Alive Moments are impactful stories of justice and healing experienced by children and families served by Kids Alive. Our dedicated team works alongside communities and local authorities to create positive change that leads to trauma prevention and restoration, all in the name of Jesus.
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An interview with Ramon Prenza, National Co-Director, Kids Alive Dominican Republic
Juana and Ramon Prenza have been rescuing and transforming the lives of at-risk kids for close to four decades. They joined Kids Alive in the mid-1990s when Kids Alive began supporting the school they had started in Monte Plata.
What brings you joy at work?
I like to see children's lives change as a result of the transformational work that God does in their lives.
What are some of the biggest challenges of the past year?
It's been difficult to deal with the pandemic, but it has provided a real opportunity to help others in a time of great anxiety and fear.
Tell us about the progress you have observed?
We were able to reunite a young man with his mom and brother after he had been with us for five years. The reunification has gone well as the youth has developed a good relationship with his mother and brother. He continues with his studies at Eva Russell School and the family attends church together. He also helps his mother who is apprenticing in an auto paint repair shop. We maintain regular contact with him, as he frequently calls to inquire about the well-being of his friends in Casa Monte Plata.
What are the strengths of your program?
Kids Alive's strength centers around the holistic approach to address the needs of at-risk children. Each of the sites has experienced significant growth and benefits from strong teamwork and the passion of the staff to serve the Lord. Casa Monte Plata has its particular strengths including our young workers who serve as great role models for the younger kids. Also, we have a strong alliance with a local church, experienced long-term staff, and good facilities that help with building partnerships.
What do you hope for in 2021?
We hope the pandemic ends and we can return to a more normal routine and focus on rescuing more kids.
As you think long-term, what are some of your goals for your ministry/program?
We want to continue to improve our spiritual teaching, gain more in-country financial support and volunteer help, expand our schools through high school, and develop strong independence programs along with technical education tracts for kids.
How has your role helped you grow?
My work with Kids Alive has helped me to grow personally, spiritually, and professionally over many years. Each year I learn new skills and gain additional knowledge which lets me serve God in greater ways.
Do you have any other thoughts?
We thank God for allowing us to meet and collaborate with you our Site Partners. Let's keep our eyes fixed on God in our homes and all of our program activities.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted children’s education considerably, it has also impacted teachers who have had to adapt to remote teaching with almost no connection to their students. Like other children across Guatemala, the kids at Source of Hope School are adjusting to the new norm of distance and virtual learning.
To be effective, the success of this new method of teaching and learning rests heavily on our teachers' ability to innovate and adapt. While holding up our students, we also request that our teachers be lifted in prayer.Mauda, who teaches 8th and 9th grades, says, “Tercero Básico (9th grade) is working well with the study guides being sent home to ensure children keep up with their daily work. However, it hard for us as teachers as we don’t get to see our students.
Our contact is limited to their parents, who come to turn in their child’s homework and collect their weekly assignments. We can’t have contact with the kids.“Most of our students seem happy because they have the opportunity to work more while they study, but there are those who have a hard time getting motivated. ”While this continues to be a difficult time around the world, it is encouraging to see our teachers and students finding the good and seeing God’s hand in it.
An Interview with Kami West Ciprian, Co-Director, Santo Domingo East School
Kami and her husband Romulo co-direct Santo Domingo East School. She came as a missionary to the country in 2004, learned Spanish, and started a small care center with her husband in 2009. God blessed their work, and now it is a full-fledged school with 125 students.
What are some of your favorite things about your work?
I like to watch the kids grow up and be transformed. I also like to be used by God to change people's lives and restore families.
What are some of the biggest challenges this past year?
Having to keep the kids away from school. Trying to persuade parents to step up to fulfill their responsibility of helping kids with their schoolwork.
Tell us about some of the progress you have seen.
One of the sixth-grade boys had behavioral and learning issues. His dad came to know the Lord a few years ago and became our night guard at school, but he was very tough on the boy’s behavioral issues. At the beginning of the pandemic, we struggled to get the boy to do his homework, so we started bringing him to the school to help. Over the school year, his dad sought advice on how to motivate and discipline him to do his schoolwork. As a result, his dad became more involved in the boy's life. While the boy still struggles with his schoolwork, his dad is learning to motivate him, and the boy is making progress. Both father and son are adapting to meet his needs.
What are the strengths of your program?
Our involvement touches the lives of children and families holistically and includes interventions that support children – physically, emotionally, educationally, and spiritually right through to young adulthood. God has provided and developed an incredible team of coworkers who are passionate, skilled, and dedicated.
What do you hope for 2021?
That the pandemic ends. But through the pandemic, we are also seeing parents getting more involved in their child's education. I hope this trend continues even when children return to school. I also hope to start parenting classes, so they better understand how to support their kids.
What are some of your future goals for the school?
I hope to improve and offer better education each year, expand the foster care program, and see God move in the hearts of the churches here, so they will open their homes to children in need.
How has serving in ministry helped you grow personally?
I have had to learn to trust God and allow him to work where He wants to, not where I want him to, and also learn to trust in His timing.
What would you like to say to your Site Partners?
Thank you for your support which allows us the opportunity to do what we are doing. We often pray for you.
An Interview with Cleotilde “Chanina” and Virgilio “Vijo” Rosada, Co-Directors, Ark Jarabacoa
Chanina and Vijo started as house parents with Kids Alive in 1998. They arrived with their three children and added 12 more to become a family of 17. After serving for five years as house parents, they rose through the ranks to first become assistant directors and later co-directors of Ark Jarabacoa.
What are some favorite things about your job?
Chanina: When all the children go and encircle my husband!
Vijo: I love watching our children befriend new arrivals to the home, show them around the place while expressing their strong sense of belonging. Another thing I love is the change that can be seen with a child from beginning to end at the Ark.
What are some of the biggest challenges of the past year?
Dealing with the pandemic and "homeschooling" within the Ark.
Tell us about the progress the students are making.
Dairy, who came to Ark Jarabacoa as a child and grew up here, is now a young mature Christian woman who bears much fruit in her church.
What are the strengths of your program?
Support and training for the residential staff; we encourage and guide them to develop deep connections with their family members, and then replicate those with the children in our program. It includes teaching children the virtues of discipline along with spiritual, emotional, and vocational development.
What is one hope you have for the year 2021?
May the Lord allow us to put COVID-19 behind and thus continue to grow the quantity and quality of our program.
As you look long-term, what are some of your program goals?
In the spiritual area, we hope to return to worship in church and continue with discipling programs. In the educational area, that young people gain the knowledge and capacity and learn to serve and remain faithful to God.
Could you name one way that serving in ministry has helped you grow personally, spiritually, or professionally?
Of course! We are more tolerant, more prepared spiritually and academically, and as people.
Anything else you would like to add?
This job forms you as an individual, prepares you for life in all aspects. Here you learn to be a father, a doctor, a counselor, a psychologist, a pastor, and a worker. It also demands that, above all, you must be a believer without pretense, because everyone puts their hope in you. So, (we claim) God is our strength.
An Interview with Margaret and Juan Andujar, Co-Directors, Santo Domingo North School
Margaret and Juan Andujar are Co-Directors of Santo Domingo North School. For the last ten years, they have developed and directed the school that now serves approximately 200 children.
What are your favorite things from work?
Being in contact with kids, watching them grow, develop, pray, and believe.
What were the biggest challenges last year?
Trying to continually help children from a distance is hard. We struggled to be in contact with some children and needed to have faith that God was in control even when we couldn't see it.
Tell us about some of the progress you have seen.
One of our students was unmotivated to study no matter how hard we tried to help. However, during the pandemic and quarantine, we worked with his mother and she became more involved in his studies. The boy changed a lot during this time which brought us joy.
Have you seen other changes as a result of the pandemic?
All our teachers have learned to use laptops and internet applications which will help them beyond the pandemic.
What are some of the strengths of your school?
We provide a quality education that allows our students to achieve superior results in sharp contrast to public schools. Kids Alive is always concerned for its employees and orients them to glorify God along with the provision of quality education.
What do you hope for in 2021?
We would like to improve our education capacity. Longer-term, we want to continue to disciple children to become mature Christians. We would also like to have a quality English language skills development and a sports program to support evangelizing street kids.
How has Kids Alive helped you grow personally?
Kids Alive is a great place to serve God. We are well cared for and encouraged to care well for our own family too.
Do you have anything you want to say to your partners?
Thank you for your partnership, humility, companionship, and always being available to help our new programs.
“More than ever this year, I am grateful to God for allowing me to study here at Oasis. I have all my school supplies – backpack and uniform as well as teachers who are helping me learn new things. I never wanted to study before, but now that I am in school, I want to learn more. I want to become a lawyer.” - Amelia, 15
New Year starts with a new school year here in Guatemala. Our residential program school resumed in January with a new educational coordinator and additional teachers to enhance the onsite teaching program.
We are delighted to have Xiomara Monroy as our new Education Coordinator. A certified early childhood development psychologist, she is also an experienced administrator. Her presence raises the support for trauma-informed care for the girls in our Oasis and La Arquilla programs. Due to the challenges posed by the pandemic, we have decided that all students will study on our Oasis campus. To support this initiative, the Guatemalan education department stepped forward to assign four teachers – one for special education, two for middle, and one for primary school.
This year we have enrolled 37 students in the 13-18 age group. The majority of the students will be finishing a significant portion of their studies this year as they strive toward graduating*. Four of the students will pursue high school and participate in an online work-study program.Kids Alive Guatemala continues to strengthen the Pre-Independence program for 15-17-year-old girls at Casa Ester. To support this, we are laying a strong foundation, instilling related values and principles from an early age to move the girls toward autonomy and independence.
This year, Joanne Lara, Residential Coordinator, is especially excited to implement the Montessori program to further develop our early childhood education. We are delighted, as this will be the first time that the youngest in our care, ages 3-6, will be formally studying in Pre-K.Kids Alive Guatemala is grateful for the support of Walker Center, an occupational therapy facility, that provides therapy to children under the age of six coping with developmental delays caused by malnutrition, abuse, and neglect.
Our holistic care is driven by Luke 2:52, which reminds us, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” We support children in our care by creating space for formal and informal education, and learning experiences that will provide girls with greater opportunities today and in the future.*Under Guatemala’s educational system, 9th graders “graduate” and then branch out to pursue either technical training or pre-university courses.
“I am grateful to God for the privilege of having an education. Last year everything changed because of the pandemic and we couldn’t go to class in person. This year is different as we have teachers who are present on the site and can explain things to us better. I hope to take advantage of every class and finish the year well and improve in my studies.” - Eva, 17
Please pray for:
Victor, our new Country Director, that he would lead with wisdom and grace.
More mentors and foster families to step forward to invest in our children.
Our staff, as we read through the book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, that we would become healthy vessels of Christ’s love and agents of God’s grace.
The children soon to be restored to their families, for their patience and readiness, as well as their families’ preparedness to have them home.
Favor in the court system with judges and child caseworkers.
Internships and job opportunities for our girls at Casa Ester, so they can have a positive work experience under kind, gracious supervisors with strong teaching and mentoring skills.
Peace amidst all the change and transition at Kids Alive Guatemala.
An Interview with Debora Prenza, Director, Eva M. Russell School
Debora joined the school as a secretary and Sponsorship Coordinator in the 1990s. She gradually worked her way up to become the school’s principal sixteen years ago. She is university educated and is proficient in four languages.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love to bond with children and their families. I like helping teachers develop spiritually and in teaching practices. I am overjoyed to see a child succeed academically and accept Christ as their Savior.
What have been your biggest challenges in the last year?
Not being able to connect and have our children at school. Working in sponsorship and leading long-distance classes is stressful and tiring. It is also challenging to get all the students’ families involved in distance education and provide assistance at the level with their families’ needs.
What progress have you observed recently?
Maria, a sixth-grader, struggled with focusing on her studies in class. When called out, she was defiant and had to be sent for guidance counseling. The pandemic worsened the situation. She complained of "too much" homework and fell behind on her assignments. Her mother informed the school that Maria was depressed, as she missed school. About this time, the school launched an assistance program that included food for struggling families. It made a significant difference as both of Maria’s parents had lost their jobs. She now expresses her gratitude to her teachers for the love and support shown to her and her family. She also regularly prays and expresses gratitude to God and seeks protection for all at school. She is now also regular with her homework.
What are some of your school's strengths?
All our teachers and staff are Christian and unified. They strive to develop and maintain excellence in our academics and the spiritual development of students and teachers.
What do you hope for in 2021?
That we can have our children back in school and support them to develop physically, academically, and spiritually.
How have you grown personally while working with Kids Alive?
I interact with many people and have had to learn to communicate effectively. My role, among other skills, requires me to grow as a leader, manager, conflict resolver, and recruiter. Spiritually, the Lord has shown his grace and mercy to me every day. He has shown me to see Him in the eyes of the children and through His miraculous provisions for our ministry. I have had to grow every day in His grace and knowledge to be able to handle various situations and I am grateful to Him.
An Interview with Ramon Prenza, National Co-Director, Kids Alive Dominican Republic
Juana and Ramon Prenza have been rescuing and transforming the lives of at-risk kids for close to four decades. They joined Kids Alive in the mid-1990s when Kids Alive began supporting the school they had started in Monte Plata.
What brings you joy at work?
I like to see children's lives change as a result of the transformational work that God does in their lives.
What are some of the biggest challenges of the past year?
It's been difficult to deal with the pandemic, but it has provided a real opportunity to help others in a time of great anxiety and fear.
Tell us about the progress you have observed?
We were able to reunite a young man with his mom and brother after he had been with us for five years. The reunification has gone well as the youth has developed a good relationship with his mother and brother. He continues with his studies at Eva Russell School and the family attends church together. He also helps his mother who is apprenticing in an auto paint repair shop. We maintain regular contact with him, as he frequently calls to inquire about the well-being of his friends in Casa Monte Plata.
What are the strengths of your program?
Kids Alive's strength centers around the holistic approach to address the needs of at-risk children. Each of the sites has experienced significant growth and benefits from strong teamwork and the passion of the staff to serve the Lord. Casa Monte Plata has its particular strengths including our young workers who serve as great role models for the younger kids. Also, we have a strong alliance with a local church, experienced long-term staff, and good facilities that help with building partnerships.
What do you hope for in 2021?
We hope the pandemic ends and we can return to a more normal routine and focus on rescuing more kids.
As you think long-term, what are some of your goals for your ministry/program?
We want to continue to improve our spiritual teaching, gain more in-country financial support and volunteer help, expand our schools through high school, and develop strong independence programs along with technical education tracts for kids.
How has your role helped you grow?
My work with Kids Alive has helped me to grow personally, spiritually, and professionally over many years. Each year I learn new skills and gain additional knowledge which lets me serve God in greater ways.
Do you have any other thoughts?
We thank God for allowing us to meet and collaborate with you our Site Partners. Let's keep our eyes fixed on God in our homes and all of our program activities.
An interview with Jan Burkey and Dolores "Miriam" Baptista, Co-directors, Palo Blanco School
American missionary Jan Burkey and Dominican Dolores “Miriam” Baptista together launched a preschool reading program in Palo Blanco in 2001. This program started with a few students and has grown into the Kids Alive Palo Blanco School, serving 280 children from preschool to grade 11 and supported by 40 Christian staff.
What brings you joy in your work?
Jan: Seeing growth and changes in the students, their families, and staff and seeing children come to Christ! Helping meet the physical and emotional needs of people that the Lord brings in my path and in trying to make their lives a little bit easier.
Miriam: Sharing my time and experience with coworkers, mentoring students, and sharing the Word of God with families.
What are some of the biggest challenges in this past year?
Jan: COVID-19 distanced children from the Palo Blanco School. Holding classes became impossible and online teaching became the norm. But online classes were challenging, especially for the younger children whose parents are illiterate, unmotivated to help with schooling, or didn’t know how to use online devices. The students missed their classrooms and teachers, and the teachers missed checking on their students.
Miriam: It was challenging to work without a plan and routine and adapt to teaching online and to the new circumstances.
Share with us the progress you have observed?
Miriam: One of our girls whose family lived in critical economic, emotional, and spiritual conditions faced physical and emotional health crises. She was at the point of attempting suicide. We joined our forces to pray and love that family. Currently, she and her family are stable, and the girl has overcome her challenges and her family testifies to the strength that the ministry has given her.
What are the strengths of your program?
Jan: Ministering to the whole person – physically, emotionally, academically, and most importantly spiritually! Checking on how they are doing while away from school and working with their families.
Miriam: Kids Alive program and ministry are carried out with integrity and good management of resources.
What do you hope for in 2021?
Jan: To have our kids back in school, add a senior year so students can finish schooling in Palo Blanco. Strengthen and build the capacity of educational coordinators, trauma care department, hire a medical and dental specialist, and foster greater team unity among our staff.
Miriam: Continue supporting our students, their families as well as our staff while protecting their health. May the Lord guide us and may we continue to seek him faithfully.
What are some of your future goals?
Jan: Separate elementary and high school into two sections, improve and expand technical specialty of our high school, improve discipleship and sports programs offering more mentoring and small groups. Hire counselors and social workers to enhance the orientation department’s reach to minister to children and families.
An Interview with Luz Angela Espinosa, Director, Constanza School
Luz Angela was born and raised in Columbia. She immigrated to the Dominican Republic with a group of Columbians in 2002. In 2004, she began teaching at ANIJA School and was promoted to direct the Constanza School in 2017.
What do you enjoy the most about your work?
I enjoy making connections with people, opportunities to grow and serve the Lord through a ministry that allows me to be a bridge between the needs of children and resources. It is also rewarding to see growth, development, and transformation; to see a child arrive, grow up, and even become my co-worker, and be used by the Lord as an instrument of transformation.
What are some of the biggest challenges in the past year?
The pandemic brought several challenges – meeting children’s spiritual, emotional, physical, social, and educational needs, as well as teaching families to support their children with studies and disciplining remotely. The community’s economic hardships continue. We had to reinvent ourselves and reengineer our systems to meet the needs.
Tell us about specific areas of progress that you have noticed?
Ramona, a fifth-grader, struggled to keep up with her studies. Her parents decided to opt-out of our school for a public school. My team convinced them not to, and we dedicated resources. The collaboration between our counselors, spiritual development team, and the social worker’s frequent visits to Ramona paid off. Our food distribution and Ramona’s mother’s coming alongside her daughter further helped. She caught up and her parents are pleased.
What are some of the strengths of your program?
We walk alongside our children and their families to provide personalized holistic care which meets their physical, spiritual, emotional, and other needs through our committed staff. We also maintain good relations with the school district.
What do you hope for in 2021?
I hope that we can return to in-person care for our children and that many families will come to know Jesus.
What are your long-term goals for the program?
Offer a family program for the holistic development of children, strengthen the spiritual program for staff, children and families, along with personalized education and home visits. And offer elective afternoon workshops for children, design our own academic, socio-emotional, and spiritual curriculum, and expand school through 12th grade.
How has your work at Kids Alive helped you to grow personally?
It has helped me develop the potential placed in me by the Lord. We consistently receive training to keep us current and innovative. Daily devotionals and spiritual retreats strengthen our spiritual growth.
Anything else you would like to add?
We are very grateful to you, our supporters, for your partnership in promoting God’s Kingdom. The seed of love that you help plant in a child will bear fruit that will bless the nation. Thank you for answering the Lord's call to help at-risk children. Greetings from the children, families, and partners of Constanza, we love you in Christ. God bless you.
An interview with Hiodaliz and Alfonso Rodriguez, Co-Directors, Ark Constanza
Hiodaliz and Alfonso Rodriguez joined Ark Constanza as Co-Directors in November last year. As parents of three daughters, God has prepared them well to lead this residential site.
What gives you the most joy at work?
Hiodaliz: Each day reveals a different color of God's expression of his artwork in our life. I enjoy envisioning the transformation of a life, imagining something finished right from its inception; for instance, envisioning a child becoming a great man or woman who serves God.
Alfonso: I like to see a person being transformed, especially those that one least expected to.
Can you highlight some of the recent achievements?
Hiodaliz: Josefina and Claribel are young people in transition who assist children with their studies and lead handicraft workshops. They have been a blessing in the way they have shown discipline and cooperation while working with the younger kids during the pandemic. Another highlight – we celebrated the reunification of two teenage boys with their biological mother after eight years.
What are some of the strengths of your program?
Alfonso: We have a wonderful team of collaborators who ensure that difficult situations are resolved quickly. We are surrounded by excellent leaders with a fervent desire to raise the name of our Lord Jesus Christ through their service.
What do you hope for in 2021?
Alfonso: That the pandemic that has affected the whole world stops, and life returns to normal. We hope for the restoration of normal human interactions and engagement, and above all, to see God’s hand at work.
How has serving in the ministry helped you grow?
Hiodaliz: It helps us grow in many ways. It is a blessing to be able to honor God with our knowledge and potential. Kids Alive gives everyone that opportunity.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Alfonso: We have a lot of work ahead of us, and many people to bless with the many talents that God has given us. We wish for rich and abundant blessings for all.
Hiodaliz: Never tire of doing good. Keep the faith that God will work in the lives of our children, seeing them as He does with love that gives peace and reasons to continue guiding them.
An Interview with Pablo Alberto Polanco, Director, Park School and Care Center
Alberto’s diverse engineering, business, and discipleship background trained him well for leading the school program which he has built up since its inception in 2005. He has overseen the program to transform the lives of hundreds of children.
What gives you the greatest joy at work?
I like to help people solve problems.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in the past year?
Maintaining a connection with our staff, children, and the community.
Tell us about the areas of progress that you have observed?
We have always had trouble in meeting and collaborating with students’ parents, but the pandemic changed that, and now we are working closely together to help their children. Every Friday, a parent or caregiver from each family comes to turn in homework and receive new study materials. We have also instituted parent-teacher meetings by class and distributed groceries to help families who have lost their source of income.
What are some of the strengths of your program?
Being able to help children in danger of being abused and removing them from such places.
What is the one thing you hope for in 2021?
We would like Park School to be recognized as a two-section school and take over all the initial and basic education (preschool and primary) in the village through sixth grade.
What are some of your long-term ministry goals?
Our goal is to be a model in spiritual, health, and educational instruction in the community.
How has serving in ministry helped you grow personally?
It has changed my whole life, and above all, it has taught me to wait on the Lord. His timing is perfect, and one of my greatest challenges is to wait on His timing.
Do you have other thoughts you would like to share?
Thank you. And no matter what we are going through, the Lord is in control. Our goal is to please the Lord. With His help, and according to His will, everything will be possible.
An interview with Ann VanDerMolen, General Director, ANIJA School
Ann has served as a missionary with Kids Alive in Dominican Republic since 1997. She started supporting children with academics, and over time advanced to become the General Director in 2018.
Which part of your work do you enjoy the most?
I love to help our teachers do their best in teaching, generate ideas for children's activities, problem-solve for those who need help, and organize systems that support the vision to integrate trauma care into our work. I also enjoy tutoring the kids, but that is now rare. Yet last year I enjoyed helping advanced students improve their English skills.
What were the biggest challenges from last year?
Before the pandemic, our challenge was getting teachers united in assisting kids suffering from trauma. During the pandemic, it shifted to pulling together schedules and plans to initiate the school's response to the emerging needs of kids and families. Zoom calls were instituted to restore the disrupted communications between teachers, so they could share their struggles and victories as well as learn ways to affirm students online.
What progress have you seen?
Our contact with students’ families via Zoom has grown to engage 80-90 families this year. Once a month, we hold “parenting school.” The first sessions covered students’ routines, followed by disciplining and connecting with their kids based on trauma research. We also shared devotionals and taught family budgeting.
What are ANIJA’s greatest strengths?
Our biggest strength is our teachers and staff who are committed to God and ministering to kids. Many have been with us for 15-20 years. They are the hands and feet of Jesus in the community. They too are going through tough times, but are trusting God while striving to teach in new ways.
What do you hope for in 2021?
To have kids back on the campus, even if in small batches. However, I want to sustain close contact with their families, particularly the parents of 4-year-olds, who started school this January, as we train them to help their kids with fine motor skills, learning sounds, and practice counting. The parents come every two weeks to get their child’s study packet.
What are some of your long-term goals for ANIJA?
Ensure the high school club program has a more lasting impact, strengthen the counseling department with additional trauma care training, add a sensory room, and rebuild the library.
How have you personally grown in your time working with Kids Alive?
As the General Director, I have grown as a team worker who relies on others. I am privileged to work with a committed team of directors and dedicated staff. Spiritually, I'm constantly reminded that I need to do what is mine to do and trust God to continue work on the other things.
Is there anything else you want to share?
Our counseling staff continues to visit families weekly, and our teachers recently started their annual visits to their students. One such visit to a second grader's home which included the delivery of food was summed up by the grandma as "manna from heaven." The family of eight had not eaten in two days. Thank you for your prayers. God has been faithful and continues to guide us. Thanks for the support that allows us to impact students’ families with God's love through prayer, education, food, and emotional support in these hard times.
The year 2020 will remain deeply etched in our collective consciousness. For the students and staff of Santo Domingo North, it marked a time when we experienced God being with us through His provision and protection. Though the year was replete with unexpected changes and surprises we were still continually able to care holistically for more than 200 children and youth.
Some highlights include pivoting to become a relief agency for the families of our children in the midst of the pandemic; converting our education processes to distance learning so we could continue with the spiritual and academic education of our children and youth; and upgrading the technical capacity and abilities of our teaching staff to meet the demands of this challenging time.Finally, in late December with the help of workers from a large church in the capital, we were able to distribute Christmas Eve dinners to everyone our school children’s families as well as some elderly and needy families in the community.Looking forward, we hope to have kids return to our campus in small groups this spring, then in full by August. Though we have become effective at distance teaching, we know the students desperately miss the loving and safe environment of the campus and that normal difficulties in their homes have only been amplified during this time.We hope to restart programs like AWANA - a Bible study and activity program - and a weekly family worship time that have been on hold during the pandemic. Lastly, we’ll continue our efforts to get government accreditation and add 6th grade as well as expand the facility by acquiring the land adjacent to the current property.Thank you for your continued prayers and support. Que Dios les bendiga mucho (May God bless you abundantly).
A Note from the Regional Director of Latin America
Dear friends, thank you so much for taking the time for welcoming me as the Regional Director of Kids Alive Latin America and as interim Country Director for Kids Alive Guatemala. It has been a great joy for me to see the work of the staff here, their faithful commitment and love for children, their constant striving toward justice, restoration, and ideal family placements.
Last month we celebrated the birth of our Savior Jesus, the great gift that God gave to humanity. I want to encourage you with this fulfilled promise of God's faithfulness. In a year when many people around the world have gone through periods of confusion, pain, anxiety, and difficulty, it was extra special to celebrate Emmanuel — God with us.Recently I have been reflecting on the detail of Jesus’ genealogy in the Gospels. His bloodline is interlaced with the story of God's grace, redemption, and faithfulness. Many in Jesus’ genealogy weren’t exactly perfect or worthy to be His ancestors, but then I was reminded that God uses our history, redeems it, and uses our life and our past to be a channel of blessing.
Jesus came into this world as a child with a historic genealogy, a history of God's grace and fidelity to fulfill His promise of restoration and rescue of humanity.In Jesus’ birth story, I am also captivated by the obedience of Mary. Amidst the multiple implications of that sudden call, Mary’s response, "I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38) speaks of her deep modeling of obedience. It was not an easy decision, and it had terrible social implications, even to the point of death. But she accepted the call with all its implications to her, her family, and Joseph’s.
That is why her life, ministry, love of God, and the modeling of obedience extol and inspire us even today.She put God's plans before her own personal desires, dreams, and plans. God honored her obedience, fulfilled her dreams, and honored her with the privilege of being the mother of our Savior.
Thank you for your obedience to God’s call to serve, support, and help sustain the ministry of Kids Alive Guatemala. In a year like no other, your faithful commitment helped us rescue, redeem, and restore the lives of vulnerable children even during a global pandemic.I am grateful for your support this past year and into the new year!Happy New Year and Emmanuel — God with us. Let’s be encouraged in this hope as we welcome 2021!
Vinicio Zuquino, Regional Director of Latin America, serving Kids Alive International in Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Peru
Casa Ester Highlights for 2020 ACHIEVEMENTS 2020
Three young ladies from the Estercitas Program successfully completed the second stage of the accelerated primary school program. Another two of our girls graduated from high school.
The self-sustaining project of Casa Ester, which includes artisan soap making, hit a high note with expansions this year. We were able to obtain our own stand at Big Brands, a high-end apparel and shoe store in Guatemala City, and within D-XELA, a restaurant located in San Lucas Sacatepéquez. We are also exploring opportunities to export these products to the United States.
In the Casa Ester self-sustaining project, the Pre-Independence ladies have been involved with making jellies and jams, and necklaces and earrings. We continue to make cloth bags for Big Brands.
GOALS 2021
Three young ladies will complete the second stage of the independence program (1stQuarter 2021) and will start their independent lives.
Accompany, supervise, and support the young ladies who will complete their high school education and trade programs.
Expand the entrepreneurship project to include a beauty salon, bakery, and water purifier business.
Hire necessary qualified personnel to elevate support for the young ladies in Casa Ester (education, nursing, psychology, social work, accounting, and security).
Start the new Pre-Independence program within the Oasis residential program, which will start earlier with girls who turn 15 instead of the current 17.
Start the new Hope Program, which will center on serving the young ladies being treated for severe psychiatric disorders.
Last year was unprecedented. Even as we bid adieu to 2020, we look to the year ahead with hope and yet with a sense of unease as we know that it won’t be an easy one. Beginning in March of 2020, Guatemala was put under lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. While everyone felt the strain of the restrictions, it was felt much more strongly in the rural villages of places like El Zapote where Source of Hope is located.
Already an isolated community, El Zapote almost immediately felt the escalation of isolation and loss of access to resources sharply. Buses stopped running for a time, making it impossible to travel from the village anywhere. People lost jobs overnight and found themselves unable to provide for their families. For Source of Hope, the lockdown forced all children to start distance learning, as schools across the country were closed.
Parents tried to help their children with classwork and homework, but many of them had trouble understanding the concepts, as education levels among parents in Zapote is often lower than 6th grade.In spite of this, God proved His faithfulness time and time again. In the week before lockdown, we were able to host our yearly medical team from Texas who provided the much-needed medical care to the community in and around El Zapote.
The local church we partner with provided basic food and necessities every two weeks to our children’s families served through Source of Hope.Your generous gifts allowed each of our students to receive a new pair of shoes. Our students have personally felt God’s peace during this hard time, and parents who would be usually toiling in the fields are now able to spend more time with their children.We thank God for being ever-present and for providing for the community of El Zapote.
“Noche Buena” or Christmas Eve, marks the traditional Christmas celebration in Guatemala, which is similar to traditions across Latin America. It is always celebrated with close loved ones.To prevent COVID-19 surges, the Guatemalan government has restricted family gatherings to 10 members, so the Christmas celebration is expected to be muted.At Oasis these restrictions will prevent our friends, volunteers, and supporters from joining in our Noche Buena dinner celebration; instead, our children and house moms will eat a special dinner together. However, many of our missionaries will come after dinner to help facilitate the traditional evening of games, worship, skit competition, presents, and fireworks.One of our favorite traditions at Oasis is our Christmas skit competition that we have between each of the houses. This year each house will be invited to come up with a segment of the Biblical Christmas story and to present it creatively.In past years we have had entertaining skits that included Santa’s Wacky Sleigh, Superhero Christmas, and Disney Movie Christmas. Each of the houses finds a way to present its skit in the most hilarious or spectacular way. We can’t wait to see how this year’s competition unfolds.After everyone has eaten, we have a short worship service, followed by games and skit competitions. Finally, the evening concludes with opening Christmas stockings and presents! Each child at Oasis receives a stocking full of small trinkets and goodies, as well as a larger present specifically selected and bought by the staff.As Christmas Eve draws to a close, we all gather outside at midnight to enjoy a great display of the customary fireworks. All across the dark horizon, flashes of fireworks splash across the sky like camera flashes in a dark stadium. As they slowly fade, so do our celebrations. Everyone returns to their houses with warm Christmas cheers and well wishes.Christmas morning is celebrated by taking things slow and waking up much later than the usual 5:30 a.m.!Merry Christmas from our Oasis family to yours!
Christmas is upon us, and yet it is hard to shrug off the angst and fatigue of the pandemic-laced 2020. While it is easy to dwell on this, it is important to remember the good, and what God has done during this year.
Though there won’t be any organized Christmas celebrations at Source of Hope School this year, the El Zapote village, where the school is located, is full of local Christmas traditions.
“During this season, we eat so many tamales! On Christmas Eve most people stay at their grandparents’ house and give gifts to their families and neighbors,” says Raquel, a teacher at Source of Hope. “We eat dinner very late at night and at midnight we set off fireworks to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.”
One Christmas highlight for the children at Source of Hope that won’t change this year regardless of COVID-19 is the Christmas gift of a brand new pair of shoes for every child. Every year at this time, Iglesia Galilea (Galilea Church), in partnership with Kids Alive Guatemala, provides this gift. The school year in Guatemala runs from early January through mid-October, and November and December is vacation time between grades. The children start their new grade with a brand new pair of shoes on their feet.
The year 2020 has looked nothing like what anyone could have envisioned, and it often feels like more has changed than has stayed the same. Traditions are an important way to connect with the past and remember God’s goodness through this difficult time.
Our young women at Casa Ester have successfully honed their artisanal soap and shoe-bag making skills and have launched their products in high-end boutique stores. And now they’ve done it again! This time it’s a feather brand-charm to reinforce the shoe bag brand and it becomes a usable key chain once it reaches the hands of the customer.The high-end shoe store, Big Brands, will now buy the feather key chains to go on their shoe bags. While the more experienced girls at Casa Ester will produce soap and shoe bags, the novices will start by making the key chains.
The majority of the young women at Casa Ester start the program by serving at Oasis in various capacities, working their way up as they learn new skills. Two of our girls recently went to work in the local community, another two graduated from high school (in Guatemala, that is 9th grade, from where they can qualify for university or trade school education).
Marta* graduated with a specialization in accounting, and Laura* completed her pre-university work. Both women will start their Casa Ester exit plans next year.As Christmas approaches, Casa Ester is preparing to celebrate Jesus’ birth. The residential home decorations are underway with a sense of friendly rivalry on whose will look the best on “Noche Buena” (Christmas Eve).
In Guatemala, Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve, and festivities include family, friends, food, fun, and fireworks. All families associated with Oasis will bring their food and share it with each other. A short devotional worship service is followed by the highlight of the evening, a skit competition between the individual houses.Each child receives a gift and a stocking filled with candies and goodies. The celebration culminates with fireworks proclaiming Jesus’ birth.
Noche Buena is celebrated in much the same way as the ringing in of the New Year in other places. The New Year's Eve celebration this year will be held at Casa Ester, giving thanks for a long difficult year – but one which has also been full of God’s mercy.We will have plenty to praise our Father for – you and your never-ending generosity and love!
In the US, most Christmas celebrations are generally concentrated into one day - December 25 - and perhaps the evening before.
In sharp contrast to this, what the Dominicans celebrate is a "Christmas Season" that stretches from late October and carries through December 25, concluding in the New Year on January 6!
The Dominicans have wonderful traditions to celebrate Christmas which center around families and remind us of Immanuel - "God is with us."
The season's preparation starts as early as October, culminating in a special family dinner on Christmas Eve, often complemented by community fireworks and large family celebrations. For Christians, the focus is - God has come and is with us and He places us in unique families - biological or adoptive - for which we are thankful.
The season concludes with King's Day (known in US churches as Epiphany) on January 6, marking the arrival of the Magi who brought gifts to baby Jesus. This day is marked for children to receive presents from their parents. Since many live in small homes, making it hard to hide gifts, parents shop the night before and shops remain open till midnight.
The pandemic and Kids Alive celebrations
COVID-19 diluted all our plans for 2020. The hardest was the decision to forgo our usual Christmas celebrations at all sites. This is an especially bad blow for our school kids now distance-learning from their homes. The government issued an advisory that family gatherings be limited to a few and the traditional Christmas eve dinner downscaled to a lunch.
One bright spark, under stringent COVID-19 protocols, our three homes - Ark Constanza, Ark Jarabacoa and Casa Monte Plata - will celebrate "Noche Buena" in traditional style, complete with a dinner on December 24. Keeping with the tradition, King's Day celebrations will be celebrated with children exchanging gifts.
Celebrations at the seven Kids Alive schools will be more muted. Typically, December events at all schools include the Christmas pageant to both showcase the kids accomplishments and witness to the children's parents, and an employee appreciation dinner. Since large gatherings are prohibited, there will be no pageants and worship with parents. Instead, each school family will receive a special Christmas dinner package as well as a Christmas family devotion. This will ensure that God's love is still shared in a tangible way with our extended Kids Alive family.
In total, we plan to distribute around 1,000 special Christmas meals and devotions. We are grateful to our COVID-19 Relief and Treat Fund supporters who make this practical demonstration of God's love possible.
Even though this is not how we envisioned Christmas 2020 celebrations, we are excited to celebrate Immanuel - God being with us - even, or perhaps especially, during this pandemic.
Merry Christmas to all our supporters!
Vic Trautwein, Country Co-Director, Kids Alive Dominican Republic
Kings' Day
Kings' Day is eagerly anticipated at Casa Monte Plata and sometimes the Three Kings even show up! The children on the residential campuses receive gifts made possible with your generous Treat Fund donations. Usually the schools hold a special day to celebrate the kings' arrival to worship Jesus, with an assembly and a gift for each child. This year we hope to deliver a gift to each home as most families struggle to purchase food, much less a toy.
Christmas is a special time on our residential campuses with joyful play and bonding. This year is going to be even more special since the house parents will stay on the campus, forgoing contact with their own families to ensure quarantining and children's safety. Safety - true heroes and the heart of our ministry
This will be the thirteenth year that house moms will gather to decorate hundreds of cookies as a part of the Christmas celebrations. A special dinner, a devotion. and a raucous white elephant gift game, complete with scheming and stealing, conclude the evening's celebrations!
Christmas dinner is always a special night of delicious food, games, and raffles. At Ark Jarabacoa kids and house parents alike enjoy the festivities. It is a great time of family bonding.
Every child in the three residential campuses receives presents on King's Day on January 6th, the traditional Dominican day to exchange gifts.
Families on residential campuses gather for worship and to exchange gifts! In normal times teams collect, bring, and wrap these gifts in December for the celebration on Kings' Day. We are grateful to generous donors who've made these gifts possible through our Treat Fund.
Kids Alive school staff will prepare and distribute Christmas Eve dinner bags to all school families. These will include family Christmas devotionals.
La Noche Buena or the Christmas Eve celebration centers around a family dinner with local delicacies such as "pasteles en hoja" (tamales wrapped in a banana leaf) and "ensalada rusa" (potato salad). This year Kids Alive will provide all our school families a special bag of food, including a chicken, for their Christmas Eve dinners, in addition to the COVID-19 relief food rations to the neediest families.
Usually, all classes at the seven schools prepare a song or drama for the Acto de Navidad, or Christmas pageant. The students gather in an assembly and celebrate Jesus' birth. This year students and families will gather with devotions, WhatsApp messages, and perhaps zoom gatherings in celebration of the miraculous event.
I am writing this at 30,000 plus feet over Mexico with my wife Janie and a very nervous cat - making his second airline trip. Spooky and his buddy, Fox, came with us from South Carolina in 2009. Fox died in 2019, but we are bringing the cuttings of the plant from the pot he was buried in back to the US. So somewhat like Joseph, his ashes are returning home.
This is my final reflection as I leave Guatemala having served as the Country Director of Kids Alive Guatemala for nearly 12 years:
1. It is hard to describe what it is like to live as an immigrant. To find yourself in situations where you do not understand the language or the culture is more unsettling than you can describe. What I am grateful for is that in almost twelve years I only encountered one resentful Guatemalan, and that was an angry tour guide in Antigua who thought I was taking away his business. My years here helped me understand God's concern for the "foreigner" among us (Leviticus 19:34, Psalm 146:9).
2. What some children go through in this world is horrible. I will not share the things I have heard in my office and in court, but it made me want to pull my teeth out. That a child could still stand, let alone laugh, learn, be grateful, or play is totally amazing to me.
3. What Jesus can do in the heart of a child is a miracle. Recently a child asked in court to have her ties permanently severed with her family due to the abuse she suffered, and then she blessed them. What can explain that other than God?
4. You cannot remove a child from her family. You may separate them by distance, but they are always connected. Even when the family was abusive, the child is connected. That does not mean the child should return to that family, but it does mean you must address family issues honestly and compassionately.
5. A small group of believers can make a huge difference. I am in awe of how Vida para Niños impacted the child protection system of Guatemala. When Christians work in faith and do it with excellence, God opens doors.
6. The most important thing in the world is identity. Who we believe God is and who we believe we are is an essential ingredient to life. I love what Dallas Willard once wrote: "We do not believe something by merely saying we believe it or even when we believe that we believe it. We believe something when we act as if it were true." How we act demonstrates what we really believe about God and what we really believe about ourselves.
7. I have a role to play but Jesus is Lord. I wanted to believe that I was essential, but I kept finding people who were better at everything I did than I was. And I never looked for them. Jesus just led them to His ministry. I learned that Jesus works through His followers and our role is to say, "Yes, here I am," and let Him guide us.
8. The work of rescuing, redeeming, and restoring children is worthy. I am grateful to be a part of Kids Alive International and share in the work Jesus has assigned this ministry.
I am forever changed by the staff and children of Asociación de Vida para Niños (Kids Alive Guatemala). Jesus used them to make me a better follower of Jesus.
Corbey Dukes President, Kids Alive International
Regardless of where you are, graduating is demanding and stressful. Layer this with the pandemic on top of a socio-economic geographic disadvantage, and the compounded stress levels only get higher. This is why we are more than thrilled to announce that 18 of our students graduated from the ninth grade** this year! They worked tirelessly to get where they are today, and we could not be happier to see them learn, grow, and arrive. It has been a blessing to walk alongside them, and we pray that they follow God's leading wherever He intends to take them.
While there is a lot of uncertainty, our students are thinking of their future. Many will enter the workforce immediately, while others will continue on to higher education, pursuing careers in teaching, accounting, and administration.
One graduate, Sofia*, interviewed for a Zapote Independence Fund Scholarship and has big dreams for her future. "I want to graduate (high school) so I can work and help my family." It has also been incredible to see their faith in the Lord continue to grow, even in a season of such uncertainty and stress. Sofia, along with many of her classmates, shares the same sentiment: "It's been hard, but God has kept us healthy and safe. He's protected my family and me through this time."
We are so proud of our graduating class and are so excited to see what God has in store for them next!
(*Names changed. ** In Guatemala's educational system graduating from the 9th grade opens the options of either going to high school, joining a professional course, or workforce.
GUA-SOH-NOV
Ingrid, an 8th grader at Source of Hope, smiles as she shares her presentation virtually.
Julia, a kindergartener, enjoys the first days of her "summer" break!
María, an eighth-grader, has Guatemala's flag proudly hanging outside her home.
Children in 7th-9th grade enjoy some time together during a PE class. While this year our students have not been able to meet like this, we are hopeful next year will bring a return to normalcy.
Omar, a 6th grader, cuts fruit as part of school activity. Due to schools being closed for in-person classes, our students must complete their assignments and projects at home.
Sonia is one of our 9th graders who graduates this year. We are so proud of her and her classmates and pray they would follow God's lead.
Viva Guatemala! Celebrating Independence Day during a pandemic
by Heidi Johnson in the United States
Independence Day is celebrated with hot dogs and parades, concluding with a glamorous (expensive) fireworks show. But here in Guatemala, the Independence Day celebrations on September 15 looks very different.
Of course, Guatemala’s flags fly everywhere – outside homes, on cars, or printed on t-shirts, but that is only the beginning. Typically, the holiday is celebrated for the two weeks leading up to the Independence Day as schools practice for their presentations and parades, some starting as early as June!
The student with the highest GPA is named the “banderada,” or the privileged one to carry the Guatemalan flag in the parade. While the sights and sounds of fireworks and firecrackers are omnipresent, so is the all-day-long blast of recorded patriotic songs sung by children.
Though the highlight of the celebrations, “antorcha” (when schools and community groups run with a torch from their town or city center back to their neighborhood or school), was canceled along with the cultural nights at school and the elaborate parades, the other celebrations still went ahead.Guatemala has a rich history of culture, which is celebrated and taught each year around Independence Day. Something that really encourages me is the way that Independence Day doesn’t just bring pride in being Guatemalan but instills in Guatemalans their rich history. And COVID-19 could not stand in its way.
Perhaps this year, more than before, celebrations of culture were even more special. At Oasis, each house was assigned a state (locally referred to as “department”) of Guatemala. The house had to decorate an area showcasing their assigned state’s culture, prepare food from that area, learn the important historical events of that place, dress in their traditional clothes, and prepare a song or dance performance.
After days of planning and preparation which went on in the day and night, their displays were presented on September 11. A team of the administrative staff at Oasis assigned as judges visited each house to evaluate the murals, decorations, and presentations. It was so fun to see how each house decorated based on their assigned state’s culture while weaving in each girl’s unique personality in the décor and presentations. Such a colorful event! Even the baby house participated and many girls from Casa Ester to Oasis to participate in the event.
With the ongoing pandemic and the economy in a steep spiral, it could have been easier to skip the celebrations this year, but to witness the spirit of Guatemalan pride in these young girls – the pride of being a part of something much larger made the day. Girls and house moms went all out to be judged the “Best House” and everyone noted how much effort went into creating the murals.
On September 15, during the Independence Day ceremony hosted at the Oasis campus, the winners of the murals were announced. There was a three-way tie for first place; Green House (state of Izabal), Gold House (Peten), and the baby house (Chimaltenango). The houses that won received an award and earned bragging rights, along with snacks to enjoy back in their houses.
As the school year draws to an end in Zapote, it is worth noting that this has been far from a normal year. As with nearly every neighborhood, town, and city across the globe, Zapote has also been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yet, despite the pandemic’s vicious grip on everyone’s life, some of our children’s resilience through this time is a reminder and a reassurance of God’s presence with us.
Raul* joined Source of Hope in March this year, a month after the Guatemalan government instituted a country-wide quarantine with strict travel restrictions. Children new to a Kids Alive program have to catch up on their studies while adapting to their new environment. This can be extremely demanding and stressful for children. The pandemic added several more layers.
As she entered the school premises accompanied by Raul, his grandmother who came to pick up Raul’s weekly class packet remarked, “He needs guidance, and we hope to find that here.” Seeing how hard Raul has worked to maintain good grades and how eager and excited he is to continue learning with us at Source of Hope is a timely reminder of one of God’s many promises and mercies – that even though we can’t make sense of things happening around us, and life can be hard, God is with us every step of the way, and if we keep that in mind, we can face anything.
Lack of resources has made virtual learning challenging, but as always, the children and staff at Source of Hope have taken the issue head-on. Teachers work extra hours to put together packets each week with all of the grade’s course material, and students find new ways to learn and understand the new study materials. And they are ready and eager for the next year, no matter what it may look like.
While the number of COVID-19 related illnesses has been low, employment, resources, and education have taken a hard hit with the severe quarantine regulations between March through September. Guatemala as a whole has switched to virtual learning, and while this has worked well in some areas, in Zapote’s remote rural areas it is particularly challenging.
However, Raul’s accomplishments are a gentle reminder that God is with us.
Creeping in as a health hazard, COVID-19 quickly wreaked havoc on socio-economic infrastructures and undermined decades of development gains made by both rich and poor countries. But the cruelest blow fell on our children’s education, turning it into a nightmare.
Our first step included surveying children’s families to understand their needs and get a handle on the potential obstacles to remote schooling. We also assessed our teachers’ needs. We sourced laptops and tablets for our teachers to prepare lessons. That was the easy part! Few of our children’s homes have a TV, and even fewer have a computer with WIFI. Some can’t even afford a cell phone.
The solution wasn’t ideal, but it had the maximum reach to the students. Our teachers developed weekly study lessons and assignments, packing them with food rations to be delivered to the children’s homes, or to be collected by their parents from Kids Alive sites. Those with cell phones got their study resources via social media along with instructional videos.
"A recent study showed that in some of our communities, less than 10% of students graduate from high school before age 20," says Vic Trautwein, Country Director, Kids Alive Dominican Republic. He adds, “In sharp contrast to this, Kids Alive students have a graduation rate of over 80%, despite the fact that our kids come from the most challenging circumstances. "As COVID-19 continues to loom large going into 2021, our teachers have redoubled their resolve to counter its impact on education.We are grateful to you, our supporters, for continuing to walk alongside us, even as our teachers walk alongside our children. Thank you!
An interview with Romery Serrata, Education Coordinator, Ark Jarabacoa
Romery graduated from ANIJA School and went on to finish university on a Kids Alive scholarship. She worked at ANIJA for six years prior to becoming the education coordinator. She currently coordinates a group of six teachers who run a distance learning “giant home school” for children in Ark Jarabacoa during the pandemic.
What do you like about your job?
I have been a teacher for a long time, and I like to teach children both the word of God as well as other academic disciplines. I believe God has called me to work with children and adolescents helping in whatever way possible.
What has been difficult about teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The delays in resuming school pose academic challenges for our children. Also, children at Ark Jarabacoa are anxious and concerned about their families who live in the community outside Ark Jarabacoa. I have seen many children crying because although they are safe and cared for, the others outside their protective bubble may be suffering.
What are some of the positive things you have seen during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Although this pandemic has everyone worried about what the future holds, not everything is as bad. The truth is that I have seen how family love has been restored and people are worrying about the needs of others over their own.
What have been the challenges of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The biggest challenge for a teacher is to achieve their teaching objectives – distance learning without the ability to directly monitor the learning process, understanding that not all students can attend virtual classrooms, but even more, that not all parents can monitor their children during the time set up by the school. However, the use of videos, social media apps, and digital resources have eased the pressure on teachers. At Ark Jarabacoa, we have had the privilege of access to virtual platforms, good technology, and direct contact with the children.
What has been difficult for the students?
Outside the Ark, where I live, children in my community do not have access to virtual learning platforms and parents are unable to afford smartphones, tablets, or computers, much less keep up with the children in classes because they lack resources even to eat.
Have you experienced any encouraging events during this time?
God is in control of everything and Hisword says that to those who love him, everything works for the good. That is why I believe that this process is to show us that despite the difficulties, God is in control of this situation and our attitude towards these difficulties demonstrates the condition of our faith. I have seen children and families that despite difficult situations have successfully moved forward to adapt to this new way of life, and although they have had to struggle, the Lord has provided for them educationally as well as otherwise. Additionally, I have seen that each child has their own way of learning which makes them different from others. I have learned that each child sees the world differently and has different strengths.
While the joy of serving children and youth includes keeping a close watch on them to ensure their sustained holistic development, it also demands constant vigilance for potential threats. Coming from at-risk situations, those risks, particularly relating to their health, can quickly turn into a razor’s edge for our children.
"We have a visiting Service Team member from Seattle with a cough, fever, and a sore throat," said the voice of one of our school directors reporting the issue via phone to Vic Trautwein, Country Co-Director of Kids Alive Dominican Republic (KA DR). Having hosted hundreds of visitors over the years to KA DR programs, and knowing how under normal circumstances travel and weather changes can be punishing, Vic might not have been too concerned. But that call was in March, and Dominican Republic had just reported its first case of COVID-19, even though at that time it had not been recognized as a pandemic-level threat in the Americas. COVID-19 still seemed distant, fuzzy, and transient.
Our forward-thinking health care team had already begun to spruce up the health care systems to ensure the protection of our 2,000 plus children and several hundred staff. But the call, like an alert from God, propelled our efforts into high gear and we switched operation into emergency mode. We urgently put into place precautionary policies and measures while fleshing out details. Hand washing and hygiene protocols went into immediate effect, followed by designated quarantine rooms and the development of educational material for all our schools. Those early decisions put us in the driver’s seat to stay ahead of the COVID-19 curve while responding to the unfolding crisis. We even got ahead of the Dominican government’s response to the epidemic! Two weeks later, the Dominican government ordered all schools closed and sealed the island from visitors.
We sealed our residential homes and quarantined all our residential children and workers on their campuses. Ever since then, our health care workers have been working diligently in various ways to protect our students, their families, and our staff from COVID-19.
These health measures paid off: all our residential kids at the time of this update are in good health. We are so grateful to God for honoring our decisions and actions.All of this couldn’t have been possible without a robust health care team. We are blessed today to have a team that includes a pediatrician, nutritionist, five nurses, three dentists, and a medical student that help care for the over 2,000 children and youth in the 10 Kids Alive programs. But until a few years ago this was little more than a dream.
“I recall a few startling events many years ago,” remembers Vic Trautwein. “A visiting dental team pulled out 114 infected teeth from the youth at one of our schools, and the family of a seven-year-old student was asked to find a guarantor for $1,000 before she could have emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. We realized that with better organization and effort we could preemptively save not just teeth but, in some cases, lives."
Until a few years ago, better prevention, health education, good nutrition, and access to emergency care were only in the realm of possibilities, but now they are a pleasant reality for all our children.Thanks to God and your provisions, the scope of medical services at Kids Alive Dominican Republic programs now includes:
First Aid capacity and local clinic relationships for each site
Regular dental care at four of seven schools with plans to add more
Menu assistance from our nutritionist at each site along with a supplemental program for underweight children
Assistance with chronic health conditions such as asthma and diabetes
Capacity for vision and hearing checks for each child
Educational material (including COVID-19 protection) for each site
Training of more than 30 of our workers in First Aid and CPR
Our goal is for every young person to leave our program with a healthy spirit, mind, and body, having learned how to take responsibility for their own health.
An interview with nutritionist Taylor, serving Santo Domingo North and Casa Monte Plata
Taylor Christiansen Cruz is the Nutrition Program Coordinator for all Kids Alive sites in the Dominican Republic. She has been a missionary since 2017 and holds a master’s degree in public health. She is also is a Registered Dietitian. She serves as a menu consultant for Santo Domingo North as well as overseeing a supplemental nutrition program for underweight children. During COVID-19, she has taken on several additional roles to help with health education and prevention.
How have you helped at Santo Domingo North
I have helped to make the snack menu healthier, designed a nutritious lunch menu for the school children, trained the cooks in food safety, given educational presentations to both teachers and students, and monitored the children’s height and weight each year. I remember when I was training the cooks in food safety, how quickly they picked it up and how they were excitedly jumping in with examples and questions. The best part, though, is when I returned to Santo Domingo North on my next trip, the cooks were so eager to show me the changes they had made from everything that they learned!
What is something that you like about your work helping at-risk kids?
My hope is to help kids learn at an early age to like a variety of foods and to be open to trying new items! I think that it’s extremely important because it can set them up with healthy food habits for the rest of their lives. I also love when I get to speak individually with a child, especially one that is insecure about his or her weight, and explain how beautiful they are, inside and out, and how God created them and loves them unconditionally.
Have you been able to provide any special help during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes! I have been blessed with the opportunity to create instructive materials and policies for the COVID-19 pandemic, tailoring them to our specific communities. One of the projects I worked on involved making educational videos about different important topics in COVID-19, such as the proper use of masks, how to disinfect groceries, and steps to take to be prepared in case someone in your family gets sick.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way of life, the young ladies at Casa Ester have not allowed it to impede their education, their work, or their entrepreneurship efforts. Over the last few months, the young ladies have shifted to continuing their academic courses online. The internal Estercitas program has also helped them continue with their educational and special needs programs. As jobs in the local community are now scarce due to the COVID-19 crisis, most of the young women now go to Kids Alive’s Oasis Home to work in the kitchen and nursery.
House moms Marielos and July, both pre-school teachers by profession, now primarily care for Jacobo*, the son of one of our Casa Ester residents, who is attending preschool. Lately, Jacobo has begun to gain a spiritual understanding of the weight of this pandemic in our country and across the world. While our girls are making steady progress, so are our mentors and friends of the ministry who have continued to reach out to disciple them via video calls.
Many mentors have even brought special tokens of encouragement and left them at the front door of their mentees. The therapeutic aftercare program continues almost as normal. We also continue to serve the 17-year-old girls at Oasis who are in our pre-independence program.
Recently we have invested in the purchase of soap molds and new professional packaging materials to enhance the marketing appeal of the artisanal hand-made soap made by the Estercitas. A local photographer volunteered to take photos of our soap product line with the support of our friend Paola de Alvarado, who also created advertising graphics with price and descriptions of the new line of soaps.
We have had great support from friends of the ministry like Big Brands, a high-end boutique shoe store in Guatemala City, who have invited us to sell our soap line at their store. The young ladies in our program have been very motivated by all the support they have received. It's boosted their entrepreneurship drive to create even more diversified high-end products to sell, and these include decoupage bottles and hand-painted pieces of art.
We have experienced some difficult challenges over the past few months, but above all, we have witnessed the mercy and presence of God at Casa Ester in big ways.
Waleska Camposeco, Coordinator of Independence Program, Casa Ester
It is a pleasure to share with you about our work during this time at our residential program, the wonderful role that our house moms are playing, the challenges we are facing, and how we are overcoming these.
Currently, the house moms are not only providing additional homework support but also actively teaching the children to help them succeed. I feel the house moms are doing an exceptional job, going way beyond expectations, to provide extra assistance. Our house moms have always worked hard to make sure that the children have the right food, clothing, health care, spiritual nurture, recreation activities, and good relationships with each other. Now, these excellent ladies – who lack nothing and have so much knowledge to share – are going beyond and providing great educational support.
One of the main challenges has been to keep the girls cheerful and upbeat after five months of confinement. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the court hearings have been limited. We have also been forced to suspend the monthly Visitor’s Day and replace that and other family and mentor visitations with video chats. Being confined to the Oasis campus means that our children are not able to go to school or church, or even walk down to nearby shops with their house moms to get a snack. All these fun activities have been postponed until the restrictions are lifted. However, the house moms are working hard to be supportive during these difficult and unknown times, so that the children in our care can have still fun throughout the week and find the balance between study, work, and fun.
We appreciate your prayers for the house moms to continue to abound in patience and love for each of the girls in our care. Please pray for nights of rejuvenating sleep to help our house moms serve with excellence. Pray for our house moms to have a sense of peace and understanding for each of the girls during this difficult time of not being able to see their families or share time with their classmates and friends from church and school. Pray that the children will persevere and do well in their daily assignments and responsibilities. Please continue to pray for the health of our staff, house moms, children, and children’s families.
"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."(Romans 6:4)
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19)
These truths are lived out every day for those of us who are Christ’s followers, and specifically, we had the opportunity to celebrate the new life of ten girls who chose to participate in baptism from La Arquilla, Oasis, and Casa Ester. Due to restrictions, we did not go to the pools this time; we were on campus and still had a fantastic time.
Teams collaborated to make the day happen, from maintenance setting up the pool to administration planning and preparing picnic lunch, and the girls leading in music. Singing was boisterous, and before praying over the girls, Pastor Libny shared reminders about the meaning of baptism, the symbol we were going to witness, and in which many would participate.
Some of the girls lined up at the edge of the pool were emotional with tears in their eyes; others were bold, smiles shining brightly. Each girl, after a sharp inhale because of chilly water, declared that she had chosen to follow Jesus – God who rescues and saves and who has given her new life to walk in obedience to Him. Then, before being submerged and lifted out of the water, she spoke her identity — who and how she now stands before God: Daughter, Chosen, Powerful, Clean, and a piece of Art.
Friends, housemates, caregivers, and staff cheered! We observe baptism publicly and rejoice together because while each story is unique in its pain, and in its freedom, we are brought into a family, we are a body, and we grow together. After the service, everyone enjoyed games and challenges put on by the house moms and a properly soaking splash day before the rains came down.
Laughter, truth, and hope defined the day.May we continue to walk in newness of life.
A note from Corbey
As Guatemala enters its fourth month of lockdowns, the country is feeling the effects. White flags are prominently being waved by families signifying they have no food. The government is overwhelmed trying to meet the needs of unemployed people. The health care system is overwhelmed by the number of COVID-19 illnesses.But Kids Alive Guatemala is not overwhelmed. Our staff have done a remarkable job meeting needs, adjusting to changes, and lessening the impact on our children and families. We also are working hard to be ready as the country re-emerges to be ready to serve as an influencer for positive change.
Even in the midst of shutdowns and being trapped on campus, we celebrated the decision of ten young ladies in our program to be baptized. It was the first Oasis/Casa Ester baptism without me as I am stuck in the US waiting for the Guatemalan border to open. Even within that, there is a blessing as I can see how our Spiritual Development team has grown. It has shown me that the Holy Spirit is at work and that it is not just about any one individual.We are grateful to our supporters and look forward to the days when we can see you in person — whether in the US or when you can return to Guatemala.
The Galilea Church in San Lucas, a Kids Alive partner, continues to deliver essential food supplies every two weeks to the families of the local church and Source of Hope School in Zapote. As travel restrictions between Guatemalan states have ended, there is a greater potential for travel.
The federal government has also recently allowed public transportation to resume in the country with restrictions; however, many city mayors and managers are limiting the use of public transportation in and through their towns. This not only continues to affect local families, but the confusion surrounding these conflicting rules can have a compounded effect adding to an already difficult situation. Schools will continue through October, but there is no indication of whether students will be physically attending classes in the next few months.
Interview with Source of Hope student, Alejandro, 14, studying in grade 8
What have you been doing in your free time?
Homework, and sometimes I work by carrying firewood.
What are classes like?
It's really hard because we have to do exercises and homework without really knowing how to do it, but we have to do it anyway (Teachers provide homework guides to students once a month through text message or sometimes in person)
Are your parents able to work?
My dad works but not my mom.
How can you see God working and being glorified?
Sometimes in the afternoons, I see a rainbow and it reminds me of God’s presence and power.
Like an unexpected curveball, COVID-19 slammed our schools and residential homes, disrupting the lives of our children and the work of our staff and impacting every facet of Kids Alive ministry. The hardest-hit area was the abrupt separation of our school children from their caregivers – teachers and counselors. As the enormity of the crisis sank in, so did the compounded impact of the challenge of communication, as well as the fact that most of our children come from at-risk situations. Our teachers and counselors scrambled to break the impasse to ensure our children’s well-being. But in the heat of the moment, we probably didn’t realize that God had been steadily preparing us for such a time as this.
Several years ago, two Kids Alive school directors attending a conference filled out a survey questionnaire on emotional stresses faced by children. The list included lack of food, visible fights and violence, divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, no running water, and not enough beds to sleep in. It suddenly hit them that they had a whole school full of children who regularly experience trauma, and we (Kids Alive) had little know-how to help children overcome, survive, and begin to thrive under these circumstances.
Ever since then, Kids Alive has strategically invested in building up counseling to provide emotional support to children and youth, building trust and connection with our staff to help pull them through life’s daily challenges. In the last three years, all Kids Alive Dominican Republic staff have been trained in Trauma Competent Care and each of our seven schools now have at least one part-time psychologist and a counselor. In our residential sites, psychologists not only help children but also counsel house parents in techniques to help children self-regulate and build trusting relationships. Overall, we have built a team of 15 counselors, psychologists, and social workers to help over 2,000 children in our programs overcome their challenging circumstances.
Within days of the schools being shut, Kids Alive staff rose to the occasion. Taking the lead, Kaela Precourt, Director of Social/Emotional Care, along with her colleagues, began creating and dispersing weekly video clips via text messages and WhatsApp. These videos targeting parents and children were sent to the parents and community leaders’ cell phones.
Topics included:
How to connect emotionally with your child
Five strategies to help your student study well at home
Self-regulation techniques to help a child who is upset or is feeling anxious
The importance of making and maintaining a schedule during times of uncertainty or change
In addition, Kids Alive counselors have been reaching out to students with specific needs to provide targeted counseling. Currently, we are making plans for the new school year where we will be better positioned and equipped to address the emotional needs of our children and youth.
An interview with Kids Alive Counselor Domingo Germán, Specialist in Educational Psychology
What have been some of the biggest challenges during this time of the COVID-19 crisis?
Some of our biggest challenges currently are the inability to be close to our children and youth that we are caring for. We cannot visit and/or touch our family, friends, and fellow Christians (hugging and kissing on the cheek are customary cultural greetings) and must live carefully and follow protocols to avoid infecting ourselves or others. Other challenges include finding that a family member, friend, or a brother in Christ is sick or has lost a family member and not being able to support them with our presence.
Tell us about some of your concerns:
I am concerned about our children, they have had to spend so much time at home with their families, and some come from families that mistreat them. Some may not be getting enough food, and someone may harm them or make them do something that isn’t right. I am concerned that no one is talking with them about God.
What have you learned in your communication with children and their families?
I have heard that some of our children are anxious, disobedient, and aggressive, and some of the older students do not want to be at home or comply with established safety protocols. Anxiety and disobedience are common recurring themes. (Most communication is done over the internet via WhatsApp, and sometimes over a phone call.)
What are the greatest psychosocial needs currently?
The needs are many - they include emotional, spiritual, nutritional, and social needs. At Kids Alive we are addressing these needs by using available resources to respond to all cases that are brought to our attention. We try to help initially and then provide appropriate follow-up.
Would you share a story of someone you were able to help with managing COVID-19 related stress?
A 13-year-old girl was experiencing severe anxiety due to COVID-19 imposed quarantine restrictions since she could not connect with her friends nor visit her grandmother. She cried a lot, didn't eat, and spent a lot of time alone in her room.In the first session, I listened to her to find out why she felt this way. In the second, I tried to help her understand why she felt that way.
In the third session, I gave her and her family recommendations on how to reduce her anxiety levels. I recommended that she speak with her grandmother via WhatsApp. I also recommended that the family do joint activities, such as, make special and unusual meals, watch family movies and shows, and play board games. I recommended that the student download some books to read and do crafts by checking out video tutorials and using materials she has at home. Currently, I follow up with her to see how she is doing, and thank God she has learned to accept the situation and adjust to it.
COVID-19 snatched every one of their "normal lives." But guess what our defiant house moms “designed” with their young wards? They put on a fashion and silly costume competition to amuse themselves during the lockdown! Take that COVID-19!
The competition included three categories of dresses – the gala ball and elegant, the summer and silly, and the recycled and casual!Check out the photos to catch a glimpse.
Santo Domingo North School has been ministering to at-risk children from poor areas with food and health protection in Dominican Republic's capital, and this feature of the ministry has become even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our staff is working hard to distribute food to hungry children and their families as well as support them with information to help cope with emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges.
School Directors Margaret and Juan and their team of teachers and workers continue to find creative ways to serve and glorify God despite the obstacles and challenges posed by the pandemic.
The children completed their academic year on June 19th and are now on summer vacation. The vacation is restful for the children, but the school now moves into high gear to complete maintenance projects and minor construction work before school reopens in August.
For over 30 years, Eva Russell School has been a sanctuary for at-risk youth, ministering to their physical, mental, and spiritual needs. This has been especially true during the pandemic.While COVID-19 threatens to rob people of their health and life, it has already robbed many of their daily wage jobs. Due to massive unemployment, the school has been disbursing food rations since April to all of our school children's families.
Additionally, school staff distributed materials to help children and families stay physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy while sheltering at home. Kids Alive partners have also contributed extra funds as well as essential items like masks to help the school provide for and protect some of the neediest children and families.
Park School and Care Center in Caraballo continues to be an oasis for impoverished children and youth in the community around us. Through this center, children and families are learning of God’s provision and abundant love even during this time when COVID-19 has imposed severe restrictions on our ministry.Since the government imposed quarantine restrictions, Kids Alive has helped with six major food distributions and reached out to our children's homes with practical instructions for emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
Through the past school year, we have made major advances by opening a new dental clinic on our campus and by imparting life skills and job training for the older youth and young adults. God has not only protected but has provided for our children and their families, changing lives for His glory!
Since its beginning nearly ten years ago in the carport of Directors Kami and Romulo’s rented house, the Santo Domingo East School program has protected and provided for children and youth in the surrounding poor community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mission has further risen to the occasion – our dedicated school staff have embraced change to reach out to our students and their families with regular food provisions and other resources.
The school year ended mid-June, and children and their parents visited the school to receive children's end of the year packages and complete special projects for their sponsors. It was the first time the children had returned to school since it was ordered shut by government authorities in mid-March to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Directors Jan Burkey and Miriam Hernandez are approaching their 20th year of ministry serving in the impoverished and sometimes violent Palo Blanco barrio, on the outskirts of Jarabacoa city.
Protection and provision have been constant themes in this program since its inception. This is even more defined during the pandemic as the school became a "relief organization" which provided food for hungry families and educational material for kids during school closures.
We are grateful to all those who've partnered with us in prayer and financial support for many years but especially during this crisis. God’s love continues to be on display in this community and many lives are being positively impacted.
Four years ago, several girls arrived at the Oasis. Each carried their own pain, but Natalia* was particularly hardened. She best related to things associated with gangs, including painting graffiti. Over the last few years, her heart softened and there was a change. It could be seen in her shifting interest toward academics, joining the worship team, and learning to play instruments and sing.
However, the most significant change came when she went back to her artistic roots and began painting. When an opportunity opened up for Natalia* to join a Lettering Workshop offered in June, she jumped at the opportunity. Now she is using her gift to build friendships, and the community around her can see the change in her. We are grateful that the Lord gave her gifts which she is now able to use to honor Him.
Protection and provision have been a part of the ongoing mission of Constanza School since its inception as a care center almost fifteen years ago. During the pandemic, these themes are even more clear – the school staff has modified the operation to include a relief food operation. The school has been buying food wholesale and repacking it to distribute to needy families in our community.
Along with the food items, staff share materials to help with families' spiritual and emotional well-being. Teachers and counselors have maintained connections with their students via cell phones and social media. The school staff has even figured out ways to loan library books and celebrate birthdays and grade-level promotions.
Summer work has begun to prepare for having kids and staff back on campus in the fall. Stay tuned!
After school ended in early June, our children, youth, and house parents spent two weeks in a rural camp outside of Monte Plata. Because we had the camp to ourselves, we were well protected, and also could enjoy the open spaces and recreational activities. This was a welcome break after being quarantined for twelve weeks on the relatively small campus of Casa Monte Plata. Our youth and workers remain grateful for both God’s protection and provision during this unique time.
At the end of June, the group returned to Casa Monte Plata and began a six-week summer program along with work projects and summer jobs. Several of the older youth have reached maturity and education levels that they can now help run the summer programs.
The Dominican Republic economy began reopening in phases starting in June. But since many families remain unemployed and hence have no income or savings, Kids Alive continues to distribute food packets to needy families of our children.
Though we miss our kids, their absence from the school campus has allowed us to restart and finish construction work on the new cafeteria and sports court. We are expecting the project to be finished by early August, just in time for the children's return if the government decides if it is safe to reopen schools.
Other ANIJA School campus modifications include the reopening of the library and the addition of hand-washing stations.As the school is closed for the summer, our teaching staff is getting a well-deserved break in July!
While we've struggled through the day-to-day challenges that this pandemic has brought, we have clearly seen God’s provision and protection for our children and house parents at Ark Constanza. Along with that, we've also witnessed the strength of our national colleagues and missionaries.
Working collaboratively, we've stayed safe from illness by enforcing strict quarantining of children and house parents within the campus walls and ensuring those delivering food and other essentials also follow strict protocols.
In this time together, children and workers have grown spiritually and in their love for each other while enjoying special group activities and strengthening bonds with their extended campus families.
Many of our missionaries and national staff have contributed sacrificially during the pandemic by taking on additional responsibilities including organizing special activities, teaching health and safety precautions, and volunteering to live several weeks inside the residential program as substitute parents.
This recent “sacrifice” allowed our house parents to take a much needed two-week vacation in a secluded mountain home after 12-consecutive weeks on site.
Sometimes we think of Ark Jarabacoa's beautiful campus as holy ground, with structures built by God’s people to transform lives for His glory. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it certainly has served as a place to experience God’s protection and provision, while seeing His love in action.Our kids have grown closer to each other and to God.
Many of our older youth have been stretched to use their talents during these months – developing new skills and taking on additional responsibilities to help meet needs on the quarantined campus. Support teams outside the campus work together to plan activities for kids and staff so all remain busy, healthy, and thriving.
Toward the end of June, a "relief" staff team entered the campus for six weeks to support a special summer program. They were also able to relieve house parents who had been in lockdown on the campus since March, allowing them to go on a much needed two-week vacation.
Carmen* came to Kids Alive following years of pain and sadness. After she suffered abuse in many forms, her parents were deemed unfit and she went to live with her grandmother. But eventually her grandmother became too sick to take care of a child who had been so mistreated and neglected, and Carmen came to live at the Ark.
When she first arrived, she acted aggressively and disrespectfully to the adults she encountered, since that was all she had ever known. She would fight physically with the boys at the home, and lacked appropriate social skills. Adapting to life at the Ark has been difficult, but Carmen is making progress every day, improving emotionally, socially, and educationally.
She is an intelligent girl who is learning acceptable behavior from watching the other children around her. Despite the lack of academic help she had for many years, she has caught up in her studies and we expect she will continue to improve. Quiet, reserved, but strong-willed, she is beginning to express herself well, and our prayer is that she will soon understand that she is valuable and loved. It is our privilege to share the love of Jesus with Carmen, knowing that true healing and joy can only come from knowing Him.
Graduating from the 9th grade at the top of her class last year put Marcela* closer to realizing her dream of becoming a nurse. In Guatemala, students graduate from high school in 9th grade and then enroll in specific two-year trade school programs before graduating and entering university. But her dreams ran into a slush. The university ruled that the 17-year-old Marcela was “too young” to enroll in a nursing program and that she would have to wait till she turned 18. She was discouraged.
Seeing her discouragement put our Kids Alive Guatemala team in overdrive as they scrambled to find an alternate program so Marcela wouldn’t lose an academic year. They came up with a solution. They developed an on-site nursing internship for Marcela with Kids Alive Guatemala staff nurse, Catie.
“We felt that giving her some hands-on experience prior to nursing school would better prepare her,” said Catie. “It has been a God-send for me to have an extra set of hands to help with weighing babies, filing medical records, and doing vision and hearing screens on all of the girls. I’ve had so much fun seeing her excitement about learning new things.”
The current pandemic’s increased demand in all areas of preventive health care has made Marcela‘s assistance to Catie even more significant. She has assumed the responsibility for delivering vitamins to house moms, sanitizing the healthcare facility, and running health-related errands for Catie, freeing up her time to handle the larger health issues. Because Marcela is still a minor and a resident of Oasis, she’s restricted from doing many of the basic nursing assignments independently; however, under Catie’s watchful eye, she is enjoying her work nursing internship.
Recently, Catie successfully secured all the supplies needed to draw blood samples from a local lab in town that Kids Alive uses regularly. Catie not only taught Marcela how to draw blood but also volunteered to be her first “patient” to get her blood drawn.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be part of this journey for Marcela. I can’t wait to see how God uses her nursing career to positively impact lives,” said Catie.*Name changed to protect identity.
A note from the Kids Alive Guatemala Director of Residential Programs
Today my heart is so grateful to God for His mercy and faithfulness for the Oasis and my Kids Alive Guatemala team. We are celebrating 70 days of prayer and we have seen how the hand of the Lord has sustained us. Every morning at 9:00 we meet together to pray for Guatemala, our government, the girls’ families, our leadership team, and every team member of Kids Alive Guatemala. We have had some really sweet moments with the Lord.
I thank the Lord for my team! Before the pandemic, I felt like I knew each one of our house moms well. I knew each of them was responding to the call of God to work here. However, during this Covid-19 crisis, I have had the opportunity to get to know each of their hearts at a deeper level. Each member of our team has been so determined and willing to serve!
Our house moms have been faithful and persistent – doing a difficult job at a difficult time. Even though I can see that they are tired, I also see how their strength has been renewed each day. They continue to stand as firm soldiers in the midst of a battle. I have witnessed how well they treat the girls despite their exhaustion and stress. This resilience has shown me that our house moms have dedicated hearts full of God’s love.
They are willing to change plans and adapt to irregular schedules and longer than normal work rotations. On top of all of this, many of them have sacrificed time at home with their families during this crisis to assure our children are well cared for.Until quite recently, some house moms couldn’t even return home to their family during their days off, because of the strict travel restrictions imposed by the mayors of their hometowns. These house moms remained at Oasis for multiple weeks.
During their time off, they had alternative housing so they could rest, sleep, relax, and have the freedom to do whatever they wanted. However, they often chose to work and help and the other house moms, “We can’t stay here and do nothing. We prefer to help in our houses.”
Seeing the house moms play, laugh, and simply being mothers during this crisis means watching them be full-time: teachers, since the girls are being sent homework weekly (Guatemala schools run from January through October), cooks, Zumba instructors, artists, and pastors. To see their joy in everything they do reveals the work of God and His love manifested throughout this whole team.
This crisis has proven to be a great opportunity…
Opportunity for picnics together.
Opportunity for changing stagnant routines.
Opportunity to work overtime if desired.
Opportunity to be more active and work out.
Opportunity to spend more focused time on school work.
Opportunity to pray more.
And an opportunity to work together as a more united team than we have ever been before.
I only have one thing to say: “Thank you, Lord! Your love is infinite!”~ Karla Galván, Kids Alive Guatemala Director of Residential Programs
Over 90% of the families in this remote, impoverished, racially charged area are unemployed and without an income. One of our teachers is feeding twelve people in her small home and is thankful that Kids Alive has continued to pay staff their salaries at this time. Park School has partnered with two other nonprofits to provide weekly food rations for all households in the community, which include the 120 Kids Alive families.
School director Alberto meets weekly with the six other Kids Alive school directors to plan, share successes and ideas, discuss spiritual and emotional care, and look forward to next fall.
Santo Domingo East School continues to subsidize children’s nutrition through relief food to 87 families who are part of our school community. The families come to collect food at the site, and those without transportation receive deliveries at home.
Our teachers have adapted to the COVID-19 world. They now connect with their students via WhatsApp to send study materials, homework, weekly devotions, and words of support and encouragement. School directors Kami and Romulo meet weekly with the six other Kids Alive school directors to plan, share successes and best practices, and discuss topics such as sustaining spiritual and emotional care of children and staff.
The Kids Alive DR counseling staff have produced videos to guide parents in engaging with their children, keeping daily routines, and addressing issues such as stress and anxiety. The medical staff has also produced videos and flyers on COVID-19 prevention, use of personal protective equipment, and how to care for a sick person. The country remains under curfew, with mandatory mask-use and restricted travel.
Around 80% of families of students at Eva Russell School have been left without an income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to your generous support, we’ve provided weekly food rations for these 130 families, along with educational material and family devotions.
School director Debora Prenza leads daily devotions with her staff via WhatsApp, and then reaches out to recent graduates of Eva Russell to help meet some of their needs. She also confers weekly with the six other Kids Alive school directors to plan and share ideas for spiritual and emotional care of the children.
The Kids Alive Dominican Republic staff have produced video clips to guide parents in engaging their children, keeping a daily routine, and addressing other issues such as stress and anxiety. The medical staff have also produced videos and flyers on COVID-19 prevention, use of personal protective equipment, and how to care for a sick person.
The country remains under curfew, with mandatory mask use and travel restrictions. Thank you to Tower Hill Church, Red Bank, NJ, for the masks you made and sent for all the children at Eva Russell!
Constanza School is one of our most innovative, and is finding ways to help during COVID-19 – with great thanks to generous donors. Kids Alive provides food, homework, and spiritual support packages each week to all 130 families attached to the school. Teachers meticulously prepare notebooks for each of their students, and the school provides all supplies for schoolwork, since even paper and pencils are scarce in our students’ homes.
In a recent survey of our families, 94% reported they were unemployed with no source of regular income during the quarantine, making our support essential.
Our staff are supervising a reading club for 3rd to 6th graders by sending books from the school library to be exchanged for others every two weeks. This month, the older youth were given Bibles, and children with birthdays this month were sent a gift as well.
School director Luz Angela meets weekly with the six other Kids Alive school directors to plan, share successes and ideas, discuss spiritual and emotional care, and look forward to next fall. The Kids Alive DR counseling staff around the island have produced and distributed videos to guide parents in connecting with their children, keeping daily routines, and addressing other issues such as stress and anxiety.
The medical staff has also produced videos and flyers on COVID-19 prevention, use of personal protective equipment, and how to care for a sick person.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Palo Blanco School’s light is shining ever more brightly! The school is providing relief packages of food, tracts, and educational materials to the 170 families of students who attend Palo Blanco. The school is also providing emotional support as teachers make regular contact with their families and students via WhatsApp.
School director Jan and academic director Miriam meet weekly with the six other Kids Alive school directors to plan, share best practices, and discuss spiritual and emotional care. The Kids Alive DR counseling staff have produced videos to guide parents in engaging with their children, keeping daily routines, and addressing issues such as stress and anxiety. The medical staff have also produced videos and flyers on COVID-19 prevention, use of personal protective equipment, and how to care for sick family members.
We are grateful to visitor Kathleen, who is sewing masks for the staff and children. The country remains under curfew, with mandatory use of masks and with restrictions on movement.
The Ark is a refuge for at-risk children and youth, and even more so during this pandemic. Our kids have been quarantined with their house parents on the campus since March 19. Despite this, when surveyed, the vast majority express gratitude for their time together!
The lockdown has brought many challenges, and staff have had to be very creative to make sure everything gets done. Our older youth have stepped up to fill the service roles usually carried out by the support staff, including cooking, cleaning, and yard work. Many have spiritually matured during this time, and one was also baptized.Directors Fred and Kasandra O’Brien keep a healthy and active weekly schedule, including classes taught by house parents on the school campus, complete with PE and devotions.
Other activities include making new foods such as pizza, playing board games, and growing vegetables.Celebrated on the last Sunday of May, Mother’s Day was a hit with the moms who enjoyed gifts and special pizza. And one afternoon, God provided the entertainment in a powerful downpour complete with large hailstones!The country remains under curfew, mandatory mask use, and enforced travel restrictions.
Casa Monte Plata (CMP) is a refuge during this difficult time of COVID-19. Though the children and youth here are quarantined, they are secure with a supply of food and loving house parents. Teenagers and young adults from our independence project, Casa Ester, are also quarantined on campus and taking on roles as house moms, assistants, or educational tutors for younger children.
Most of the children express gratitude for the care they are receiving. Being quarantined in a home in a barrio without food and running water would have been far more challenging. Church, art activities, unstructured playtime, making new foods, and schoolwork fill the days of these children and youth.
Rosa* turned fifteen, the big coming of age birthday here, and even though the usual quincañera fiesta was not possible during quarantine, it was special. At the end of the day, Rosa contentedly recounted all the blessings she received, starting with breakfast, a surprise cake, a visit from her biological family, and blessings from her CMP siblings. And this month all CMP women dressed up for a special tea on the directors’ porch, complete with photos, worship, and a devotion.
The men successfully took on fixing the septic system under the guidance of former CMP resident Pablito, now a plumber.While the country remains under curfew, mandatory mask, and travel restrictions, our children were enjoying the space and surroundings of CMP, and Juana, our site director, is using her spare time to take better selfies, too!
The Ark is an oasis for at-risk children and youth, and even more so during this pandemic. The children have been quarantined with their house parents since March 19th. Amazingly, the vast majority of children are grateful, with older youth stepping into doing chores at home as well as serving as house assistants and groundskeepers. Many are also growing spiritually and relationally with their peers.
The ministry has invested in making the children’s life a little more fun during their quarantine by providing supplies for making special foods like pizza and donuts, and using a blow-up pool and board games to facilitate family bonding time and on-campus picnics. The house moms have enjoyed cooking out together, and house dads stay on top of the grounds team, along with lots of playtimes. House dad Albert is a tailor, and with two borrowed sewing machines and some of the older boys as apprentices, he is sewing high-quality masks for the entire Ark family.
Birthdays are celebrated in creative ways, valuing each child as a unique gift from God. A week early, the older youth planned a surprise Mother’s Day afternoon which the house moms enjoyed, complete with pool time and special foods. On the last Sunday of May, the moms enjoyed breakfast in bed courtesy of the kids!
Around 80% of the ANIJA families are unemployed and without income, as most lost jobs with the pandemic and the government enforced quarantine. The staff at ANIJA School has been very active in providing food for its most needy families, around 85, and continuing with educational and emotional support for the children. Working with the local colmado (corner store), Nany, our staff social worker, determines food (and other essential) rations for an estimated two-week supply. A family member, or sometimes the students themselves, are given a time to pick up their bags in order to keep people appropriately distanced.School director Ann Van Der Molen meets weekly with the six other Kids Alive school directors to plan, share successes and ideas, and discuss spiritual and emotional care. Along with homework packet distributions, the teachers have worked diligently to instruct and encourage their students via WhatsApp on their parents’ cell phones. Devotions and conversations about God are also taking place.The Kids Alive DR counseling staff around the island have produced videos to guide parents in connecting with their children, keeping daily routines, and addressing other issues such as stress and anxiety. The medical staff has also produced videos and flyers on COVID-19 prevention, use of personal protective equipment, and how to care for a sick person. The country remains under curfew, mandatory mask use, and restricted travel.
Santo Domingo North School continues its food relief program to 77 families with the help of a local church. Job losses have left many families with no income during the COVID-19 pandemic.Our teachers are working hard to stay spiritually, emotionally, and academically engaged with our students. Despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic, students are working hard, and families enjoy sharing photos with their teachers via WhatsApp – the main way of communicating during this pandemic.
School directors Margaret and Juan meet weekly with the six other Kids Alive school directors to plan, share successes and ideas, and discuss spiritual and emotional care. The Kids Alive DR counseling staff have produced videos to guide parents in engaging with their children, keeping daily routines, and addressing other issues such as stress and anxiety.
The Kids Alive medical staff has also produced videos and flyers on COVID-19 prevention, use of personal protective equipment, and how to care for a sick family member. The country remains under government-enforced curfew, mandatory mask use, and restrictions on movement.
COVID-19 presented many challenges for the seven Kids Alive schools in the Dominican Republic. Our first priority became keeping the children, their families, and our employees safe from a new and deadly disease about which little was known.
Secondly, when schools were closed and the country locked down in mid-March, we had the challenge of continuing the education and emotional care for 2,000 impoverished children with difficult family situations. Finally, with massive unemployment (we estimate 80-90% of our school families are currently unemployed with no savings or credit), and no school breakfasts and lunches, many of our children and their families quickly began to suffer from lack of food.
Our staff responded quickly and creatively. We created protocols for handwashing, social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing groceries, and began distributing information to families in various ways, including video clips they could watch on cell phones. Additionally, our teachers and counselors worked with parents to get classroom study material, family devotionals, and other activities into the home as well as help create healthy routines for the children with so much time in their little homes.
Furthermore, for a limited time, we transitioned in one aspect to a relief organization, and with the help of generous donors grew our food distribution to feed over 1,200 families regularly during the quarantine period which recently ended. Our relief work is likely to continue for the next several months on a lesser level as parts of the economy remain shut and many children and their families lack adequate food.
We hosted a virtual “family meeting” on June 10 with Country Director Corbey Dukes and with Joann Lara (Oasis Residential Program Coordinator), Fatima Milian (a Casa Ester resident), and Susana Escobedo (Coordinator of Escuintla Care Center and lawyer), where they shared with generous supporters how the ministry is responding to the COVID-19 crisis in the midst of urgent needs, and shared ongoing needs for prayer.
If you were not able to be with us, would like to listen again, or would like to share the call with other interested friends, the video of the call is here:
With government-enforced lockdowns and curfews in place, our staff takes the opportunity to clean, sanitize, and maintain the Santo Domingo North School facility so it is ready to receive our children back to class.
Despite government-imposed curfews, lockdowns, and stringent visitor protocols at Casa Monte Plata, our children have adapted to the new “confined life,” and have learned to keep themselves happy! Here are some of our kids enjoying studies, birthday celebrations, Sunday worship, face painting, even chores. Our dedicated staff rotate responsibilities while drawing strength in praying together.
Working around government curfews and regulations, Kids Alive staff visit in the community - providing food and other essentials, encouraging our children, and praying with their families. Our leadership also encourage one another, "Zooming in" at least once a week to pray together and make ministry adjustments in the ever-changing crisis.
Living it up at the Ark! With strict guest and caregiver visitation protocols, our children at the Ark are isolated but also safe from the pandemic - safe enough to enjoy their time together! Online and under-the-tree classes, Bible studies, games, face painting, outdoor cooking, eating, and Zoom conversations with family, teachers, and community make the best of difficult circumstances.
With schools ordered closed by the government, our staff at Eva Russell School have adapted to a new ministry - buying wholesale foods and other essentials and distributing in family-sized packs to our children and their families. In these economically challenging times, job losses and rising food prices have had a widespread impact, and families are grateful to line up - with appropriate distancing - to receive these welcome gifts.
Zoom calls are bridging the COVID-19 distancing gap, bonding our teams together with prayer, Bible studies, and encouragement.
Even as life across Dominican Republic gets challenging with the spread of the virus, leading to illness, job losses, and soaring food prices, life within the Ark Jarabacoa compound looks pretty normal, and on some days, even celebratory. Kids Alive's stringent guest and caregiver visitation protocols not only insulate and protect our children from the pandemic but also provide a safe haven to celebrate the gift of life.
Within the confines of the Ark, children study, clean up, cook, eat, groom, dance, study Scripture, train, and even picnic together with their caregivers!
As the fight against COVID-19 gets deeper and more protracted, our formidable staff ministry-warriors dig their heels in even deeper to assist our children and their families with food and other essentials, information on the pandemic, and moral support. All sites continue to be kept scrupulously clean, and our staff are busy procuring wholesale food and delivering packages to families in need. School staff and leadership meet at least once a week via Zoom to confer, pray, and encourage each other.
COVID-19 presented many challenges for the seven Kids Alive schools in the Dominican Republic. Our first priority became keeping the children, their families, and our employees safe from a new and deadly disease about which little was known. Secondly, when schools were closed and the country locked down in mid-March, we had the challenge of continuing the education and emotional care for 2,000 impoverished children with difficult family situations. Finally, with massive unemployment (we estimate 80-90% of our school families are currently unemployed with no savings or credit), and no school breakfasts and lunches, many of our children and their families quickly began to suffer from lack of food.
Our staff responded quickly and creatively. We created protocols for handwashing, social distancing, wearing masks, and sanitizing groceries, and began distributing information to families in various ways, including video clips they could watch on cell phones. Additionally, our teachers and counselors worked with parents to get classroom study material, family devotionals, and other activities into the home as well as help create healthy routines for the children with so much time in their little homes. Furthermore, for a limited time we transitioned in one aspect to a relief organization, and with the help of generous donors grew our food distribution to feed over 1,200 families regularly during the quarantine period which recently ended. Our relief work is likely to continue for the next several months on a lesser level as parts of the economy remain shut and many children and their families lack adequate food.
More than anything in recent years, COVID-19 has highlighted the strength and dedication of our residential ministries in the Dominican Republic, as our three projects in close collaboration are adapting well to minister effectively during these difficult times. In mid-March, to keep children and caregivers safe, our campuses were closed, with children and parents safely sequestered, along with adequate food supply in anticipation of possible shortages. To ensure children’s safety, entry to the residential homes was restricted to essential caregivers while older youth took on the responsibilities of cleaning and other chores. Directors and parents at the residential sites created “summer camp type” schedules integrating academics, devotions, recreation, and other special activities such as a movie night, picnics, and a dress-up gala to keep children’s spirits high. We are now planning a special summer vacation for our house parents to give them a two-week break from shouldering the much heavier responsibilities due to the pandemic.
Sheltered together in close proximity with limited support and no interaction with others outside the walls, families have bonded more closely and the youth have embraced additional responsibilities, and many have grown spiritually. All are grateful for the protection and provision they have received during this unique time.
Dominican Republic Update with Vic and Leslie Trautwein
We hosted a virtual “family meeting” with Country Director Vic Trautwein and his wife Leslie and members of the Kids Alive Development staff on April 15, to share with site partners and generous supporters first-hand how the ministry is responding to the COVID-19 crisis in the midst of urgent needs, and to share ongoing needs for prayer.
If you were not able to be with us, would like to listen again, or would like to share the call with other interested friends, the video of the call is here:
Kids Alive is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring that our students stay on track and engaged in their education, even during these challenging times. We’re doing this through adapting lessons for distance learning, using online options, providing photocopied study resources delivered by our staff, facilitating telephone consultations with teachers, and organizing WhatsApp groups for parents to keep in touch and stay informed about their kids’ work. Our counselors are monitoring students and sending short videos to the families on how to handle stress and how to keep children active.
Many of our children come from families where there is now no income, and the children are at risk of hunger, malnutrition, and or getting food from unsafe sources. So we’re using the budgets normally allocated for school meals to help feed families of our kids and community members with basic non-perishable foods and, in some cases, cooked meals. And as we make home visits to our kids with food and educational material deliveries as well as tips on hygiene and disease prevention, we’re making the most of every opportunity to share the Gospel and bring hope!
Kids Alive is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by doing all we can to keep our residential kids healthy, occupied, and productive. We’ve put in place sturdy protocols for hygiene and safety, many times exceeding the country and community standards where we serve. Our kids are learning to take responsibility for their health as well as their housemates and caregivers, and in many cases, they are stepping up to fulfill roles left temporarily empty by staff members who can’t get into work. Under the direction of our medical advisers, we have designated and prepared safe, comfortable quarters for any child or staffer who might need to be quarantined for a time.
Our house parents and staffers are creating schedules for Bible study and devotional times, educational and sports activities, chores, study sessions, and “downtime,” making sure that we maximize variety and use these times of isolation wisely. Our psychologists and counselors are talking regularly with all of our kids about the changes that have taken place, and we’re closely monitoring them for emotional health. We’re also having church services at our children’s homes and allowing kids to worship and even lead in worship. The world may look out of control to human eyes, but God’s children can rest in His perfect control!
Site partners and generous supporters of Kids Alive’s Oasis ministry in Guatemala attended a virtual “family meeting” with Country Director Corbey Dukes and members of the Kids Alive Development staff on April 1, hearing first-hand how the ministry has responded to the COVID-19 crisis in the midst of the urgent needs there.
Corbey also shared information about how our girls there are responding to the current stress and how they and our incredible staff are supporting one another and leaning into the faithfulness of their loving Father.
If you were not able to be with us, would like to listen again, or would like to share the call with other interested friends, the audio of the call is here:
A day filled with lively skits, joyful dances, and heartfelt worship, all topped off with a nutritious meal. It was a time to come together, celebrate, and enjoy each other's company.
Face-painting, blowing bubbles, embroidery and bracelet making, clowning, and Bible storytelling via drama, topped by community trash collection - all a part of life at Palo Blanco!
The visiting Wellspring Alliance Church team shared their love of God by engaging with the children at Palo Blanco through these activities. Then, in partnership with a group of high schoolers from Palo Blanco, the team collected trash from the local community areas, setting new standards for hygiene.
A baptism at Oasis is a special event that brings our girls, young women, and their children together to celebrate the commitment of each individual as they invite Jesus into their lives.
From the Country Director's Desk
Wow, what a year! I want to thank our team – staff, and supporters! In addition to the “normal” great things that happen at Source of Hope, Oasis, Arquilla, Casa Ester and Families Together, this year Kids Alive Guatemala accomplished the following:
12 students graduated from Source of Hope, all achieving a higher level of education (completing 9th grade) than their parents
10 alumnae of Source of Hope graduated from high school to join university
Provided scholarships to three Source of Hope graduates
Opened an on-campus home for babies of Arquilla girls being placed for adoption
Opened an on-campus home for girls at Oasis to help with the transition to Casa Ester "independence program"
Launched Estercitas program at Casa Ester for young women with disabilities
Leased to buy land for expanding work at Casa Ester – which is reaching its capacity with 24 young girls and women
Succeeded in getting the first two convictions that sent perpetrators to over 20 years in prison sentences
Launched “Your Compass,” a community outreach program in Escuintla to raise awareness of sexual abuse in churches, schools, and other organizations
Two teen moms with their babies placed into foster families
27 girls and young women at Arquilla, Oasis, and Casa Ester were baptized
Recognized by the Supreme Court of Guatemala for our contribution to the Child Protection System
Relocated a family to Peru for their personal safety
Launched a 2-day training program to share all we have learned in Oasis, Arquilla, and Families Together that has been attended by 21 local and regional organizations and the following Kids Alive offices – Kids Alive International, Peru, Dominican Republic, Kenya, and Zambia
Whew. It was nice to have a breather during the holidays and we are excited about 2020!
A visiting medical team provide students of Ark Constanza with health checkups, growth monitoring, follow up and treatment to ensure children's all-around growth.
While it is customary in the United States to exchange presents on Christmas Day, in the Dominican Republic, Three Kings Day, January 6, is the day when presents are exchanged. It marks the day when the three kings, or the Magi, presented their offerings to baby Jesus. (This day is known in America as Epiphany Sunday, and is celebrated by some churches in America.) Many of you as Kids Alive supporters make this day special for the children with your generous gifts. Thank you! We enjoyed the Three Kings Day celebrations at ANIJA.
Students showcase various projects to demonstrate their learning throughout the year. This annual event is followed by Christmas and the Three Kings Day celebrations. In the Dominican Republic, Christmas is celebrated from 25 December to January 6th, culminating in the Three Kings Day (Three Magis Day). Epiphany, as it's known in the English speaking world marks the day when the Magi met and presented their gifts to baby Jesus. In the Dominican Republic, gifts are exchanged on this day celebrated on 6 January.
In the Dominican Republic, Christmas celebrations start on 25 December and finishes on Three Kings Day on January 6th. Children expectantly survey the "presentscape" before the Three Kings Day celebrations and then go on to deftly open their precious presents!
This, once-thriving area of Villa Ascensions had a thriving economy based on sugarcane cultivation and sugar production. But now the field's are overgrown with foliage and the sugar factory is deserted. This has put immense hardship on families. However, improved education through Kids Alive's Park School is laying the foundation for alternate career opportunities for children.
In Guatemala, Christmas is traditionally celebrated with close family and friends on Christmas Eve, or “Noche Buena.” At Oasis, we enjoy an evening together eating a turkey dinner (with turkeys donated for each of the individual houses) and the traditional helping of tamales. “Ponche,” a warm cider beverage made with various fruits, is often the drink of choice.
After this traditional meal and fellowship, we take time to worship, followed by a number of fun and engaging games and activities. Each of the houses prepares and performs a short Christmas skit around a pre-selected theme, such as Santa’s Wacky Sleigh, Super Hero, and Disney. The house that is voted the winner receives some fun treats and movies to enjoy on Christmas.
Before midnight each girl from Oasis and Casa Ester receives a stocking filled with small gifts and an individually wrapped gift. At midnight we all gather to enjoy the customary display of fireworks. Across the dark horizon, fireworks splash across the sky like camera flashes in a dark stadium attempting to capture the defining moment of a championship game. After the fireworks display, everyone greets each other and returns to their home. Christmas morning is celebrated by taking things slow and waking up later than the usual 5:30 am!
For young girls rescued from abuse, Christmas at Oasis is a much deeper experience – a place where they can be children once again, secure and valued as a person rather than as an object for exploitation. This is what Leslyn, 18, says about Christmas at Oasis:
“I am very thankful for this special time that we set aside at Christmas. I really enjoy every moment that we spend together because we receive gifts and that makes me feel very joyful. I remember that God gave His only Son to die for us. Before, I thought about my Christmas gift and every year I was eager to receive it. But now that I see things better I am also grateful for all of the people that organize these activities with love. They are very special to each of the girls that make up Oasis. And even though I always miss my family, I always remember that God put Oasis in my life not only to help me grow spiritually but also to always be united as a family. [My favorite parts of Christmas Eve] are enjoying the “ponche” (fruit cider), tamales, and the midnight display of fireworks — and these are the moments that I treasure in my heart.”
The Source of Hope school in El Zapote is operated by Kids Alive in partnership with Iglesia Galilea (Church of Galilee) in San Lucas. During Christmas, Iglesia Galilea provides each student with Christmas presents, including a new pair of shoes.
The young ladies from Casa Ester enjoyed "Noche Buena" or Christmas Eve celebration at Oasis last year. A week before Christmas, a church group from the United States came to celebrate with the girls at Casa Ester. Their trip came during the afternoon and evening, and they cooked dinner with the young ladies, learning to prepare a typical Guatemalan dessert. After dinner, they had a bonfire and sang worship songs and karaoke!
Our children come from densely populated city barrios, so a field, even a small one, is a source of delight - a place they can run around, play games, and indulge in the king of Dominican games - soccer.
While the children enjoy sports and games on the field, they work hard in the classrooms as well, for example, mastering math, which will give them a head start in their careers of choice. Close interaction with their teachers helps restore the trust that has either been missing or in some cases abused in the children's previous engagement with the adults around them.
The school also offers nutritious meals to ensure children get a balanced diet, as most come from homes where meat and other sources of protein, essential for physical and intellectual growth, are rare or missing altogether.
Christmas is celebrated with much gusto at Park School! Celebrations start in December and go on till January 6, culminating in celebrating The Kings Day (or the Three Kings Day), commemorating the Three Wise Men or Kings presenting their gifts to Jesus. In these pictures from last year's Park School Christmas celebrations, children get ready in colorful costumes for the Christmas pageant which is followed by a sumptuous meal, dances, and a play, and with more than just the customary three Wise Men! Amidst the celebrations, children are reminded of God's love for them and Jesus as His gift to all.
Each class preps hard to perform for their parents and the school community. Teachers give selflessly to these young children who rarely have an opportunity to dress up, and perform on stage. They practice diligently for their performances to impress their parents and community.
On the big day, students and staff enjoy a delicious pork meal. The school always cooks enough for each child to take home a large box of food for their families. The children dash home with their boxes and then return to school to get ready for their presentation. Teachers and assistants work with the children on their costumes and makeup. Excitement and energy fill the air!
Having the opportunity to perform on stage boosts the children's confidence in themselves and builds self-esteem. Most of these children come from homes that lack daily food, have no running water, and are frequently in a state of crisis. This day is a beautiful and uplifting pause, a day that they give to each other, to their families however broken they might be, and to their community. Each of these little ones is special to God.!
Students at ANIJA celebrate "El Major Regalo" or "The Best Gift" at their local church Christmas celebrations. Some of the kids are dressed up as angels, another is dressed up as Mary, while an older one narrates the Christmas story. Christmas celebrations in our churches are simple and conclude with a dinner together. Many of the Kids Alive staff are actively involved in this church which further deepens our ties to the children and their community.
ANIJA teachers and staff join the children for Christmas festivities in an evening full of games, laughter, and great food at the annual Christmas dinner. The staff chip in to decorate the campus, creating a beautiful venue in an area usually full of kids playing four-square and hopscotch. The celebrations begin with a time of worship and a devotional to keep all hearts focused on the true reason for the joy and celebration. A wild game of “White Elephant” gift exchange is a favorite, complete with unusual items and gift “stealing”! One truly experiences and senses the "ANIJA family" during evenings such as these, full of laughter, love, and fellowship.
