November 2018

Good afternoon!

I wanted to give you all an update on our breakfast program, Juntos Podemos Cambiar La Niñez (Together We Can Change Childhood). This email chain is specifically for our sponsors and others directly involved in our project. I will be communicating by email every few weeks or so to keep you all in the loop about our program, as well as send out reminders for the monthly donations.

Our first breakfast was served on Monday, October 22nd. The children received coloring books and crayons to celebrate the start of our new project! Their families were invited to share cake and to meet with the other families. So far, we have served breakfast seven different times over the past couple weeks! Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the children stop by our dining area at 6:45 am to sit and enjoy their breakfast. Breakfast is prepared by Ingrid, Lucy's mother. Ingrid and Lucy then serve the breakfast in our dining hall, a space we are renting that is directly across the street from their house.

I have included links to the photos! I can’t say thank you enough to all of you who have supported our children. 

Photo links:  https://flickr.com/photos/143346667@N05/sets/72157703200688255 https://flickr.com/photos/143346667@N05/sets/72157699961702832

I wanted to answer a few questions I have received from some of the sponsors:

Can I go ahead and pay for months in advance or even the whole year? The answer is yes- if it is easier to pay every other month, every three months, or even for the whole year, that is fine with me. I keep record of each transaction on a spreadsheet  so I am able to track the sponsors’ payments. Just let me know and we can set up a payment plan that works best for you. Venmo seems to work well with a lot of you, but I can also accept checks. Every 4 weeks, I send the donation money to Lucy and Ingrid, and they then buy a majority of the supplies for the whole month. At the start of every week, they purchase the more perishable items such as fruit, bread, eggs, etc. We are planning to buy the supplies for next month on November 16-17th. If you could have your payment of $25 to me by November 16th, that would be great!

Is Juntos Podemos a tax deductible organization? Currently, Juntos Podemos is not a tax deductible organization. However, I have teamed up with Tobie Spears, a friend of mine who runs her own organization in Guatemala. Her tour company is a 501c3. We are working on a project together to provide Christmas clothes and a toy (soccer ball or doll) for each child. One of the traditions in Guatemala is everyone wears new clothes on Christmas Eve. For many families, this is the only time they will wear new clothes all year. We are asking $30 for each child. This is a one time donation separate from the breakfast program. Here is a little more about Tobie and her organization- Guatemala Humanitarian Tours.

Tobie Spears has been working in Guatemala for over 6 years and loves the people and the country. She started Guatemalan Humanitarian Tours a 501c3 to encourage International travel from the States to Guatemala to teach participants more about life in a developing country and assist locals with hands-on programs and alleviate financial burdens. 

Tobie has teamed up with several Guatemalan organizations and takes participants on an 11 day adventure to explore the cultures, languages and people of Guatemala. While there we volunteer at a local orphanage, build garden boxes with local families, ride horses up a volcano, deliver backpacks and school supplies to local schools, visit lake Atitlan, enjoy a sunrise tour of the Mangroves, explore Mayan ruins, visit black sand beaches, install or repair wood burning stoves, shop at fabulous markets, deliver formula and supplies to a nutritional center. We work hard and have a blast. Our days are full of learning and activity. We stay in local hotels and enjoy delicious food. While in Guatemala you get the chance to change your life while improving the lives of others.  

Tobie and I have teamed up to work together to create a better life for the children and their single mothers. We want to educate the mothers and help the children receive the nutrition, education and life skills needed to create successful lives. Join us!

If you are wanting to make a tax deductible donation to our Christmas project, here is the link: https://guatemalanhumanitariantours.org/donate/

There is a place on PayPal where you can write what the donation is for. Please specify that the donation is for Gifts for Guatemala or Guatemala Christmas project. If there is a specific child you would like to donate for, include their name as well. Please keep record of your tax deductible donation for your CPA if applicable!

Juntos Podemos Breakfast Program currently has 18 children in our program. As of today, eleven of the children have sponsors committed to helping them receive breakfast each month! Let me know if you have any friends or family who may be interested in sponsoring a child or even helping with a one time donation for our Christmas presents. As always, please do not hesitate to ask questions or provide feedback! After all, this program is running smoothly due to the support we receive from each one of you. God continues to open up doors for us as long as we keep our hearts open to His plan! 

May God bless you, your families, and our Guatemalan brothers and sisters.

Victoria Masucci