Pueblo a Pueblo

2009-05-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

SPORT SHOES FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS.

One of the requirements of the Physical Education Class at the Panabaj and Chukumuk School is that the students need to bring sport shoes. Many of the families can’t afford them as they are an extra expense for the weak economy of the family. A new pair of sport shoes costs around $20 so normally the children do physical education using plastic shoes, which are the most affordable (around $5). Every year, the students from the Panabaj and Chukumuk School who are sponsored through our Child Education/Health Sponsorship receive a new pair of sport shoes so they can go to the Physical Education Class well equipped.

2009-04-18T07:35:00.001-07:00

First Presbyterian Church

San Luis Obispo

building the new hospital

2009-04-12T17:41:00.000-07:00

(Click on the photo to enlarge it)

2009-04-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

K'aslimaal president, Francisco Sojuel founded ADISA and is internationally known for his work on behalf of people with disabilities. He just returned to Atitlán after a three week workshop in Eugene, Oregon. Sixteen people from Latin America participated in the workshop called, "International Leadership, Employment and DIsabilities", part of "I Lead", a Professional Exchange Program.

2009-04-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

ANNALISA’S FUNDRAISER BRINGS A PHOTOCOPY MACHINE TO THE PANABAJ SCHOOL

The children in Panabaj school do not have money to purchase school books. The school relies on photocopies of exercise, worksheets and other materials to provide the children with the information needed to learn.

The teachers at the Panabaj School won’t have to worry any more about getting money to photocopy exercises and exams. This is all THANKS to Annalisa’s fundraising idea!!! Annalisa, a typical teenage girl from New Hampshire who was born in Guatemala celebrated her ‘quinceañera’ (15th birthday) and decided to use this as an opportunity to do something truly altruistic. She asked her birthday guests not to buy presents for her, but instead to make a donation to the Panabaj School .

When Carolyn, Annalisa’s mother, contacted Pueblo a Pueblo, Inc. explaining their wish to donate to the Panabaj School we discussed several options and jointly decided to use the gift to purchase a photocopier.

It has taken some time to coordinate everything but Annalisa’s dream has come true! The Panabaj School Teachers were pleased as peaches when they saw the machine arriving and couldn’t stop telling Montse (Pueblo a Pueblo’s sponsorship coordinator) to please thank Annalisa in their names.

The photocopy/scanner/printer machine has been placed in the only secure room the school has. Unfortunately, the Panabaj School is still in a temporary location with classrooms made out of plywood.

We want to send a big THANK YOU to Annalisa for her dream. We at Pueblo a Pueblo feel honored to have been able to be a bridge for this endeavor. May Annalisa’s fundraising idea be an inspiration for those who wish to empower less fortunate individuals one person at a time!

2009-04-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Hospitalito!

Today, Hospitalito Atitlán celebrated it's fourth birthday with chocolate cake and coffee for all of the staff and medical volunteers. Three babies were born this morning at HA this morning too, so there were many celebrating.

2009-03-30T17:38:00.000-07:00

Evelyn’s Basket of Love and Life

Jane Bartel and Susan Moretz of North Carolina surprised HA when they came to visit and delivered Evelyn’s Baskets of Love and Life. Jane’s baby granddaughter Evelyn was born with a cleft palette. The team that worked to correct baby Evelyn’s mouth included a Guatemalan surgeon Dr. Figueroa. In the course of recovery, Dr. Figueroa told Jane that sadly many Guatemalan babies born with cleft palates die of starvation, because of their inability to nurse. As baby Evelyn grew, Jane thought about the families with little to offer their new babies.

Jane decided to make a difference in their lives and offer hope to the families. She works with Felix Santizo, of San Lucas Tolimán, and has helped Guatemalan families and their babies with their operations and recovery. Evelyn’s Baskets contain a breast pump, two specially designed bottles with nipples that are meant for newborns with cleft palettes, two less expensive bottles that will adapt to the special nipples, two tea towels and detergent, so that the bottles are kept clean. There is also a book of photos of newborn babies before their surgery, and later when they are recovered. The Baskets are meant to give HOPE to the families. The photos were amazing.

When Dra. Suzana told the women of a baby born at HA in late December who had not gained weight so that he could have his first surgery, Jane wanted to meet the family and deliver the Basket herself. Social workers, Chonita and Chenta, and Kathy Roach accompanied the women to visit the family in Panabaj. Because the baby could never nurse, the mother can no longer breastfeed, so Jane purchased formula for three months.

Jane also left an Evelyn’s Basket at Hospitalito Atitlán with the instructions to call Felix in San Lucas when a baby with cleft palette is born. Felix will come to talk with the family and help them through the first difficult days of using the new baby bottles.

Thank all of you for you inspiring work which makes a huge difference in the lives of so many familes!

2009-03-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

FESTIVAL ATITLÁN 2009

It has been more than a week since we enjoyed the ATITLÁN MUSIC FESTIVAL and we still haven’t recovered!

Roberto Luz and his family work hard during the whole year, and especially the days before the event, to organize FESTIVAL ATITLÁN as a benefit for the Hospitalito Atitlan.

Pueblo a Pueblo wants to thank them for the amazing work and the amazing Festival, which keeps on becoming more popular year after year.

Apart from having fun we also took the opportunity to present our Programs to the public. At the NGO’s area Pueblo a Pueblo sold gourmet chocolates and chocolate bars. The sales weren’t big but the idea was to attract attention and awareness to our Programs. K’aslimaal organized a successful raffle with many prizes and a silent auction. The Hospitalito DVD was shown to whoever had interest, raising awareness towards the New Hospitalito’s construction.

Once more, THANK YOU for this local fundraising event benefiting the Hospitalito!!!!

If you are reading this blog post and haven’t attended at least one Atitlán Music Festival you MUST come next year!

2009-03-19T18:21:00.000-07:00

MANY SPONSORS VISITING THIS MONTH!!!

March has been a very special month for Josefa , Julia Elisabeth and Victor, three of the sponsored students from the Panabaj School, as well as for Antonia and her two year old son Juan, an infant in the Pueblo a Pueblo’s Mother Infant Sponsorship. Guess why! Because their sponsors came to meet them!!!

This is an exciting moment for the sponsored children and their families as they get to know the people who have been helping them in their studies and providing free medical care for them at the Hospitalito.

We at Pueblo a Pueblo thank Emily Raymond, Michael Foster, and The United Methodist Church from Crane and West Springfield, the sponsors who gave their sponsored children a day they’ll always remember! Thank you.

2009-03-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

The Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad of Santiago Atitlan presented Pueblo a Pueblo's new Executive Director, Rosemary Trent, with a commemorative wooden sun. From left to right: Director of the Fire Department: Juan Andres Chiquival Quieju, Rosemary Trent, and Juan Chavajay Sojuel, the Firemen's Treasurer.

2009-03-14T10:24:00.000-07:00

I WANT TO APOLOGIZE!

I want to apologize to the hard working volunteers from Crane and West Springfield United Methodist Churches in Pennsylvania. In this photo, they look like they are having a picnic! I can assure you that the work they did this week WAS NO PICNIC!!! I am sorry that this is the best photo of their group that I have for the blogalito. THEY WORKED INCREDIBLY HARD! This is the third time that these wonderful people have been to Santiago Atitlán to help with the Hospitalito. In March 2005, they helped prepare for the opening of the Hospitalito in Panabaj. Leroy repaired the sheet rock on the ceiling in the operating room. His wife Laura scrubbed and scrubbed the floors and then waxed them. Cindy painted windows, some of the group made the darkroom in X-ray light tight.... and much more. Last year, when they returned, they worked in the temporary hospital, finishing the new kitchen and working with inventory. This year was the hardest. They moved dirt!! They compacted dirt!! They got extremely dirty and HOT! I promised them that this is the hardest that they will ever work for us! Every year, their church members gather items from the wish list, and the congregation is very generous. They sponsor a student in the Pueblo a pueblo school sponsorship program and a mother and baby in the Maternal Infant program. They also worked with ADISA this visit.

I hope that next year, they can help us get ready to open the new Hospitalito... wouldn't that be WONDERFUL!! Thanks, it was wonderful to see you all again!! Lyn

2009-03-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

Fundación Carols F. Novella

A delivery of cement arrived at the construction site FREE OF CHARGE today!! K'aslimaal had applied for a donation from a Guatemala City Foundation created by the founder of the countries largest cement company, Cementos Progressos. Thanks, every bit helps!!

2009-03-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Canadians deliver... BIG time!!

Students from Charles P Allen High school in Nova Scotia visited the Hospitalito today. They arrived loaded with donations!! Their group is visiting several organizations while they are in Guatemala. It was a pleasure to meet them.

2009-03-06T14:23:00.001-08:00

Physician Volunteers -- March 2009

Obstetrician Patricia Lledó Weber from Madrid is greatly appreciated at the Hospitalito. She is volunteering her services to the women of Atitlán for three months. In the photo, Patricia and Dr. Rob Meyer, a Boston pediatrician, pose with the grandmother, the happy father and his brand new son. The new baby boy is about to receive his first check-up, while Mom rests. People familiar with Santiago Atitlán may recognize, Salvador, the proud father, who works as a waiter at the popular Restaurante Pescador in the center of town.

2009-03-04T21:20:00.001-08:00

SPONSORED STUDENTS START SCHOOL YEAR IN CHUKUMUK

Some of the families from Panabaj who lost their homes during Tropical Storm Stan in 2005 started 2009 in a new home! The local government had given them the land and the families had to help build their own homes in Chukumuk, an area outside of Santiago, but away from the mudslide risk zone. Many others are still living in shelters or in their old homes situated in a high risk zone. The reasons vary; some of them can’t afford the materials they need to start their new house, and others are still waiting for the local authorities to assign them with a piece of land.

This has changed the reality for some of the sponsored students. The 2^nd of February, the sponsored students who now live in the Chukumuk neighborhood started the School Year at a building situated in the same neighborhood. The Provisional Chukumuk School is for now an Annex to the Panabaj School. It opened its doors this year with 197 students.

The building of the Provisional Chukumuk School is not finished completely as its walls are pure block without plaster, the floor is rough cement, the electricity is inefficient, and water is scarce. The building wasn’t meant to be a school so its classrooms are small with little natural light.

Despite all these deficiencies, the need to have a school in Chukumuk was urgent. Chukumuk is quite far from downtown Santiago, and it is even farther from Panabaj. The educational authorities faced a serious drop in school attendance if they didn’t have a school in Chukumuk because the families don’t have the resources to pay transportation for their children to go to study in town or to continue going to the Panabaj School.

Pueblo a Pueblo, Inc. is continuing to work hard to increase sponsorship coverage so we can benefit individual students and their families and also the whole school. They need our help now more than ever as there are two sections, the Main Panabaj School, which continues in a provisional building with plywood walls, and the Provisional Chukumuk School, which needs to improve in many ways to be able to offer a good education to its students.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Education/Health Sponsorship please visit http://puebloapueblo.org/child_ed-health.html To Make a One Time donation in support of this program Click here.

I want to become a SPONSOR.

2009-03-02T19:03:00.000-08:00

45.6% of Guatemalan Children Manourished

Guatemala City (IANS): Nearly half of Guatemala's children suffer from chronic malnutrition and their physical growth falls below the average established by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to a study.

The study carried out by the education and health ministries found that 45.6 percent of Guatemalan children suffer from chronic malnutrition, EFE reported.

To read the whole story please click below.

2009-02-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

(Click to enlarge)

Bomberos Voluntarios -- Volunteer Rescue Workers - San Juan la Laguna February 27th, 2009 was a day of great celebration for the village of San Juan la Laguna, a Tz'utujil community on the western shore of Lago Atitlán. It is the dream come true of Seattle area firefighters, and especially Paul Embleton, who has spent the last two years to build and equip the new fire station. Paul brought ambulances, and water rescue vehicles and equipment from the United States, and built a water ambulance to transport patients from lakeside villages to Hospitalito Atitlán. Paul has a home near the Hospitalito. Bomberos from Panajachel, Sololá, and Santiago Atitlán shared in the event. There was marimba and lunch. Dr. Juan Manuel Chuc spoke about the imporyance of working together to provide the best healthcare possible, including the traditional midwives who also attended the event. Paul received recognition for his dedication and for bringing many Rotarians to help with construction. "Very muy Utz" is a combination of English, Spanish, and Tz'utujil to say... Volunteer Fireman, Very very GOOD!

2009-02-24T19:29:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

María and Victor Salvador are two of the lucky sponsored children who received a nice birthday gift from their sponsors. Most of the children at the Panabaj School don’t know when their birthday is because their families cannot afford a celebration. When Montse, Pueblo a Pueblo’s Sponsorship Coordinator asks them the date of their birthday almost all of them have to look at their birth certificate!

A big THANK YOU to María and Victor Salvador’s sponsors for remembering their birthdays!

2009-02-24T07:35:00.000-08:00

Kathy Roach

Kathy's BACK!! And everyone is happy to see her well and happy!

2009-02-24T07:34:00.000-08:00

Dr. Puertocarrera (back row) an Opthamologist from the Universidad de Valle, in Sololá brought visitors to Hospitalito Atitlán las week. The group represented various Guatemalan hospitals and organizations, including Hospital Roosevelt, the Fundación de Ojos (the Eye Foundation), Unidad National Opthamologia, and the Clinic Quemadas Infantiles (the children's burn clinic.) Another meeting is scheduled on March 13th.

2009-02-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

It takes all kinds of people to work on the details of a new Hospital. Some of the volunteers met on Thursday at the construction site to discuss electrical system wiring. From L. to R. Dr. Juan Manuel Chuc, Jeff Lang of Ithica NY, Henry Mendoza, Ian Woofenden (Home Power magazine) of Guemes Island, WA, and architect Molly Molander. Not in the foto is Jimmy Hutchison, of Springfield, MO owner of a medical supply business, who is working with Jeff on future equipment needs so that Henry can design the circuits.

2009-02-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

(Click to enlarge)

What is going on at the Hospitalito??

Well, sadly, Narda is returning to Oregon… so the staff planned a despidida for Narda and her daughter Zarah and son Tai… AND combined it with a Valentines Day party. Mid day, everyone gathered in the education room for chuchitas (tamales) and mosh (hot oatmeal drink). Chenta planned a game. Everyone formed a circle, and a marker was given to Cristobal to start. We were instructed to put a DOT on the person next to us, and then pass the marker on. See Cristobal put a spot on Rigoberto’s nose (a large permanent spot). There were lots of dots on hands, earlobes, necks… almost everywhere. When everyone had their spot marked, Chento told us that we were celebrating Dia de Cariño, and to celebrate our friendship, we would start at the beginning of the circle, and KISS the spot where we had placed the dot on the person next to us. That’s when things got hilarious. The last person to place his dot was Ithan Peltan, the Harvard Medical Student who returned to Hospitalito in early February. Because he is serious about medical career, he thought like a physician… giving an injection on the backside, and that’s where he gave Cristobal his dot. See foto of Ithan and Cristobal. Wish you were here. Happy Valentine’s Day!

We owe a big thanks to Narda Sherman for her third trip to HA. The staff and patients LOVE Narda and are sorry to say “Chuac chik!” The day she left, she presented six bound copies of the updated Volunteer Orientation Manual. Narda also worked with Rebeca on updating the housing manual. He husband Ulysses coached soccer during his month here over the holidays. Zarah was enrolled in the Colegio Alfa y Omega near HA and looked great in her school uniform, a guipil and corte. We hope that they all return soon.

You may remember hearing of Ithan Peltan before, and congratulations are in order because the article he wrote was accepted for publication in a medical journal: "Disaster response and recovery at a small, rural hospital in Guatemala."

2009-02-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

A Warm Welcome to Rosemary!

...and a Cheery Gracias to Ken!

Welcome to Rosemary Trent, PaP’s new executive director. Rosemary recently relocated to Washington D.C. after spending several years in Brazil. She brings with her a vast knowledge and experience working with community projects in Latin America and Africa. She has hit the ground running bringing fresh new ideas for fundraising and community outreach. We at Pueblo a Pueblo and the people of Santiago Atitlan are lucky to have you with us!

Thank you and welcome!

A very special Thank You goes out to our out-going executive director, founder of Pueblo a Pueblo and dear friend Ken Wood. We thank him for his guidance, selfless support and tireless efforts in helping the people of Santiago Atitlan. Thank you Ken for all you have inspired. Don’t be a stranger!

-Kristen VanZandt
President of Pueblo a Pueblo

2009-02-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

WILDFIRE FIGHTERS helping to build the new Hospitalito

Three young men, taking a rest from the difficult work of fighting wildfires in Montana, traveled to Central America for a vacation. They looked for volunteer work and fortunately for us, found the Hospitalito. With their first inquiry, they were warned that the real work was beginning that week… the pouring of concrete for the footers. They showed up anyway. Phil Graeve, Ben Schlaub and Erik Andreassen were very impressed with the construction. They loaded buckets of sand and gravel for the workers and carried the 100-pound bags of cement when the truck arrived for delivery. They all agreed that they had never worked as hard in their lives… but they kept returning, and surprised the local workers. Erik commented on how hard the local guys are working. When he found out that they earned different pay per day, depending on skill and task, he felt that he, Ben and Phil would be at the low end of the pay scale.

To see more photos of the construction of the new Hospitalito Atitlán go to
http://s468.photobucket.com/albums/rr45/hospitalitoconstruccion/

2009-02-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

Pueblo a Pueblo a Sundance!

Rosemary Trent, Pueblo a Pueblo’s Executive Director was invited to the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah to raise money and awareness for the construction of the new Hospitalito as well as our efforts to maintain the temporary facility.

Pueblo a Pueblo’s partner, Oasis Entertainment put on a 3-day concert series with musicians from the Seattle and LA areas. Many volunteers traveled to Park City to support our efforts and put in a lot of hard work.”

Pictured above is Michael Williams and his band as well as Ryan Smith and Lance Ramesh from the Oasis Board of Directors and Rosemary in the center.

Above: Mark Cavener, Mateo Coletti, Rosemary Trent and Boris from Videolicious.

Super SO Far performing live!