Mick
and Katy, whose sponsor
is
Jessica Roesmischer seen
here
at The Scheel Center.
Click
to enlarge:
Parents
who do not see the value
of
education
let their kids work...
Just
like this 8 year-old girl who
was
reluctantly photographed
by
Mick on the mountain behind
the
school last August.
An
aspect of
education here in
Guatemala
is to show parents
the
value of education.
When
education is valued, then
the
girl in the photo above could
go
to school instead of just
collecting
firewood to sell.
.
2010
Scheel Center Graduates.
Deb
in front of
The Scheel Center
The
front yard of a home
shared
by 3 generations.
Another
visit to the
home
of one of the kids
from
The
Scheel Center
Another
home visit. Kitchen
is
left rear, one room for
10
people on right.
Room
for 10.
Brothers
not yet in school
Integral
- Second Quadrant
:
The 'We' / Relationship
|
Sponsoring
a child is sponsoring potential!
The
Integral Heart Foundation collaborates with a number of
social organizations
in and around the city of Antigua Guatemala. These
organizations work in the
areas of education, health-care and community
development, day care centers,
and construction of housing, schools and clinics. We
select beneficiary families
and individuals in co-operation with these local partner
organizations.
With
your help, The Integral Heart Foundation offers a chance
to break the cycle
of poverty through its Sponsorship Program, in which each
child receives:
-
The ability to attend one of our kindergartens, a public
school, or one of the
after-school projects with whom we collaborate.
- A monthly protein basket, meant to supplement the nutritional
needs of the
entire family.
- Additional help when needed, with clothing, shoes,
medicine, school supplies,
and as is the case with several of our sponsored
families who need emergency
support because of frequent flooding and landslides
during the rainy season.
   
Sponsor a child
today
-
The opportunity to interact via live video-Skype with
their sponsors as way of
boosting
their self-esteem and self-confidence.
- The invaluable opportunity to lift their entire family
out of poverty by learning to
value
education over manual labor and eventually completing
their education
giving
them the opportunity to proceed to university if they
so wish.
(In Guatemala, many after-school programs exist because children between
the ages of
6-11 years attend public school only in mornings, while teens do so in the afternoons.
This is the result of an infrastructure shortage which
makes it necessary for them to
share classrooms. With the help of your
sponsorship we can ensure that these children
attend one of the after-school projects with whom we
collaborate so that they are not
idle or getting into trouble during their free time.
Most of these after-school programs
are provided by other non-profit organizations.)
The role of our Sponsor Liaison is to foster a person-to-person
relationship
between our children and our sponsors.
With your investment
a child can attend school. This literally keeps
them off
the streets and in an environment where learning, love
and potential replace
the lure of doing nothing, menial labor or even a life
as a gang member.
As
with each one of the kids who have entered The Integral
Heart Sponsorship
program, we have visited their homes and families to
learn about their needs
and to educate them on the responsibility of having a
sponsor. Their hopes rest
on the generosity of a sponsor to make the potential we
see in them a possibility.
WHERE
YOUR SPONSORSHIP GOES:
In
Guatemala, a teacher in a public school earns $300 per month and a Police
Officer,
after thirty years of service, will earn about $550 per month.
As you can see,
a sponsorship of $35 - $55
per month will go a long way.
$55
p/m college teen sponsorship:
85 % of that is for tuition, 10% for supplies, 5%
school trips.
$35
p/m primary level child sponsorship:
50% on food to family, 25% on shoes/clothing/medicine,
25% to the after-school project.
$35
p/m for tot sponsorship:
50% to the kindergarten at the after-school project, 50%
on food to family.
WHY
WAIT
 A
CHILD NOW!
Aside
from educating children, the challenge also lies
in inspiring the parents
to realize that education has value.
Since we know each of the kids personally, we are using
these funds to ensure
their continued education. Families qualify for sponsorship thru a four page
interview document that allows us to determine which
families simply need help
and which need and actually want help.
Your support will empower the potential
of those who truly want to benefit from this opportunity.
Your donations will also be used to purchase school supplies,
clothing and shoes
as are so often needed. In many cases we take the kid
and their family to the local
store to buy them enough food to get through to
week's end.
As the children begin to
graduate, your support will pay for transport to school
or
college, college entrance exams, or any other necessities
such as doctors exams
and personal hygiene products.
Sponsor
videos: with your support we can all make many smiles!
WHAT
YOU WILL RECEIVE AFTER SPONSORSHIP
  Our
Welcome Letter & Sponsor Contract Package.
Several
progress reports throughout the year
on your child.
Links
to photos and videos of our work with your child/family.
One
hardcopy of our own Hearts-in-Paradise DVD mailed
to you.
A
link to our Supporter Newsletter that goes out
2-3 times per year.
The
opportunity to email or Facebook your
child.
The
opportunity to mail a letter or small gift to your
child.
The
opportunity to present your child with your Heart-Message.
The possibility of interacting via Video-Skype if
you wish.
And,
you are always welcome to visit us, Guatemala, and your
child.
SPONSORSHIP
CLUSTER
-
Ask
4 or 5 of your friends to join you in sponsoring a child
-
Each
person commits to $5 or $10 per month
-
Together
a cluster can change a life!
ABOUT
ONE OF THE AREAS WHERE WE WORK
The
Scheel Center is a school and community center, which opened
in 2008.
It is built on a former landfill (dump) that abuts a slum called Vista Hermosa
(Beautiful View). A beautiful view indeed, as you can see, in some of the
photos in the left sidebar below.
A
view up the hill slum
from the roof of the
Scheel Center. 35 mins.
walking to the top.
300 families live here
in constant threat of
mudslides & earthquakes.
|
A labyrinth of corrugated
tin and cinder blocks.
|
The
view from about half
way up Vista Hermosa
of Antigua in the distant
valley below. The distant
volcano is Volcan de Aqua.
(click photos to enlarge)
|
The Scheel Center is where Debora spent almost two days
per week from 2010 to 2012,
giving
her time teaching English and Evolutionary Philosophy,
doing Big Mind with the
kids, the moms,
and the staff and handing out food
to the moms. On
certain Fridays,
Debora still treks up the hills to check in on some
of sponsored families.
In October, 2010 Debora was honored as volunteer
of the month.
  
Deb with teachers and directorTeacher's DayIf not at
school, kids work.
About
us:
The Integral Heart Foundation is focused on connecting
hearts and has no religious or political affiliation. We
are currently working on the ground in Guatemala, aiming
to overcome poverty
by allowing children and their
families to dream through education and will expand our work
to other Central American
countries as we establish a successful, flexible and scalable model.
The effectiveness of this approach is seen as we teach the kids how to
think
and how to question, not necessarily what to think or to just ask
questions. By teaching Integral Theory and using the
Big Mind Process, we are showing the kids how a much
broader view of the human experience is possible, beyond that which they are currently aware of, and the benefit
of owning
that expanded perspective.
About Guatemala:
43% of children under five are chronically
malnourished, one of the highest malnutrition rates
in the
world. More than half of the population is below the national
poverty line and 15% live
in extreme poverty.
Poverty among
indigenous groups, which make up 38% of the population,
averages 76% and extreme poverty rises to 28%.
Guatemala
is a republic. It is 108,890 square kilometers (42,042 square
miles), thats about the size of Virginia, half the size of the
UK and a little bigger than Ireland. Guatemala is the next country
south of Mexico and with a population of 14 million people, it is
the second most densely populated country in Central America.
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