A Really Good Charity | Niños de Guatemala
Recently, we stayed at the Good Hotel in Antigua - which to put it simply is a beautifully chic hotel with a sustainable focus. 100% of the proceeds from the hotel is reinvested right into the community. Read my entire blog:
For every direct booking made at the Good Hotel, they donate $5 per night of your stay, to their charity partner, Niños de Guatemala. This non-profit provides underprivileged children with a high-quality education. Niños de Guatemala runs two primary schools and a secondary school which house over 500 Guatemalan children that would otherwise not have been able to go to school. Each room is named after a scholarship recipient and their portrait hangs inside.
More so, the parents of these children are also given an opportunity for a brighter future. The hotel's unique business model provides a training program to unemployed locals and single moms. And you are most likely going meet some of them while staying there!
After we fell in love with the Good Hotel on our first stay, we of course went back a few times since. And this last time, we were able to visit the Niños de Guatemala school to see exactly where their charity funds go! Upon walking into the school it was apparent that the school's mission is to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of the students, as well as the academic. We arrived during snack time and all of the children were eating a nutritionally balanced meals. Immediately following snack, they cleaned the table, recycled their trash, washed their hands and brushed their teeth. From there, the students went to recess and played actively and kindly with their peers.
Walking through the halls, I passed by sanitation stations, psychology department and a social workers office. In a short time, it was obvious that medical and dental care, proper health and hygiene, sexual education, and access to our on-site social work and psychology departments.
From there, we were able to spend some time in the classroom. Observing the teachers and interacting with the children was an unforgettable experience.
It was obvious that the teachers were well trained and focused on student-centered learning. Students exuded independent thought, social responsibility, and a passion for learning amongst classmates. All students were also familiar with English and receive formal English lessons. Given the strength of the tourism industry in Guatemala, even a basic grasp of English can dramatically improve a student’s chances of finding a job once he or she graduates. Students as young as Kindergarten receive computer classes. Similar to English, this skill helps to ensure that they are valuable candidates for jobs in the future. We were so impressed with the program, that we are determined to help them continue finding sponsors and ways to support the children. There are 3 different schools, 494 children, from 351 families.
Niños de Guatemala offers three different sponsorship packages for individuals, companies, organization, and volunteers as well as three different membership options.
For Individuals:
Sponsor a Child - This covers all the costs of educational expenses for one student in our primary school program or basico school program including:
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educational materials such as books and uniforms
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food and health costs
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a percentage of the teacher’s salary
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general school maintenance
Volunteer - Dedicated volunteers are key to our mission of breaking the cycle of poverty through education in Guatemala.
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Short-term: the short-term program at Niños de Guatemala will be of at least 4 weeks of time, and up to 3 months.
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Long-term: the long-term program at Niños de Guatemala will be of at least 6 months, and up to 1 year.
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Volunteer from home: volunteering is also possible from your home country. You can help the office in Guatemala in different ways volunteering online or being part of the NDG´s Ambassador Program which means that you are the face of Niños de Guatemala in your home country.
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Volunteer for a Day: volunteer for an entire day at one of our schools from Monday to Friday.
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Volunteer Groups: NDG hosts volunteer groups on a short-term basis, 1 week up to 3 weeks. The groups are of a minimum of 6 people who come to volunteer, learn from the Guatemalan culture and goes on wonderful adventures. Or download and read our Volunteer Group Catalogue
For Businesses:
Sponsor a Class - This sponsorship option is an opportunity to support an entire class, including:
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All costs needed to operate the classroom
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Teacher’s salary and classroom materials
Sponsor the Food and Health Program - This sponsorship option is the first line of defense against school absence, malnutrition, and attention deficit disorders, including:
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Distributing 80% of the daily nutritional needs to all students so they can grow physically as well as mentally.
Sponsor the Psychology and Social Work Program - This sponsorship option is to provide confidence, understanding, and emotional wellbeing to the students and their families, including:
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All of the materials and operational costs of running our programs, as well as Social Work visits to the homes
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The salaries of social workers and psychologists
Moving forward, Hiptipico is exploring options to support individual children or entire classrooms. We are also excited to make Niños de Guatemala part of our ethical travel itinerary, allowing Hiptipico visitors to volunteer at the school! If you are looking to support the next generation, please consider donating or sponsoring a child!
Useful Links:
More images from our visit:
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