Guatemala

Guatemala is a land rich in beauty, history and culture, but also filled with all forms of human suffering. Painful scars remain from the 36-year civil war that ended in 1996 and left hundreds of thousands dead, lost or homeless. As is often the case, the suffering affects most harshly those who are the most innocent — the children. Half the population of nearly 13 million Guatemalans are children. According to UNICEF there are over 370,000 child orphans and 29% of children ages 5-14 work to help support themselves and their families.

Over a hundred children are served through our Kids Alive residential and care center programs in Guatemala, with the focus being on providing outstanding educational, social, spiritual, physical and emotional care for children at risk.


Featured Staff Corbey and Janie Dukes	Featured Program The Oasis Sponsorship

Ministry Sites

The Oasis
Source of Hope Care Center

Missionaries

Corbey and Janie Dukes
Doug and Sara Johnson
Patricia Hoeksema
Melanie Kisman

Support The Oasis

The Oasis

This residential care facility began in 1999 and has grown into a campus that currently has five completed homes, with one more home being built. The Oasis campus includes a school, computer lab, offices, a library, a great hall, the children’s homes, two Independence Homes (for girls over 18, transitioning out of our care and into the community), and some staff housing including a guest house for Service Teams.

Eight to ten girls reside in each home with Guatemalan house parents. The majority of the 40 girls have been rescued by Guatemalan authorities out of abusive home-life situations. At The Oasis, these girls receive the spiritual, emotional and physical healing necessary to recover.

Support Source of Hope Care Center

Source of Hope Care Center

The Source of Hope Care Center opened its doors in July, 2006, in the town of Zapote – a remote area where food, work, and education are scarce. Kids Alive began its ministry with forty preschoolers and has since grown to eighty children from preschool to second grade. Here they receive a solid education, health services and a nutrition program – often the only meal they receive each day. A new building is under construction to expand the school to sixth grade and provide community outreach programs for the families of the students. Kids Alive works to educate parents about the importance of purifying water, preparing well-balanced meals, and Christian parenting skills, in the belief that better nutrition, education and care will bring hope to these village children and their families.

Support Corbey and Janie Dukes

Corbey and Janie Dukes

Corbey and Janie Dukes first came to Kids Alive Guatemala in 2000 by leading numerous short-term mission teams from their home church, where Corbey served as Administrative and Missions Pastor. In 2009 Corbey became our Kids Alive Field Director for Guatemala, providing leadership for all Kids Alive ministries there, while Janie works in nutrition management and staff care, and supports medical mission clinics.

Corbey has a degree in Computer Engineering and an MBA from Clemson University as well as a Masters in Religion from Liberty University. Janie has a Master of Science in Nutrition from Auburn University and is a registered dietitian. They have two daughters, Carlie and Maggie.

Support Doug and Sara Johnson

Doug and Sara Johnson

Doug and Sara Johnson started their ministry with Kids Alive International in 2000 when Doug volunteered his construction skills to help with an expansion of the US office. A year later, the entire family was heading to Guatemala to serve as long-term missionaries. Doug now heads up the Construction-Maintenance of the children’s homes and other facilities while Sara works as the sponsorship facilitator and team coordinator.

A graduate in Christian Education from Moody Bible Institute, Doug previously provided construction supervision to Helps International Ministries. Sara also attended Moody Bible, is a Licensed Practical Nurse, and worked as a crisis pregnancy counselor. Doug and Sara have five children: Scott, Emily, Bryan, Neal, and Jared.

Support Patricia Hoeksema

Patricia Hoeksema

Patricia Hoeksema joined the Kids Alive staff in August of 2002. Her work in Guatemala includes providing leadership for the Kids Alive school for the girls on the Oasis campus and training the Guatemalan teaching staff.

From Muskegon, Michigan, Patricia taught Kindergarten and Fourth grade classes. During the summer, Patricia worked at a conference center, where she first heard about Kids Alive.

Support Melanie Kisman

Melanie Kisman

Melanie Kisman first came to Guatemala in 2003 for a three-month internship to work with teen girls at risk. After completing her degree at Moody Bible Institute she learned of the opportunity at The Oasis, and began serving with Kids Alive Guatemala in April, 2008, as coordinator of the Independence Program at the Oasis girl’s home. Through this program she mentors and guides girls ages 18-21 through the transition to independent living in Guatemala, along with providing support to service teams, sponsorship and short-term volunteers. Melanie is from Spokane, Washington and has grown up involved in ministry as the daughter of a pastor.

Guatemala

Ministry Sites