUNE 14

Students and teachers in La Plazuela have a beautiful new school. It was a festive day for the entire community that was 10 years in the making. The long road of planning, disappointments, meetings, and waiting came to an end when the teachers and parents approached us for help to build their school in August, 2018.

Dr. Rhonda Goodman took the lead to raise over $24,000 with the help of her family, friends, and students. Paula O'Neill donated $8,500 to create the computer classroom and an additional $5,400 was donated in memory of Lois' mom. The members of the community contributed $4,000 and even the 9th grade students held a raffle and donated $400. Men volunteered their labor and the women in the village prepared lunch for the workers. Southwood United Church of Christ in Raytown, Missouri donated the money for a school kitchen and in January a group came to build the kitchen. Amilcar and Luis supervised the construction progress.

Summed up perfectly by Martita, a mother and volunteer on the school committee... "Hard work, perseverance, and praying to God made all this possible."
Healthy kids can stay in school and learn.
Healthy moms can care for their children.
Healthy dads can work.
Healthy families can thrive.
Please help us continue this healthy cycle.
DO YOU BELIEVE EDUCATION IS THE WAY OUT OF THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF POVERTY?
IF YOU DO, YOU CAN SUPPORT STUDENTS WHO VALUE AN EDUCATION AND ARE WORKING HARD TO STAY IN SCHOOL.

THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD DEPENDS ON US TO HELP THEM BECOME PRODUCTIVE ADULTS.

$1,500 IS ENOUGH TO PAY FOR A STUDENT
ATTENDING COLLEGE FOR A YEAR IN GUATEMALA

HELP CHANGE THE WORLD...CONTRIBUTE TO OUR SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
STUDENTS LEARN BEST PRACTICES USING SOCIAL MEDIA
Our students use social media to communicate but most didn't understand how to use it or the harmful consequences that can occur. "How to avoid personal risks when using social media" was the main theme of the workshop. They learned terms connected to social networking,
sexting, texting, and cyber bullying.

67 students in our scholarship program attended a workshop held by Faida Pereira, a Psychologist from Antigua.
People for Guatemala, Inc.

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 110221
Naples, FL 34108

Contact us:



Learn more about what we do. Visit our website.

Phone in the U.S. 941 244 8692

Phone in Guatemala 502 4909 0841

Phone in Guatemala 502 4909 0841