The Rainbow became an important meeting place for local non-profits and NGOs over 11 years ago when the Evening Lectures /NGO Talks first began. The idea of the lectures/talks is to be a link between the NGO and people interested in getting involved with the great projects that work towards making a better Guatemala.
Every talk we host increases a NGOs public exposure as well as the probability that someone attending may decide to volunteer, donate money or fundraise for the charity. Since hosting the first talk (Sue Patterson´s) we´ve had more than 50 local non-profits and NGO´s presenting!
A donation of Q25 is asked for to each person attending the talk, the donation given goes directly to the presenting NGO.
Maya Pedal is a Guatemalan NGO based in San Andrés Itzapa. We accept bikes donated from the USA and Canada which we either recondition to sell, or we use the components to build a range of “Bicimaquinas”, (pedal powered machines).
Pedal power can be harnessed for countless applications which would otherwise require electricity (which may not be available) or hand power (which is far more effort). Bicimaquinas are easy and enjoyable to use. They can be built using locally available materials and can be easily adapted to suit the needs of local people. They free the user from rising energy costs, can be used anywhere, are easy to maintain, produce no pollution and provide healthy exercise.
Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans is an NGO that supports education for children living below the poverty line in San Antonio Aguas Calientes. In addition to finding sponsorships to keep students in school, we operate an after-school program that sponsored students attend daily in order to complete their homework, learn English, receive Math support, and participate in our reading program. We also provide a daily nutritional snack to each student and we have a Recycle/Reduce program in which the students are required weekly to bring a plastic bottle stuffed with inorganic trash. All the parents of our sponsored students attend a class either in computers, English or sewing. All parents are required to attend our monthly parenting class.
We are always looking for volunteers to teach English, assist students with their homework, and help students with their reading. Join us to learn more!
ARCAS: Rescuing Guatemalan Wildlife
The Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association (ARCAS) is the leading advocate for the rights of wild animals in Guatemala. In the Department of Peten, it manages one of the largest and most success wildlife rescue centers in the world, receiving 300-600 animals of 40+ species per year, the majority confiscated from wildlife traffickers.
Since the establishment of the Rescue Center in Peten, ARCAS has branched out into other very necessary activities including environmental education, protected areas management, marine turtle conservation, sustainable community development, ecotourism and reforestation. ARCAS’s three main project sites are: the Guatemala City area, the remote northern department of Petén, and the Hawaii area of the southern Pacific Coast.
At VIDA we offer education to 100 children, 20 of them having special needs. We adopt a holistic approach to development for the children in the community of San Miguel Dueñas; we offer them inclusive education, lunches, vitamins, English courses, robotics, arts and sports. Currently, VIDA is the only option for children with special needs in San Miguel Dueñas. VIDA is a non-lucrative entity; it focuses on fighting for those in the community who are most in need.
Vida is able to operate thanks to:
- Donations, (Donators).
- Activities to collect funds (Sponsors).
- Self-sustainable projects (self-sustainability).
The Guatemalan charity, Asociación Nuestros Ahijados (ANA), was founded in 1991 by GOD’S CHILD Project founder Patrick Atkinson. Since 1991, ANA has grown from humble beginnings in a borrowed farmhouse to currently serving an estimated of 5,000 orphaned and impoverished children, and widowed, abandoned, and/or single mothers and their dependents across Guatemala.
The care programs, and facilities that ANA provides are able to keep running thanks to the financial support of our benefactors, volunteers, child sponsors, and donor sponsorships of specific programs, and general donations. In addition to financial support, volunteers of all skill levels are greatly needed to support all ANA programs in Guatemala.
Join us to learn more!
Days For Girls is an international not-for-profit organization that is turning menstrual periods into pathways. Many girls and women across the world struggle with Period Poverty. Period Poverty refers to a woman not being able to (for a variety of reasons) hygienically and responsibly manage their monthly menstrual period. The reasons for this are many…. periods are looked upon as very taboo, not talked about by anyone, seen as dirty, and prevent women from going to work and girls going to school. Imagine having no menstrual hygiene products at all!
Days For Girls is helping to give days back to women and girls by providing education and reusable menstrual kits (made of fabric, washable pads). Linda and Manuel will talk about improving menstrual health in Guatemala. There are over seven million girls and women menstruating in Guatemala and together we can help each and every one of them!
Sue, a retired US Foreign Service officer, lives in Antigua. She is a former US Consul General in Guatemala and served in Chile, Iran, and Italy. She is also the founder of WINGS Guatemala, an organization dedicated to reproductive health education and services. Sue is the recipient of numerous awards for her work, including the Sargent Shriver Award for Outstanding Humanitarian Service from the National Peace Corps Association of America.