Orphan’s Hope Project Blog

Well, we tried. Adding girls to the orphanage population was commendable but difficult. We have 20 girls at the orphanage right now but that will soon change. It has become obvious that housing boys and girls together is difficult. We need more supervision, more staff and we are running out of room for kids. So, it was a tough decision but a decision that needed to be made. And the decision is to move the girls to another orphanange and concentrate on the boys again. Some of the more well behaved 10-12 year old boys will be moved into the dorm room that was recently created for the girls. And that still means another staff person will have to be added for the boys but then the rest of the boys will have more room and we can then accept new boys again. It’s a difficult thing to do but it’s something that must be done for the good of the orphanage. So, think of these girls as they pack up and move to their new placements. I hope that most of them can move to the same orphanage. That should make this transition easier for them. Keep them in your thoughts. Thank you.

Summer is fast coming to a close for many of us. Our kids in the US, Canada, Europe, etc. have started a new school year and they’re making new friends, studying, learning, etc.

It’s different in Guatemala. Our kids in Guatemala have spring fever. In about 3 weeks, they will be out of school for the ’summer.’ Yes, mid October to mid January is vacation time for the girls and boys in Guatemala. We will need to come up with more activities to keep the children occupied. And along with no school, the kids need more supervision. It’s wonderful to see children outside enjoying the sunshine. Don’t you think so?

Our new capilla (chapel) sits near the top of the property at the orphanage. We’ve been trying to find money to order, make and install windows. We have some arched windows that need to be custom made, a large door to make and install and even a round window at the nave of the church. The recent $2,000 that we wired to the orphanage account has now been confirmed as received and we hope to start to work on the windows soon. And yes, we have a great view from the church windows. We are able to look off into the far distance and see Guatemala City. If you’d like to help with the windows, we wouldn’t mind a bit. Thanks.

…. or it will be soon! The razor wire has been installed around the perimeter of the orphanage. The next step is to add electricity to the razor coils. The lines will be charged with electricity at night, for security reasons. It’s sad that we have to go to such lengths, not to mention the expense, but I’m glad that the orphanage will soon be much more secure.

Yesterday, I was lucky to be able to pick up more shirts for the boys and girls at the orphanage. This time, they were from the Tri-Valley YMCA. The design is the same as the ones I got last week but these shirts are more of a kelly green. The others are lime green. 92. Yep, I got 92 new shirts yesterday. All new, all folded and already sorted by size.

The shirts in the middle are the lime green ones. The new shirts surround the lime green ones. This picture describes it so much better than I can.

So, from the two YMCA’s, we now have 297 new shirts for the kids. And they will love these shirts. I know it and you know it. Thanks YMCAs of the East Bay. You are the best.

Good day to all!

I’m please to say that Orphan’s Hope Project wired $2000 more to the orphanage account yesterday. This money will be used to put windows in the new chapel at the orphanage. We need to raise more money to complete the purchase and installation of the windows (and the front door) but this is an excellent start. Every dollar helps and if you contributed, we thank you.

There have been some security concerns at the orphanage for the past couple of months. So, a decision was made to undertake a very expensive project. As some of you know, we have quite a bit of land surrounded by a cinder block wall. That’s to keep the kids in and others out. But, we have realized that as we’ve grown and made improvements, the orphanage is at risk from outsiders who see our improvements. That makes us less secure. So, the decision is to install razor wire on top of the cinder block wall and around the entire perimiter of the orphanage. This will not be an easy job. It will be labor intensive and expensive. But it is something that needs to be done.

This is what the razor wire looks like. In this sample picture, it’s attached on top of another fence.

If you are interested in helping out with either of these two projects (windows and security), please let us know. We could use the help. It’s for the children. It’s always about the children.

Thank you.

Diane

Yep, this weekend I’m picking up another batch of shirts for the kids in the hogar. I’ll let you know what they look like…. I might even take a picture. I know they’ll be good looking shirts!

As I promised earlier, here’s a picture of Monica.

Monica left the hogar a couple of weeks ago to take a job as a veterinarian. She is busy in her new position and she loves it. (for more information, take a look at the August 21, 2008 blog). Yes, she still has paperwork to do and she is getting used to that. Ah… if we just didn’t have to do paperwork. But, it is necessary.

Congrats Monica. We will stay in touch.