Building up future fathers in Guatemala

This Father’s Day, Hope Renewed International (HRI) invites you to partner with us in honor of your father and our holy Father. Your financial gift in any amount will help fathers and future fathers in Guatemala. Read on to find out what God is doing through HRI this Father’s Day and how you can be a part of it. 

“Every good and perfect gift

is from above, coming down

from the Father of the

heavenly lights, who does

not change like shifting

shadows.”

James 1:17

Obed, HRI’s Community Outreach Director, and his family

In Guatemala, traditionally, the father is the head of the household, and as such, he is responsible for providing food and shelter as well as an environment of family loyalty (familismo), respect (respeto) and trust (confianza). Keeping in mind that the extended family is the backbone of Guatemalan society, each father may be responsible for not only his wife and children, but also the couple’s parents, married children and their families and unmarried siblings, cousins, and other blood relatives. 

Problems Guatemalan fathers face

Supporting such large families is extremely difficult. Nearly 50% of Guatemalan workers make less than $2 a day and 15 percent make less than $1 a day. It’s no wonder that 59 percent of Guatemalan families live below the poverty level. Additionally, poverty in Guatemala is worsened by many cultural problems, including gang violence, lack of access to education and lack of clean water, which leads to illness.

Here’s how you can make a difference this Father’s Day in these three areas: 

A young man on the dock by Lake Atitlán

Lure of street gangs

In Guatemala, boys as young as age 7 are recruited by street gangs to serve as lookouts as older members steal from local shops and their own neighbors. Once part of a gang, it’s difficult to leave. These young men live in fear of retaliation from other gang members, including losing their lives, as well as threats and violence against their families. 

Orphan adolescent boys and young men who have aged out of the orphan care system are especially at risk of being drawn into Guatemalan street gangs. With no family to return to, no way to pay for education, and few job opportunities, they fall prey to the lure of easy money and the hope of belonging to a gang “family”. Extortion and crime become their way of life, and many quickly end up in jail.

But Hope Renewed international will soon offer new hope for these young men, the future fathers, husbands, and leaders of Guatemala.  Thanks to God and several partners, the HRI Community of Hope transitional home will soon be completed! Community of Hope will provide a nurturing environment where young men (ages 16-22) will receive counseling, education, and vocational training. 

If your heart is moved by the plight of orphan boys, please donate today. Your gift will help provide agricultural supplies, training materials, beds and a brighter future for young men who have nowhere else to turn. 

Access to education

Guatemala spends 3.2% of its GDP a year on education, resulting in an education system that doesn’t provide children with the resources to succeed. Due to the lack of education funding, few public schools are in the rural areas of Guatemala, and those schools located in urban areas require students to pay for their own supplies, which many Guatemalan families can’t afford.

Inspired by our faith in Christ, HRI operates a preschool and funds scholarships for boys and girls living in the poorest communities in Guatemala. We believe that God calls all Christians to create a legacy that ensures the next generation has the chance to develop its God-given abilities. 

This Father’s Day, the young men in our scholars’ program are on our hearts, and, if the Spirit, moves you, we ask that you partner with us to equip them to make better lives for themselves and their families. 

Access to clean water

Ninety-five percent of country’s surface water sources are contaminated, according to the Guatemalan Environmental Ministry. The lack of clean water contributes to 1,100 deaths every year, and has greatly impacted the plight of impoverished Guatemalans during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For example, Guatemalans living in La Limonada, a poor and dangerous red zone, must either have clean water delivered from outside of the community, drive to get clean water (but few people have cars) or climb  129 steps out of the ravine to get safe water. 

Soon, HRI will open a new Water Store, providing 6,400 families a place within walking distance to get clean water. Residents will be able to bring their own containers or purchase a jug to transport safe water to their homes for drinking, and washing food and themselves. 

The Water Store is a part of the new La Limonada Hope Center, which will incorporate its own water filtration system to support local sustainability. The system is expensive by Guatemalan standards –$10,000 U.S. – but will provide a renewable source of clean water for families for generations to come. 

All of us at HRI wish your family a blessed Father’s Day! We hope that you will pray with us for Guatemala’s fathers and future fathers, and consider honoring a loving father in your life, by taking action today!