Sharing the Dream

6/17/08

So, what have we been up to since the group arrived here in Guatemala? We began our adventure yesterday with a nice breakfast prepared by Diana and Isabel, fresh fruit and granola. We had a nice morning getting to know each other better. Our group consists of our fearless leader, Diane, her amazing employee, Diana, Shanna, a student from Olympia, Washington, Rita and Gerald (or Geraldo here) a couple from Sioux City, Iowa, Katerina, a student from USD, Eileen (or Elena as she is called here) from south Dakota, Stacy, a student attending UNL, Nebraska and myself, Rosa, a recent USD grad and newest member of the Sharing the Dream volunteer crew. After breakfast, we all hopped into our micro bus (or mini van) and headed to Zona 12 to meet Lubia and her family. Lubia is the mother of four amazing girls, three of whom are severely mentally and physically handicapped by a degenerative disease that has left them unable to care for themselves. They must be fed, bathed and cared for all within a very small house in a very crowded area of Guatemala City. Rosemary, Lubia’s youngest daughter (19 years old) helps her mother care for her three sisters, all while caring for the newest addition to the family, Roberto, her 10 month old son. Rosemary was very glad to see us, or I should say, she was very glad to see Diane (as well as the rest of the group) and she and her mother welcomed us

into their home where they shared with us about their lives and the health of the three sisters, Rosaura, Elena and Sherrie. The girls were obviously well cared for and loved, however it was apparent that Rosemary had a lot on her plate between her sisters, her son and trying to continue on with her education (she dreams of becoming an interior designer). Rosemary makes beautiful jewelry (sold at the Sharing the Dream store in Vermillion) to help fund her education. She told us that her sisters were now in good health but that they are constantly plagued with aches and pains associated with their disease. Diane brought calcium for the girls to take. Also, we asked if they are interested in having three specialized wheelchairs for the girls and Rosemary said that would be very helpful. Diane is working it out to have them brought to Guatemala and fitted to meet the needs of the girls. This will be through an organization called Hope Haven. The experience was overwhelming in that Rosemary and her mother have so much responsibility to care for the others. I felt overwhelmed for her and we were only there for an hour. Rosemary wanted to talk to Diane about her future plans (she was not accepted into the design program that she applied for) so after the family gave us all refreshments; Rosemary accompanied us to our next destination, not far down the road.

Our next stop was UPAVIM, a women’s sewing group organized in Zona 12 in what used to be a squatter’s settlement in Guatemala City. Sewing is one of the many projects that UPAVIM coordinates to help women in the community to better their lives and provide a sustainable income for their families. In addition to a third floor sewing area, UPAVIM houses a Bakery, a Montessori school, and after school program, a nursery for children ages 0-1, a soy
cheese and milk production facility, a medical clinic, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and to top it all off, they have a beautiful garden on the roof! Basically, they are a community outreach program as well as a source of jobs in the community. The women that work in the sewing group in UPAVIM are able to bring their children to school while they are working and they all must contribute volunteer hours to keep the organization sustainable. We had a very nice lunch there, but it was agreed that the favorite part of our visit was the enthusiastic greeting that we received from the Montessori school children. As soon as we walked into the door, we were rushed by smiling faces as they greeted us with many “holas” as well as hugs. By far the best reception of the day! Then we were off to Casa Guatemala, an orphanage located in Zona 1, a busy area of town. Most of the children there had either been abandoned by their birth parents or are suffering from mental or physical handicaps. One particular case was Carlos, a twenty-six year old
who is severely deformed, all of his limbs are folded in on his body and he spends his days in a crib with the rest of the children or lying on a mat on the floor. His left arm works quite well, however, and he was so very happy to throw the ball back and forth with one several of us for forty-five minutes. It really made us think about our own endless searches for meaning in our lives, when quite possibly the highlight of someone else’s month could have been tossing a ball around with someone they will never see again. Continuing on our busy day, we went to CEDEPCA, a Presbyterian organization designed to work with all religious backgrounds to further their theological education as well to help develop the community through religious as well as non religious means. We had a connection with the group already as Gerald has maintained a relationship with the group over the years. Alternatives for Simple Living, the organization that Gerald was the director of for the last 30 years published a pamphlet each year about ways to simplify the way that we celebrate Christmas. CEDEPCA then translated this pamphlet into Spanish and published it in Guatemala. We were very glad to have made the connection with this great organization. After our long day, we made a quick stop at the bank and then returned to the center where Diana made us a nice spaghetti dinner. We had a very nice thunderstorm to accompany our dinner, and it looked like the power might go out a few times but it held out for us. Everyone was very tired so we all went to bed shortly after.

Go to June 18-21