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Physicians for Villagers Project:
(maternal and child nutrition,
and health education)
The purpose of this project is to
reduce the incidents of malnutrition, chronic health
problems, and death in remote villages in the Senahu,
Alta Verapaz area of Guatemala. This area of 133
villages are paying an unbearable price for the collapse
of the area's coffee industry, virtually their only
source of income.
This is an exceptional project
for medical clinics. The project was founded by the Madison Medical Clinic in
Idaho. The Physicians for Villagers project provides an
opportunity to adopt a
village, by providing a nutritional supplement
(Incaparina) for the most vulnerable population in an
entire village.
How it works: The medical clinic provides the financial support
for the purchase of the Incaparina.
This is done
by the clinic donating a small percentage, (suggested $10.00 per
procedure, operation or delivery, or $1.00
per patient visit). All other services
(management of the project, and health center medical
personnel are donated).
Daily food supplements (Incaparina) are
distributed to lactating mothers, pregnant women and
children (who are no longer nursing and pre school age).
The local health center monitors individual progress. We are
planning to expand this project, however, requests from
the surrounding villages for the service have not been
met due to lack of funding. ).
Yvonne Sinclair, director of the
project, is also exploring
sustainable agriculture methodologies and the
establishment of a water system and health clinic.
World Link Partners collects and disburses the
funding, Yvonne Sinclair, in conjunction with the
village health
clinic, procures and disburses the Incaparina.
Current costs:$500.00-$600.00/month: For
approximately 100 families
100% of
the donation goes to the purchase of Incaparina
Women's Literacy Project:
(Adult
literacy--Spanish and Kekchi)
 This project is with the Kekchi Indian villages in the
Polochic area. The rate of illiteracy, particularly
among indigenous women, is extremely high (estimates
between 60 and 90 percent).
Illiteracy isolates the women from the outside world,
which drastically reduces their income capabilities.
This part time three year certified program is equivalent to an
elementary school education.
The village provides the school, the government (CONALFA)
provides the supplies and World Link
provides the
funding.
Salary per teacher:
$450.00 per year
Vamos Adelante Project:
(Education, schools, and individual scholarships,
vocation and literacy training, health education,
nutrition and family planning)
The Vamos Adelante provides health, education and nutrition services to 23
villages in the region of Esquintla. Currently
there are no other permanent development agencies
operating in this isolated part of Guatemala.  Many
of these people have been relocated to this area and
work mostly on a temporary basis harvesting sugar cane
and coffee. There is widespread illiteracy,
malnourishment, parasite-related illness, alcoholism and
other symptoms associated with chronic poverty. Vamos Adelante
has established schools and health facilities.
Currently they have provided 1,200 scholarships for
children, and have established a literacy and vocational
training program. They have 300 more children
awaiting scholarships. They have also established
a computer school for the handicapped in Guatemala City.
Vamos Adelante is one of the few agencies that provide
the much needed support for the elderly.
Costs:
$100
1 year primary school scholarship (per student)
(Currently 300 students in need)
$27-$40 Food basket
for elderly (per person for one month)
WINGS: Family Planning:
(Women’s International Network for Guatemalan
Solutions), focuses
on women’s health issues.
Wings provides information, financial resources and access
to reproductive health services for
impoverished Guatemalans enabling them to plan their
families, and thereby improving their reproductive health
and their quality of life. WINGS does not provide
funding for abortions.
World Link to provides health and management
consultation, and procurement of funding. Programs include:
Family Planning: Provides family planning
education and training, as well as funds necessary to
pay for family planning methods sought by those who
cannot afford them. WINGS works closely with APROFAM
(a Guatemalan non-profit organization with 40 years
experience in health), the Ministry of Health, and a number of
other non-profit organizations.
Cervical cancer prevention, detection and treatment:
Provides education, pap smears, and follow-up
treatment to prevent cervical cancer.
Youth WINGS: Works to insure that youth have
reliable information regarding reproductive health and
family planning.
Costs:
$1,000 buys cervical cancer prevention and detection for
200 women
$500 pays for tubal legations for 31 women
$250 pays for vasectomies for 15 men
$50 provides 16 depo shots, which prevent pregnancy for
three months
In 2004 WINGS:
Enabled tubal legations for 5,397 women and provided 101
vasectomies
Provided 1,627 pregnancy-prevention shots (valid for 3
months) and birth control pills
Arranged and supported Pap smears and follow-up
treatments (when necessary) for 4,113 women
Mayan Families Project
(education, micro credit, home construction, and crisis
relief)
 The
Mayan Families project supports Mayan communities
in the highlands of Guatemala primarily in the
geographical area of
Lake Atitlan.
It provides support in
education (student sponsorship), micro credit, home
construction and crisis relief.
This project is directed
by Sharon Smart-Pogage and Patti Mort, who have lived
and worked in Guatemala for over 20 years.
Education (Student
Sponsorship):
Currently Mayan Families
is supporting student school sponsorship (currently they
have 350 students being sponsored or awaiting
sponsorship) School in Guatemala is free, but
there are fees, including inscription fees, uniforms,
books, backpack and shoes which make the education too
costly for many families. Education beyond the
elementary school years is prohibitively expensive for
most students.
Cost:
$120/yr-per student
Elementary School
$300/yr-per student
Junior High
$400/yr-per student
High school
Micro credit:
Small businesses were
started, or enhanced, through micro credit loans to 230
women. Each woman is given an interest free loan. The women are eligible for up to 4 loans.
Each applicant must have a business plan and establish a
savings account. One hundred percent of the women have or are currently
repaying their loans. Businesses include: sale of goods
and commodities, produce, juice stand, animal husbandry, weavings, etc.
Cost of loan:
$50-$300
Construction of a new
house:
The construction of a
home usually follows on the heels of natural disasters.
Many of the victims of Hurricane Stan (Oct. 2005) are
still in temporary housing and in desperate need of a
home.
Cost: $1,000 Basic cinderblock house
with corrugated metal roof.
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