A Mother-to-Mother Update!

We are so excited today to share an impact report for our Mother-to-Mother Care Collective. Thanks to you—our generous readers—our first initiative for the Puerto de Esperanza CarePoint in Guatemala was fully funded over the summer. We are super grateful for your partnership and want to keep you regularly updated on the continued progress of this project!

The women who live in this impoverished area of Guatemala City earn their living scavenging at the garbage dump. The Puerto de Esperanza CarePoint provides a safe place for their children to have basic needs met, and our project is specifically centered around the mothers and supporting them as they provide for their children. We want to empower this group of mothers to get the training and opportunities they need to earn fair wages and protect and provide for their families. The local leaders working with HopeChest plan to train and organize the ladies of the community in areas such as child protection, Bible training, birth registration, group therapy, legal advocacy, and how to search for donors. 

They’ve divided the project into two phases. Because of your generosity, we’re able to fully cover Phase One, which includes hiring a teacher and providing formal, accelerated education for thirty women in the program.

Phase One will focus on developing academic skills in women ranging from 15 to 50 years old. The women will be divided into three groups, with one group attending classes on Wednesdays at the CarePoint’s red house property, a second group attending classes right on the street in the garbage dump area on Fridays, and the third group meeting on Thursdays at the red house during the dinner hour.

The leadership at Puerta de Esperanza has asked the women to contribute to part of their education, which encourages them to feel personally invested in the program and their own growth. They only have to pay one time, the equivalent of $4 USD, and our program covers the rest.

Phase Two will include technical training and business entrepreneurship. The technical training can include baking, cooking, sewing, and other marketable skills. Puerta de Esperanza will begin this phase with eight of the women in the program.

The business entrepreneurship component of the project will include business and financial management. After training is complete, the CarePoint will give each woman a small investment to start their own businesses. The staff will regularly assess their progress and provide coaching as needed.

So that’s the plan! Just a reminder: this program was created by local leaders who know exactly what their community needs. We simply get the beautiful opportunity of partnering with them and cheering them on. 

Thank you, again, so much, for your support of our Mother-to-Mother initiative, and we will continue to bring you new updates right here as we receive them!