The Season of Giving

At this time of year, we are reminded of how lucky we are, and how very rich we are compared to most of the people in the world. This really hit home for Eric and me on our first trip to Guatemala, especially when we visited some of the Mayan villages in the highlands. Over 50% of the total population in Guatemala lives below the poverty line, and that number rises to almost 75% in the rural areas. It was very sad to see children who should have been in kindergarten having to work to help feed themselves and their families. We kept thinking, why did we have the good fortune to be born to middle-class families in the United States, when we could have just as easily been born in extreme poverty in a third-world country?

For the last few years, instead of buying presents for the adults in our family, we have used our "holiday spending" money to give to charities that help people in need. This year we wanted to focus our giving on helping people in Daniel's birth country, Guatemala. We chose to participate in the Friends Through Guatemalan Adoption "Holiday Giving Back" project, in partnership with Behrhorst Partners for Development. Money donated through this project provides families in eight rural Mayan villages with supplies and training designed to help them support themselves and their community, by being able to eat the vegetables, fruit or eggs they grow, and by providing a product to sell at market.

As of last week, they have raised $7,300, providing:
Vegetable gardens for 24 families
Chicken farms for 22 families
Fruit farms for 56 families
Sponsorship for 60 women to join an embroidery cooperative

If you are interested in learning more about FTGA's "Holiday Giving Back" project, or the other work BPD does in rural Mayan villages, here are links to their websites:

Friends Through Guatemalan Adoption
Behrhorst Partners for Development

Have a happy holiday season and a healthy, joyful New Year!