|
Below is a brief outline of what we are doing
and who we are working with:
(Click on hyperlink for details of projects
and costs)
Projects in Guatemala:
Senahu Maternal and Child
Nutrition Project (NARU):
Senahu, Alta Verapaz region: This project has been initiated to relieve the avoidable causes of
disease and deaths due to malnutrition. Incaparina, a
food supplement replete with protein, iron,
vitamins and minerals, is provided to children at high risk
(between the ages of 2 and 5 years), and pregnant women. Hundreds of cases
of severe infant and child malnutrition exist among the 133 Senahu communities.
At a cost of less than $1.00 per
child per week they could have a dramatically increased
chance of surviving and maintaining normal growth.
Currently, with limited resources, only a few villages are
being served. Surrounding villages have requested and
are waiting for the service. This project was
founded and supported by the Madison Medical Clinic in
Idaho. This is an excellent project for
medical clinics to adopt. (Go to
Physicians for Villagers
)
Yvonne Sinclair, a
resident of Guatemala, is the founder and director of the
project. World Link's role is linking of resources and assisting in the disbursement of
funding.
Costs to support 200 women or children with a
daily supplement of Incaparina: $700/mo
Micro Finance Project:
Chimaltenango area of Guatemala:
Small business loans are known by various names:
microcredit, microfinance, and village banking, but they all
spell opportunity for poor women. This is a new
project initiated in Chimaltenango and now is expanding both
geographically and in numbers of entrepreneurs. The
goal is to improve the quality of life of village women and
their families through the provision of financial and
educational opportunity. Women who have been screened
and approved receive thorough and regular training in
business management, skills development, marketing and
savings. Businesses primarily include animal
husbandry, agriculture, and the production of goods.
This is a unique project where lenders are linked with
borrowers on-line. An individual interested in
providing all or a partial loan selects an entrepreneur on
our website, submits the amount they would like to loan, and
the loan is disbursed directly to the borrower.
Note: Unlike similar projects that link lenders with
borrowers on-line, our loans go directly from the lender to
the individual borrower--World Link does not disburse the
money through a "middle-man" organization.
Costs for loans range from $300-$400 per entrepreneur.
We are currently in the process of compiling more detailed
information and women's stories which will be posted on our website.
Women's Literacy Project:
There are
25 Mayan dialects spoken in Guatemala, plus Spanish and
English. The
purpose of this project is to teach K'echi women
Spanish. Spanish is virtually a necessity for isolated
villagers who wish to market goods, and study or work
outside of the K'echi speaking community. The project,
which is in conjunction with CHOICE Humanitarian, was
initiated in the villages of Sekok and Sajonte in the Polochic area at
the request of the villagers. World Link, in
conjunction with the Director of CHOICE, plans to expand the
project to other villages. World Link provides the
funding for the teachers, the village provides the
school/building, and the Guatemalan government provides
the school supplies.
Costs to support one class for one village
for one year: $750.00
Let's Be Ready:
The majority of rural
poor Guatemalan children are ill prepared for the first
grade. The February 2006 World Bank report states: 30%
of children in the Central American countries fail the first
grade: many drop out at this point. There are many
reasons for this, often parents cannot read and write,
children are needed to help at home, they may not have
access to education, and formal education may not be a
priority. Whatever the reasons, lack of education
severely limits opportunity.
Let's Be Ready (which is similar to the Head Start program
in the United States), provides preschool education to
prepare at-risk Guatemalan children for the first grade.
One preschool was established in 2008, 10 preschools have
been established in the first 9 months of 2009.
Costs to establish one preschool: $2,400
Detailed information for Let's Be Ready is in the process of
being posted on our website.
Organizations
we are working with:
Note: We work with both not-for-profit organizations,
(NGO's), and
individual volunteer project directors, who live and
work
on-site.
Senahu Nutrition Project NARU
This project was born through the determination of one
woman, Yvonne Sinclair. Yvonne, a native of the
British Isles, and at
the request of a friend, visited the Senahu area four years
ago. Upon seeing the conditions, she committed her
life and resources to working on behalf of the people. Her
focus is health and sanitation. She has developed and
manages the maternal/child nutrition project. She is
expanding into basic health education and family planning.
The village of San Nicolas and other villages are in
desperate need of potable water. Yvonne is currently
seeking resources for the development of gravity fed wells.
Procurement of land ownership and sustainable agriculture
are also priorities.
CHOICE Humanitarian
focuses on community development and
utilize hands-on volunteers working in conjunction with the
local villagers. They provide resources primarily for
the construction of schools, clinics, water systems, stoves,
and education and health. CHOICE is currently working
in six countries world wide. World Link role is to
provide funding, and monitor and evaluation for the
women's literacy project and the emergency medical
evacuation project.
Let's Be Ready
This project, which was founded in 2007,
is the dream of a young Guatemalan woman named Nora. Her
goal was to prepare young children and provide opportunity for
early education in order to reduce the level of poverty.
The project was adopted and is directed by Fred Zambroski, an
American from Arizona who has been living and working as a
volunteer in Guatemala for several years.
Rose Foundacion
is a non-profit organization that
promotes, supports, and establishes educational opportunities
for at risk children in Guatemala. They strengthen
individuals and families by encouraging and teaching valuable
life skills and promoting educational excellence. The
role of the Rose Foundacion in the micro credit project is the
provision of part-time manager of the project who oversees the
project and insures quality training and education. World
Links role in the microcredit project is the provision of
funding for loans. | 
