Why Do Guatemalan Children Need Help
When I first traveled to Guatemala in 1997, I was immediately overcome by the beauty and poverty of this magical country. I made a commitment at that time to make a difference in the lives of the Guatemalan poor. Since then, I've been involved in a myriad of projects in Guatemala, including education, business, and technology. Guatemala is a country rich in natural resources but the oppression of the poor is rampant. Many villages lack schools and those that do have schools lack books, materials and equipment to facilitate academic progress. Globally Minded Works seeks to fill that need, by providing school sponsorships so schools can be built and obtain needed materials to educate children.
Many of us take education for granted, but in Guatemala it is a privilege. Many families rely upon the help of their children to make money for the family. Time and again you will see children carrying their baby brother or sister on their back, picking coffee beans, working the fields, selling produce in the open air market, washing clothes, and other, in an attempt to contribute to the meager wages of the family.
All children deserve the gift of education so they can grow and prosper. Education opens the mind of all us, teaching us knowledge and higher order thinking skills. To help a country struggling in poverty, education is an essential building block. We are committed to supporting education in Guatemala through the kind and generous partnerships with people like you.
Will you help us secure a better future for Guatemalan children by sponsoring a student, teacher or school? Think about it and when you are ready, click here to learn more about our projects and how you can get involved.
State of the Future for the Poor
According to a new book by the UN's Millennium Project, 2007 State of the Future, although corruption and terrorism are on the increase, literacy, living standards and life expectancy are on the rise.
Here are some interesting statistics: In 1970, 37% of people over 15 were illiterate, compared to just over 18% today. Global life expectancy has grown from 48 years in 1955 to an expected 73 years in 2025. Extreme poverty is also falling, from 28% in 1990 to 21%, according to the World Bank.
These statistics get mildly lost on me, really, when I see the poor first hand. I don't know what to believe except that the poor desperately need our help and they will always be with us.
Although international trade has probably contributed to better statistics, I believe they'd increase greatly if fair trade was demanded and enforced. Indeed, fair trade is the only ethical form of trading; it is imperative for improving and maximizing the living conditions of the poor, while promoting the global economy. Shop with a conscience! Buy fair trade only.
Buy fair trade. Be globally minded.
Poverty and Beauty in Guatemala
Guatemala is a land of contrasts, a land tragically beautiful yet ravaged by the effects of extreme poverty. Poverty is paramount everywhere you look in Guatemala: adobe homes, aluminum lean-to's, barefoot Mayans carrying wood on their backs or baskets of vegetation on their heads, trash laden streets and river beds, old diesel cars omitting black filth from the exhaust, and dirty toothless faces of the struggling poor. In the midst of the poverty, breathtaking beauty of rolling hills, valleys, waterfalls, vegetation and volcanoes capture one's senses. It is a country where people come and are forever changed.
In 1999, I accepted an invitation with a humanitarian organization to visit families living in the trash dumps of Guatemala City. I didn't really understand what this meant until we got there. Men, women and children were scavaging the trash for food and items to sell and use and thousands of aluminum homes lined the ridge of the vast dump. It was astounding and humbling for me to see people living in such plight. We visited numerous homes, checking the health of many and giving beans, rice and powdered milk as needed.
I left that day knowing that I would help the Guatemalan poor through business and education, two powerful tools to empower the poor out of poverty. Today, I am walking this out.
Will you join Globally Minded Work to help the poor through education?
