What you may not know is that Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. Nearly half of all Guatemalan children under the age of five (48.9 percent, according to the World Food Programme) are chronically malnourished. This already devastating problem is nearly twice as severe among indigenous children, 80 percent of whom suffer from chronic malnutrition, according to UNICEF. In the primarily rural, indigenous Department of Chimaltenango, about 70 percent of children suffer from chronic malnutrition.

An important part of our Heart to Heart Experiences mission has been to partner with local nonprofit organizations, including the religious sisters of the Little Apostles of Redemption. This incredible group of women run several orphanages in Guatemala, including three that our teams have assisted with financial support, as well as annual visits to their orphanages and schools. We have recently been introduced to the Guatemala Educational and Nutritional Support Center Mother Rosa Fontanive of Pamanzana-Tecpan, Guatemala, which is located in the Department of Chimaltenango, the area mentioned above in dire need of nutritional resources. The Center is supported by four sisters who live and work onsite, in a building dedicated in October of 2022.

The children at the Center are currently receiving a modest snack each day. The sisters would like to serve a full meal to the children before they attend tutoring classes at the facility. The children need more sustenance. H2H is launching our Full Belly, Happy Heart fundraising campaign to help feed the children in Tecpan, and we need your help! With your donation, you can make a difference in the lives of these children and their community.

Our goal in year two and three of the program is to raise $65,000 to provide one substantial meal a day for 100 children at the Center, including a protein (chicken), starch (rice, tortilla or flatbread), salad, vegetable/fruit, a drink, and a gummy multi-vitamin. Each meal costs $2.50 per day per child, so for $250 we can feed the children for a day, and for $1250 we can feed them for a five-day school week! Our goal of $65,000 will fill their bellies for more than a year!

Each child also receives medical care quarterly at a free clinic provided by the H2H medical team – logging a child’s height, weight, and overall health. Their parents receive guidance from a licensed nutritionist on how to prepare and meet the challenges of preparing meals on limited incomes.

Please join Heart to Heart Experiences in raising money for the children of Tecpan!