By April Breidel and Nizhoni Walter
The Ah-Ha day. Our group started the day with home visits
accompanying a Common Hope social worker on non-scheduled home visits with
families affiliated with Common Hope. The visits were astounding. I think we
all ended our day with a better understanding of the vast opportunities Common
Hope provides.
We spent the first part of our day with a social worker with
the Common Hope Foundation. She took us on the “chicken bus” to a town called
San Juan Del Obispo. While she spoke very little English and we spoke very
little Spanish we knew right away we would be great friends. On our first visit
I was very humbled by the meager means the family had. Our first family was
classified as a “Class A” family which according to the Foundation is a family
of minor financial means, but also a family with other psychosocial issues. The
father had epilepsy and the mother suffered from recurrent kidney stones. This
family was originally an indigenous family from the West Highlands. They had
recently moved from the West Highlands to the Antigua area to search for work
and better circumstances. When we walked into the one bedroom home, we saw it
consisted of three beds piled high with clothing, blankets and all of their
other belongings; their youngest son was asleep on the piles of belongings.
Beyond all of these circumstances I was most surprised by their openness, their
family-centered focus, their willingness to be so open-hearted even in the
presence of strangers. I have never seen a more gracious and humble family with
such limited means. The social worker was so integrated into this family it was
evident they trusted her and her advice, and they appreciated the resources
available to them from the Common Hope Foundation.
The second half of the day was spent with Erin the Volunteer
Experience Coordinator. We toured the Common Hope facility and it really
solidified the philosophies of Common Hope. Thirty-three years ago, a Minnesota
family wanted to come and help improve the situation of the families of the
Antigua region. They wanted to dedicate the focus of Common Hope on education,
health, social work and family focus.
Currently Common Hope services 3,100 families with a staff
of 120 Guatemalan staff. In order to participate in the programs, families need
to have a financial need and at least one school age child. Goals for the children
enrolled include graduating, critical thinking and leadership. The school here
follows the calendar year, January through October, so the students just
started their school year.
By law children must attend school until they reach 6th
grade, and 99 percent of Common Hope kids finish 6th grade. There
are so many things Common Hope has to offer the children and their families in
order for the children and future generations to succeed and lead the
betterment of community. They offer nurturing parenting classes for parents,
and youth programs like academic support for middle and high school students.
They have a computer room with over a dozen computers to help with homework.
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