Picture this: You’re in El Salvador in the middle of summer visiting a newly opened child development center. There is a long line of mothers, fathers and children waiting to be registered for our sponsorship program.

You complete the enrollment paperwork for 4-year old Susie and ask her to go have her picture taken. Because she has never seen a camera before, she gets very nervous and a little scared when standing in front of the photographer. Her picture comes out with her looking unhappy.

Next, you meet Carlos, who is 8. When you send him to have his photo taken, he is so hot and tired that he doesn’t smile for the picture.

Then, at the end of the day you notice Maria standing at the end of the line with her parents. Her outfit looks very familiar. You realize that you have seen that outfit on many little girls. When Maria finally gets to the front of the line, you ask her about her beautiful dress. She says that she borrowed it from a friend so she could look pretty in her picture.

There are so many circumstances when picture-taking day comes around … and we are, after all, working with children who get tired, cry and have limited energy.

Fast-forward two years. It’s time for that same development center to update the pictures of the children enrolled in the program. With nearly 200 kids and just as many photos to take, things get a little out of hand for you.

You’re taking Alex’s picture and in the rush of the afternoon accidentally transpose his child number on your notes. The child number next to Alex’s picture is actually Hector’s number (you are human, after all).

Here in Colorado, we receive all the photo updates, upload “Hector’s” new photo to his file, print a copy, and mail it to Hector’s sponsor.

After about two weeks, Hector’s sponsor calls — the new picture looks nothing her child. She’s right, and after I review the pictures in Hector’s file, I agree and contact the country office to fix the issue.

Some of our mistakes have created really funny pictures, and we laugh at them, but most are handled without error.

I know it can be disappointing to receive a photo without a smile anywhere to be seen, but please remember that even though you can’t see it, it’s there. Here’s the proof. And no matter what the picture looks like, it’s the child in that picture that matters most.

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Garbage is everywhere. Two children and their mothers used to trudge over the piles, holding a hook to dig in garbage. They were here at the dump at 5 or 6 in the morning every day.

Nearly 150 children used to work at this dump in León, Nicaragua, looking for food and other necessities, helping their families’ financial situations by collecting recyclable material like plastic, glass and metal that could be sold later.

Juan Carlos and Fatima are two children from two different families who were part of that number.

Almost every day Juan Carlos’ and Fatima’s mothers collected cans, copper and plastic bottles to sell at the end of each week. On a good week they’d get $5 to $10. The children went with them when there were no classes or activities at their child development center.

At the dump they were exposed to the hot Central American sun and an unsafe and unhealthy environment, punctuated with bad smells, flies, dirt and rotten food.

“I ask the Lord to take care of me because anything can happen at the dump. This year someone was killed in a fight for trash,” says Yolanda, Fatima’s mom.

“Trucks and vehicles that come in the dump move with no precaution, especially when it’s raining the ground gets slippery, and if someone is behind the truck, they can be killed,” says Maria, Juan Carlos’ mom.

Other dangers at the dump include exposure to violence, sexual abuse or getting burned with the trash.

A child burned her feet when she stood up on trash that was burning underneath. Also, if parents are not careful when trucks are unloading garbage, children can be buried in it.

Living by the river for some years so close to the dump and working at the dump led to health problems such as skin and respiratory illnesses, undernourishment, lice and allergies.

Through the medical checkups the children receive at their child development centers, the staff identified that these two children were undernourished. Both now receive complementary food three times a month, in addition to the food they regularly receive at the center.

They have also received treatment for their skin problems.

Maria explains that before going to the dump, she used to work doing domestic work. When asked why she wouldn’t look for a job like that instead of going to the dump, she says that she makes more money going to the dump for half of the day than doing domestic work for 12 hours.

This is a sad reality; however, the center has helped Juan and Fatima see life differently by motivating them to study.

“Children have a different vision. They have other dreams like to finish a professional or technical career. No one of them wishes to continue at the dump,” says Maria Elena, the center director.

Fatima would like to be a doctor and would like to clean the dirty water in the community.

Juan Carlos wants to be a lawyer and would like to clean the streets of the community so that no one will put garbage on the street or in the wells.

“Most of the people in this community did not go to school. Those who did go only went up to second or third grade because they were a big family and not all of them could go to school, had children at an early age, or parents put them to work instead of study,” says Maria Elena.

Now, this is starting to change.

Two months ago the old dump was closed and a new one was opened where children are not allowed to work.

Adults with an assigned identification are the only ones who can go in, so parents will have to find something else for their children to do, like sending them to school or the child development center.

Instead of holding a hook to dig in the trash, the children can hold a notebook and a pencil — tools that will help them grow to be someone better, someone different.

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The area of Tulancingo holds great history from the ancient Toltec and Otomi cultures. Although the inhabitants are mostly dedicated to farming and agriculture, a few other industries are also in the community. Their major products are dairy, meat, maize, barley and vegetables.

Tulancingo is the community where Proyecto Hormiga has worked with the support of Compassion México for more than 10 years now. They serve nearly 170 children from the community and have raised many children in their classrooms.

Most of the children here come from families with single moms or with parents who work either on the farm, as masons or in the nearby fields. The salaries are too small and the money earned to support the families is not enough.

The Compassion program has been a real blessing in the lives of these children; for most of them it means the opportunity to study beyond elementary school.

In the last year the student center graduated 15 teenagers in two different ceremonies where all families, children and staff recognized the success of these youngsters who have been considered “the pride of the program.”

We interviewed and visited some of them in their new activities. Most are studying for a high school education with a vocational orientation to graduate with a technician degree in the different areas of study they have chosen. Some others are in high school or even at the state university.

These youngsters prove the Compassion development model through sponsorship and the church works here!

Zeydi is one of the most outstanding graduates from the program. She is 18 years old and got into the technological institute from Pachuca, the capital city of the state of Hidalgo. The school she chose is one of the best in the state. Many students apply there but only a fraction get selected.

Zeydi is studying civil engineering. She has already faced challenges with her teachers and professors who do not follow the values she has learned, and she is committed to her studies.

She dreams about building great bridges, tunnels and other great construction projects for the city, state or even for the country, but she knows it will not be easy for her. She is very much interested in physics and mechanics.

Zeydi had to move to a rented place she shares with her cousin and a friend to be able to attend school. The school is actually far from her home and she needed to relocate.

Maria, best known as Lupita, is 17 and is already in her second year of high school in nursing studies. She always dreamed of being a nurse.

She dreams about getting a good job in obstetrics helping mothers deliver or taking care of newborns because she thinks babies are the most wonderful creations.

Her favorite class has been studying all about pregnancy because she is fascinated by it.

“I love seeing babies and learning about their growth in the womb,” she says.

Lupita lives with three older siblings, two sisters and a male brother who works as a mason, and her mother who was left single some years ago.

Keny is 18 and is not in school but is saving all she can to get into school next year. She and her mother were abandoned by her father when she was a little girl. Now they sell homemade tamales to live on and to start saving for her future education.

She would like to become a physical education teacher because she once had severe health problems that were overcome with lots of exercise and by keeping a strict diet. Then she decided to do something to share what she now knows to help others.

Denisse is currently 17 and in high school. She likes to practice tae kwon do and she likes science. She enjoys biology, math and chemistry classes the best, and dreams about opening a cosmetology shop.

When not at school, Denisse can be found practicing tae kwon do or at the Internet café talking online with friends.

She lives with her mom and dad and has an older brother who had to leave the family to find a better life opportunity.

Omar is 17 years old now and works with his older brother as a mason. He wants to study electricity to get a better job. School starts next December.

As a younger student in junior high, he always enjoyed the electricity workshop, and ever since he decided that was going to be his path.

Omar lives with his family — his father, mother and two other siblings — an older brother and a younger sister who attends the student center.

he used to think about not attending school any further than elementary school, but his teachers and leaders at the student center challenged him to finish high school, and he did.

“If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be the same I am now. I know for sure I would have dropped school.”

Jorge is 18 and very happy because he just got his registration for college to study a career in administration and entrepreneurship. He wants to start a small business. His favorite class is math, and he also likes to play sports, especially football.

He lives with his parents and six siblings. His father is a mason and his mother runs the home.

“If it wasn’t for the student center program I could not get to be what I am or what I aspire to be,” he says.

Once, in high school, he was about to quit because he did not have enough money to pay for his studies. The student center provided the resources to cover his education fees.

Before attending the student center, Jorge used to spend entire days on video games. He only needed two pesos to start his game and would not end it until the shop closed.

“Many times I had to sneak home at night, I did not go to school or eat because I spent all many days there,” he say. “But the pastor would make me come to church and would make me come to the program. But now I graduated and I am proud of it.”

Esmeralda is 19 and starting her university studies in agro-industrial engineering. She is studying at the state university and dreams about starting a dairy business to sell yogurt and cheese internationally.

From school she specially enjoys chemistry because she likes the formulas and the reactions the elements make together. Besides school, she likes to read, listen to music and get together with all her friends.

Enedina is a 17-year-old girl who aspires to become a nurse. She is studying in her third semester, and although she still has a long way to go in terms of her studies, she has found the support of an older cousin who is already a nurse and has committed herself to helping her complete her studies.

Her dream is to become a forensic investigator nurse, and she loves the computer classes. Her siblings are all older than her, and her mother is currently working as a cook at a small restaurant.

Elizabeth is a 17-year-old who studies at the vocational high school. She just started a couple of weeks ago, but she dreams of becoming a professional nurse just as her former sponsor from Canada is.

Elizabeth dreams of working at the pediatric hospital in Tulancingo, which treats children from all the surrounding communities.

During the time she was registered at the student center, she was very happy to hear about the work her sponsor did as a nurse and that inspired her to pursue this career.

She got into a high school that offers vocational training on nursing, and although she has to travel 40 minutes by public transportation every afternoon to school, she won’t waste this opportunity.

Her father works as a mason and is highly committed to work hard and make enough for her to go to school and to pay for her school materials.

As a hobby, she enjoys playing with her younger brother and caring for him. She is part of the youth group at church and enjoys talking to her friends. Her favorite class is reading.

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Jaimito, as many of his friends call him, is a very joyful, outgoing, obedient and disciplined child. He truly loves his parents and siblings, and most of all he has surrendered his heart to God.

Jaime and his four siblings — Jesús (16), Jonathan (9), Allison (5) and Aarón (3) — live with their parents, Jaime and María, in the basement of a humble house. Jaimito’s grandma on his dad’s side gave the house to the family 16 years ago. It was once a warehouse full of old and useless stuff, but now it is Jaimito’s home.

Jaime’s father doesn’t have a steady job. He’s an artisan who makes plaster layers that are used in roofs in most houses on the coast. Currently, he works at a little artisanal factory. He makes U.S. $40 every week.

On the other hand, María, Jaime’s mother, doesn’t work. She does all the chores at home and takes care of her five children. She would love to find a job that would enable her to sustain her family too.

María graduated as a nurse’s helper a short while ago. She took a one-year course at a local institute.

Jaimito: A Day in His Own Words

Normally, I get up at 6:30 a.m. and get myself ready to go to the center. I wash my face, brush my teeth, and then have breakfast with my family.

My mom usually puts a cup of coffee and a piece of bread or some crackers on the table for each of us. Breakfast is the coolest time of the day because my entire family is there.

After that, I take my medicine — the one that the doctor prescribed. She’s the doctor from the center. She’s really kind and always treats me nicely. She also encourages me a lot. I know she will totally help me to get well soon.

I leave for the center around 8:30 a.m. Sometimes I just wear sports clothes to go there, but I always take my school uniform in a plastic bag. I go to school in the afternoon, you know?

I love spending time at the center because I get to share with my friends there.

First of all, we have a devotional and Sister Wendy directs the worship time. She’s my favorite tutor!

The other day, for example, we sang the song that I like the most: “Bueno es alabarte, Señor” (“It’s Good to Praise You, Lord”). I truly adore singing worship songs at the center.

After that, we take language or math classes. If we find any difficulty in our homework from school, our tutors help us with that and gently explain anything to us until we get it.

We’re also learning to bake bread. Sister Wendy taught us how to mix the ingredients to prepare good dough. We made it and then we baked it. Our bread was delicious!

We’ve also learned a bit about electricity. The other day, I learned how to prevent short circuits. I learn about electricity at high school, too; actually, I love that subject.

Around 11:30 a.m, our tutors take us to the dining room and we have lunch. The food is always yummy! My favorite dish is rice, fried meat, beans and orange juice. I just love it!

Once my tummy is full, I quickly change into my school uniform and then take the bus to school. I go to Vicente Rocafuerte High, and I’m in 8th grade.

My classes start at 1 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. It’s a long afternoon.

I study subjects like language, math, science, English, electricity, pottery, social studies, sex education and physical education. My favorite subject is science. I’d like to become a doctor when I grow up and heal people — just like the doctors who are curing me now.

At recess time, I enjoy playing soccer with my friends. Soccer is my favorite activity in the whole world! I also play soccer on Saturday nights with my friends from the neighborhood.

I leave school at 6:30 p.m. and take a public bus home. It’s a one-hour ride so I get home at 7:30 p.m., change my clothes and eat dinner with my family.

Actually, my mom only cooks something like a main course when she has enough money to buy the ingredients. But if she doesn’t she just gives us a cinnamon infusion with a piece of bread or a green plantain omelet.

After dinner I do my homework. I normally stay up until 11 p.m. and then I get ready to go to bed.

I share the bed with my brothers, Jesús and Jonathan. The three of us are sponsored. Before going to bed, I pray first but usually I pray alone.

Every single night I pray for my sponsor, asking God to bless and protect him. I also thank God for giving me such an amazing sponsor who cares for me and my entire family. Then, I pray for my family too. I just want us to be always together.

Jaimito at Jesús es Amor Student Center

Six years ago, Jaimito’s father received a visit from the personnel at Jesús es Amor. They offered food, medical care, school supplies, uniforms, spiritual guidance and other benefits to Jaime and Jesús, who both happened to be the perfect ages to be registered at the child development center back then.

The family’s poor home, the lack of steady income, and consequently the lack of healthy and nutritious food, paradoxically, built the perfect environment for Jaime and his brother Jesús to be registered.

“The thing that motivated us the most to register our children was the spiritual guidance they were going to receive. We were not Christians before, but my husband always respected God.

“We have been through really hard times; there were nights when we went to bed with an empty stomach. But thanks to God, this center came to relieve our burdens as parents.”

The development center is open three days a week and provides all the children with good and nutritious meals (e.g., soup, main course, juice and fruit).

At the center Jaimito receives an annual medical screening, tutorials about language and math. He can use a computer to do his homework and surf the Web for any research for school, etc.

At the beginning of every school year, he receives new notebooks and a pair of shoes.

“This year, my Jaimito was about to be taken out of a class because he didn’t have his book of basic accounting. We didn’t buy it for him because we didn’t have the money (U.S. $11), but thank God the center met that need too,” says María.

Jaimito has received not only the normal benefits of the program but sometimes even beyond that. Sadly, he suffers from acute anemia and as a consequence has needed various medical screenings and treatments.

His prescriptions have included an iron supplement, B-complex vitamins, Ensure® supplements and anti-parasite pills. Eighty percent of his medical expenses are covered by the development center, 10 percent by the church, and the remaining 10 percent by his parents.

According to the center’s records, they have spent U.S.$135 in medical attention for Jaimito during the last two months.

A month ago, he was taken to the hospital and stayed there for three days. The center’s emotional and financial support was very important to Jaime and his family.

Although the center is doing its best to fight Jaime’s condition, some factors are holding him back from a full recovery, such as the difficulty of receiving healthy and nutritious meals at home.

To feed lunch to all of the children at the center, Jesús es Amor Student Center spends around U.S. $80 to $100 a day. It’s because of all this that Jaime’s parents are deeply grateful for the blessings they have received from God.

“I’d like to thank my child’s sponsor for his kind heart. I’m sure God will bless and protect him. No one has ever cared for my son like him.

“Besides the monthly contribution, he has also sent frequent special gifts to my child, almost on a monthly basis as well. We have used that extra money to buy food for the family, which is always needed. We always pray for him.”

Jesús es Amor Student Center is located in Guayaquil, a city on the coastal region of Ecuador. There are 289 children at the center and 224 are sponsored.

Children from La Prosperina neighborhood receive attention here. This is a very poor urban area on the northern zone of Guayaquil. Its 6,000 inhabitants have a low socio-economic status.

In La Prosperina people have serious difficulties finding jobs. The most common jobs are related to domestic service, factory work or construction. The unemployment rate reaches 40 percent.

It’s important to mention that around 70 percent of the children who live in this community have the opportunity to finish elementary school and high school. However, about 20 percent just don’t go to school.

The most typical health problems are malnutrition, malaria, dengue fever, skin rashes, respiratory infections, dehydration, parasites and infections of the urinary tract. Fortunately, there are two health centers within La Prosperina to give attention to emergency cases.

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This exceptional group of women at Centro de Desarrollo Gracia y Poder student center in Honduras benefited through a workshop carried out through our Complementary Interventions programs.

 

The seed fund was for $3,000 to teach these women, who didn’t know anything about sewing, a skill that could help them generate an income. The training lasted three months, and the participants learned how to create bed comforters and bed sets, curtains and tablecloths.

This activity was a life-changing experience for Gladis A., who didn’t just learn a new skill, but also opened her heart to Jesus through this workshop.

This young sewing mama is a hardworking woman who has been through difficult times. She is a single mother raising five children who depend on her for everything. Determination to provide for them led her to move away from her children so she could look for better job opportunities in San Pedro Sula, five hours from the capital city, Tegucigalpa. Life became long hours of hard work in a factory. She says:

“It was hard for me to leave my children only with my mother, but I had to do it for them. While I was away, I remember that every night when I was going to bed I used to stare at the pictures of my children on the wall and cried out to the Lord as I wanted to get back with them.”

Almost four years passed by and Gladis was still looking forward to the day when she would definitely move back to her home. Finally the day came, and she praised the Lord for this response.

 

“ I remember that my children cried when they saw me with my things, and I hugged them. God has been good to me even when I was not Christian at that time. He always takes care of me and my children, and I’m so grateful for it.”

Gladis came back to her home with new hopes and she brought along with her the last paycheck for her service in the factory, which she invested to buy a sewing machine and providing some needs for her family.

“I thought of buying a sewing machine because I wanted to generate an income at home since I was alone with my children. But the blessings really came through because my child, Ricardo, is part of the Compassion child development center and that is how I got to know about the wonderful work that they do. I was called by the pastor’s wife, and she invited me to join the group for the workshop and I really liked the idea.”

Being part of the workshop represented an even greater experience for her as she decided to commit her life to Jesus. Her friends shared the gospel with her while she was at the meetings, and she was invited to church.

It didn’t take long for Gladis to open up her heart to the Lord. Now Gladis has been attending the church for about a year and is even working as a tutor for the 6- and 7-year-olds at the student center.

The sewing workshop has produced other good fruits for the women. None of the participants had previous experience in this field, but they were open and willing to learn about creating the bed sets.

“We did a great job and made good products. We had the opportunity to display them at church and we have sold many of them,” the group states vigorously.

Today Gladis and the other sewing mamas embrace the dream of creating a small business together. After the months of training, nine women have decided to continue on their own and are determined to succeed.

For Maria, this workshop represented a good opportunity to generate more income and give something back to her family. Maria is a Christ-centered woman who is part of the church prayer group and also works as a nurse in the health area at the student center.

She has been part of this congregation for 12 years now and never misses the church meetings with her 15-year-old daughter, Dayana, who is part of the worship ministry.

Maria has faith that God will bring back her husband to church. Her husband works in a mental hospital. In the meantime, she keeps persevering in God’s path and working with her friends in the elaboration of bed sets.

“We are confident and this group will become a micro-enterprise because we have good products and we have had so many orders. I think we can start to dream big.”

All the women come at least twice a week depending on the demand, and all of them are committed to making this dream come true. They have done so well they decided to give a special offering for the church’s second-floor construction.

Maria explains,

“It has been a great blessing for all of us. God has been good to us and we feel committed to give something in return, and we know that this will be very useful for our church.”

For Gladis C., being part of the workshop opened up better opportunities for her and her family. Mother of one 17-year-old boy and a child of 1-year-old, she is always willing to serve the Lord as a tutor for children and also managing the library at the development center.

Her husband is serving in the music ministry. The sewing workshop caught the attention of Gladis, who thought this could be an opportunity to help her husband, who was working long hours in a gasoline station.

“I can tell you that this was a very important initiative that was born from the heart of the pastor’s wife in order to support mothers who lack economical resources.”

The church managed to get an instructor, and approached the Compassion office to seek support for this activity.

Compassion’s Complementary Interventions program has been crucial for the realization of this workshop. The group is committed to succeeding, and all of the sewing mamas embrace the dream of becoming a small business that might allow them to improve their economical resources as well as their living conditions.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

The father just came back from a busy morning at the farm, bringing some beans that would be used for lunch, the only ingredient of the first meal of their day.

The global food crisis has hit so many people. Guillermo, father of three Compassion-assisted children and another who isn’t registered, used to have a steady job making bricks. But now he is no longer permanently employed. He lost his job because there wasn’t enough demand for bricks. He found another job at a farm taking care of beans and a corn plantation. Those two partial jobs together make an income of about $37 per month for Guillermo and his family.

Ventura, Guillermo’s wife, in her effort to help the home’s income, baby-sits her granddaughter, making about $75 per month with which they have to find a way to cover all of the family’s expenses such as food, clothes, water service, school supplies, soap, toothpaste, etc.

Since the family cannot buy as much as they used to, what they have in a normal day for breakfast is a cup of coffee with bread or just coffee.

For lunch, beans, a piece of cheese and tortilla that Ventura makes. And for dinner, most of the time is just another cup of coffee.

“The crisis has affected our health. We cannot improve our home or buy new kitchen utensils. My husband is working extra but still getting the same,” says Ventura.

Many parents of registered children from child development center NI-147 lost their jobs at the factories. Bernarda, the center director, says,

“The majority of the people in our community used to work at the eight factories located in the area, but with the crisis, six of the factories have closed. By now almost 80 percent of the population is unemployed.

“The factories closed between July and August of 2008 as a result of the economic crisis in the U.S., the factories primary importing country. Alternative jobs have appeared like fishing in Lake Managua, selling firewood, domestic work, going to the dump, street sellers and farms.

“Families are desperate because they don’t have food for their children. Kids get sick for not having a balanced meal, the local health center doesn’t have medicine, and finances are not enough to pay a medicine at the pharmacy.

“Our country has been impacted significantly. Many people are leaving to go to Costa Rica, the United States or Spain to find a job to support their family and to have a better way of living.

“As a student center, we have not given up because of the crisis. We have faced it and continued on.

“In the short term, activities like monthly birthday celebrations have been reduced to one celebration every three months, field trips, camps, mother and father’s day have been cut to be able to solve the food situation. We are very interested in that our children get some food at the center.”

Reina, the partnership facilitator says,

“One of the reasons for this crisis in Nicaragua is unemployment. There are very little opportunities to find a job. Amendments have been made to the development center budget in order to reinforce the food area.”

In the long term, student center staff hope to receive a special funding to give a daily meal to the children. The center is open three days a week. Last year, two of those three days, children received a meal and one day a snack.

As a consequence of the food crisis, this year children have one meal and two snacks. The meals include rice, chicken or beef, salad, tortilla. The snacks are cookies or sweet bread with milk or orange and carrot juice. The student center staff tries to give the best food they can to the children because they know these children need it.

Despite all the worries that parents and student center staff go through to feed these children, the children happily play and enjoy each other’s company after having a good meal.

At the beginning of the year the registered children get school supplies, shoes, and a uniform. This is a great help to the parents, especially those with many kids like Guillermo, who has four school-age children. Their oldest daughter works at a factory and with the little she earns; she pays her own school fees.

Unable to cover the entire home expenses and without a good economic forecast for next year, Guillermo’s family feels discouraged. However, in the midst of it all, Ventura says,

“We thank God for the staff, for Compassion and sponsors for helping the children of our community.”

Out of Guillermo’s children, Esmeralda is the only one sponsored. She likes to go to the child development center because she learns to color, pray, sing and she likes the food there.

Her sister Maria likes to go because she listens to the Word of God. Moses’ story is her favorite. Auner, their brother, likes to sing and to eat at the student center. Bernarda says,

“Through this ministry, the dreams of the children will come true. If it wasn’t for the ministry many children might be involved in gangs, but now they have a new vision to excel, to learn values. They won’t grow in the same mentally poor home.

“Children know that things are possible in the name of Jesus. I thank God and Compassion’s ministry for opening the doors to our church, trusting to partner with us.

“Thanks to the sponsors and donors for the support that makes this possible. Keep making an effort to help these children. God will bless you abundantly.”

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

The Leadership Academy in Guatemala was implemented in 2005 for the first time to prepare students to enter the Leadership Development Program (LDP) and find good candidates for the program.

Maria, the former LDP Specialist in Guatemala who is now the LDP Specialist for the Central America and Caribbean region, says,

“We believe God wants students to be successful, and it is our goal, through the Leadership Academy, to help students rest on this promise and help them to be more prepared and confident as they start walking on the path God has for them at the university.

“The idea consisted of a leveling up camp called ‘Leadership Academy.’ Guatemala learned from the Dominican Republic’s experience … We adjusted their idea to our country’s needs and came up with a two-to three-week camp to offer tutoring, leadership training and orientation as the final stage of the selection process.”

The young men and women are at the academy for two to three weeks. They wake up every day at 6 a.m. and don’t go to bed until 10 p.m. They learn about topics such as how to manage their time, how to be more responsible, how to study, how to have a stronger spiritual life, and how to be a good leader.

They also learn more about math, physics, history, orthography and writing, and even about attending church. Devotionals are made as the day starts and as it ends, giving them the opportunity to strengthen their relationship with God.

After the camp, a report is compiled about all the participants by all the people that took part in the Leadership Development Academy: tutors, director, LDP specialists, etc. Then the LDP team takes the report to the advisory group that will guide them in making the final decision about which young men and women will enter the Leadership Development Program.

The academy not only helps the LDP team select the leadership development students, but also helps to prepare the youths for what awaits them at university. Maria continues,

“After actively participating in the Leadership Development Academy, our new students will be better equipped regarding their level of cognitive, emotional and relational abilities to start their university and leadership development program challenges.

“They will also come out with stronger relationships as a group, and with their specialists, a foundation that can be built upon in the following years.”

Elvira, Cindy, Edgar, Julio, Edgar Geovani, Gladys and María shared with me their incredible testimonies.

They shared their dreams of becoming a computer science engineer, a professional nurse, a mechanical engineer, a nutritionist, a theologian. Each has a unique story to share. Julio, 18, entered our child sponsorship program when he was 7 years old.

“With the help Compassion International gave me through my sponsors, I was able to finish my high school,” states Julio, who is the leader of a choreography group in his church and also works for the Bible Sunday School at his church in Petén, Guatemala.

Elvira has a different testimony from the others: She was in this academy last year, but was not admitted to the Leadership Development Program.

“I was not expecting a ‘no’ as an answer, but thanks to that, I now know what I really want from life and what I want to be: a professional nurse. If it was not for the ‘no,’ I perhaps would be studying something different … something wrong for what I now know is what I really want.”

Cindy is a bit more shy than the others at the beginning, but she then starts talking with a more secure tone in her voice. “I love to teach, but I want to become a computer science engineer,” she says. Cindy has a heritage of teaching as her parents are still teachers in her hometown, a village nearby.

Edgar is a young man with perhaps the hardest past experience among these seven young people. With tears he says, “People have told me I can’t do things. I have chosen to not believe them but still it is so hard for me.” His dream is to become a mechanical engineer.

Life for Gladys has been difficult, too, but thanks to Compassion International, she says she is a happy and very blessed person. Her dream is to study theology and after that, become a missionary.

María wants to become a nutritionist, and she has been in our program since she was 7 years old. “Compassion International has given me the chance to study and finish up my high school,” says María, whose nickname is “Luli.”

Edgar Geovani is a daring young man whose dream is to create his own mechanical devices. “If others are capable of inventing things, why not me? Why not?” he asks. His resolution leaves me impressed and mute. He is so ambitious!

Each of these students has experienced difficult times. As the interview was over, Julio said to me, with an urgent tone in his voice,

“I want you to know that some weeks ago I was assaulted. Those three burglars pulled out their guns after they searched me and yes, they attempted to shoot at me many times … but the guns got stuck!

“The thieves were confused and did not understand what was going on with their guns but I know what happened: God heard my prayers I made at that moment and guarded me from a certain death.”

I know Julio has found a special place before God’s eyes, and He has great plans for him!

Elvira has a different story to tell. Her dad was an alcoholic during her childhood and that caused many troubles at home with her mom and her siblings.

“When I accepted Jesus into my heart, I asked Him to change my dad. Time kept passing by and I did not see any changes in his life. There was a time my dad was really sick, and I thought he was going to die. I did not want that to happen to him and prayed hard for him to recover.”

Her dad made it and ever since, he quit drinking. “I now know God perhaps won’t answer right away, but he will answer in His time” says Elvira, with a wide smile on her face.

Edgar has also faced tough times. With his gaze always down as we talked, and tears he fought hard not to come, Edgar said,

“My past has been a hard one. My mom had to work in the local market and I was embarrassed by that because I had friends who had everything they wanted … and I did not.

“I always heard my friends saying that they went to watch a movie, that their parents bought them new toys, that their rooms had everything … I remained silent because my life was not even close to that.”

All of this could have made them abandon pursuing their dreams. But they still dream they have bright and promising futures, away from the oppression of poverty.

Each student who attended the Leadership Development Academy is perhaps praying at this very moment to get in, waiting for that phone call that will let them know if they will be part of the Leadership Development Program or not.

“We spend Christmas and New Year’s time pretty stressed waiting for the answer,” says one of the prospects. But, he adds, “This is worth it”.

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