Guatemala
|
In Guatemala, hundreds of thousands of parentless children roam the streets, eager to find their next meal or a safe place to sleep. Many of them regularly go without food for days because they have no one to look after them. Kids Alive serves these unwanted children by giving them an education, nourishment, and a place to call home. Although Guatemala is not typically considered a “third-world nation”, the nation has been plagued by troubling statistics.
|
|
||||
These conditions leave hundreds of thousands of children desperately in need of care and destined to repeat the cycle of poverty.
Kids Alive believes that Jesus’ ministry was holistic in nature; that He would be concerned about the empty tummies of children as much as their empty hearts. Our ministry is focused on fulfilling the physical, emotional, AND spiritual needs of children through Christ-centered care, education, and ministry—and bringing them up to become faithful followers of Jesus and pillars of their community.
Ministry SitesThe Oasis |
MissionariesCorbey and Janie Dukes |
Support The Oasis
The Oasis
The Oasis is a residential home for Guatemalan girls. None of the Oasis girls are true orphans but have been abandoned or abused. Most were forced into child labor, experienced physical and sexual abuse, and, unfortunately, all too often all three. They come to the Oasis with the scars of exploitation.
At the Oasis, they reside in an environment where they can live in family units with Guatemalan house-parents. They also attend school (many for the first time) and have access to therapy to heal emotional scars. Central to their home at the Oasis is the knowledge that they are loved, protected and introduced to Jesus - who can provide the true healing they need.
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. This ministry is a partnership between Kids Alive and Iglesia Galilea, a local church. It began with forty preschoolers and has since grown to 100 children from preschool to fourth grade. Here they receive a solid education, health services and a nutrition program – often the only meals they receive each day. A new building has just been completed where we plan to expand to sixth grade and develop community outreach programs. Kids Alive and Iglesia Galilea are working to develop nutrition, education and discipleship programs for the children and their parents as we believe that the Gospel can transform this village.
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
Corbey has a degree in Computer Engineering and an MBA from
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
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.
Support Zapote Community Outreach
Zapote Community Outreach
Although there is a municipal water system in Zapote, it is unreliable and contaminated. Most people rely on open springs like the one pictured at right. Tests have shown that this water is unsafe and contaminated with E. Coli (among other bacteria) and parasites. Although boiling the water would help, over 90% of the homes have small, open wood burning stoves. The value of wood is high and the time to boil water is long—so this is not a viable option. Thus, the majority of the children in this community drink contaminated water—resulting in constant stomach sickness, parasites, and lowered immune systems.
To remedy this situation, Kids Alive is offering a solution to the community to help ensure that children are provided with safe drinking water. We are currently purchasing simple water filtration systems that are easily maintained and simple to use. As funding allows, these systems are offered to the community, along with a training program on how to operate them.
You can play a part in ridding a family of chronic diarrhea, intestinal bacteria, and stomach ailments by providing a family with a Water Filtration System with a gift of $40 to the Source of Hope Water Filter Project.
