ESTUDIA CON AMOR

In a country like Guatemala, there are no safety nets like welfare, food stamps, free healthcare services for the poor… So, when an illiterate woman is abandoned by an abusive, alcoholic husband, life gets even harder. Not only must she face the emotional pain of rejection, she must somehow survive and care for her children. Leaving children home alone makes them vulnerable to sexual abuse by neighbors, so children often work with their mothers doing low-pay jobs such as selling gum on the streets, washing cars with a sponge and bucket, or other very low-paying jobs.

Life is also hard for mining families who work dawn to dusk with a sledgehammer breaking rock into gravel. They must work in the winter cold, the heat of summer and drenching rains. Even then, there isn’t enough money to feed the family unless women and children also work. Certainly, there is no money for required school uniforms and textbooks if children want a chance to break free from this poverty.

Hardest of all is the life of a street child. Some children are abandoned, but most run away from abusive households. Life on the streets is dangerous for a child, and they suffer from cold, hunger, and fear. Boys typically earn money shining shoes, but the younger the boy, the harder it is to find a customer who will trust them. One young child summed it up very simply when he said, “We feel sad.” Overwhelmingly sad!

Estudia Con Amor is primarily an educational scholarship program for children in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala (also known as Xela) and surrounding communities. Almost all the children are child laborers. On their own, an education is beyond the reach of these children, but Estudia Con Amor steps in to bridge the gap, paying for school fees, uniforms, textbooks, even some monthly food staples so children can work fewer hours and attend school.

Sandra Alonzo Pac, the Project Director, has a tremendous heart for the children and mothers in the program. She evaluates each new scholarship candidate to ensure her scholarships are going to the neediest children, buys their required school supplies, and helps them enroll in school. She continually monitors their progress, advocates for them in the schools, and motivates them to study hard. She also provides great emotional support to both the children and the mothers, as they often confide in her their deepest struggles. She responds as best she can, helping a family find a place to live, arranging medical care, donating a warm jacket for winter… or perhaps just offering a loving embrace and a listening ear so the mothers and children no longer feel alone.

The Estudia Con Amor program gives hope – hope that tomorrow will be better than today. And, just as important, it creates opportunities for joy – with parties, or group visits to the zoo or an excursion to an ice cream shop. Sandra is enormously grateful for the donations that allow her to serve these precious young children.