News from Guatemala
I wanted to give everyone a brief update on how the children from Hogar Miguel Magone are doing in Guatemala!
For those who don’t know, St. Patrick’s is a strong supporter of Hogar Miguel Magone through the nonprofit Infinite Chance. Hogar Miguel Magone (HMM) is a children’s home in Guatemala which is home to approximately 100 children at any given time.
The relationship between Infinite Chance and St. Patrick’s began in 2016, when a group of 18 members travelled to Guatemala to visit and learn more about HMM’s efforts. To learn more about Infinite Chance in general, please visit www.InfiniteChance.org.
This year has been a year of adapting to the “new normal”. If 2020 was about surviving, then 2021 has been about thriving in a new world. HMM has been blessed with very few Covid cases, and now every staff member is completely vaccinated (along with 11 students who now have the first dose). Public schools are still closed, so students are receiving classes virtually, thanks to the computer lab we inaugurated in 2019. Our English program (launched in 2020) has also been wildly successful. Every elementary aged student at HMM is receiving classes in our English classroom on Saturdays… and they LOVE it!
Although Infinite Chance has been quiet, waiting for the day we can all gather and travel safely again, we have been BUSY. Thanks to all of our supporters, we are now able to not only cover all uniforms and computer/English classes, but ALSO all school/trade school/college fees for EVERY student, an onsite preschool teacher salary, all transportation to and from higher education courses, all internet fees, and more. We currently have 9 students enrolled in high school, 2 enrolled in the local conservatory of music, and 6 enrolled in trade school or college degree programs. And we are ECSTATIC to report that we now boast 7 trade school graduates, many of whom have successfully transitioned into jobs in their field and have been able to rent housing outside of HMM. Success!
As always, we can’t thank St. Patrick’s enough for their ongoing support… the difference being made in the lives of these children is incredible to witness. We hope to plan a St. Patrick’s trip to Guatemala as soon as it is safe to do so – stay tuned!
Danielle Weaver
Daniela.Weaver@infinitechance.org
