Charlas

New Dawn is a Guatemalan NGO focused on community development in San Andres Itzapa, Chimaltenango since 1989. They promote health, education and the strengthening of indigenous leaders in the community. They provide learning support and a feeding programme for children and young adults at their school based in the director’s own home.

Their vision is to facilitate self-sufficiency within poorer families and allow them to empower themselves to change their quality of life through education. They also seek to preserve and strengthen the cultural identity of the indigenous Mayan people.

Come and see the show and learn more about this project and the Mayan culture!

“Six-year-old Martha’s world changes abruptly when her mother dies during childbirth. Her world changes again when she and her husband enter the unfamiliar landscape of interracial and intercultural adoption. They adopt an infant son from South Korea and a daughter from Guatemala. Martha Birkett Bordwell masterfully interweaves her family’s story of loss and love while exploring the many ways in which their lives have been impacted by “missing” mothers.”

Martha Bordwell writes about current events, family life, and travel. The recipient of a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, she is a retired psychologist whose academic writing has appeared in professional journals such as Teaching Exceptional Children and Ours Magazine. She has been a featured speaker at Children’s Home Society of Minnesota, speaking on the subject of Korean adoption. Her writing has also appeared in MinnPost and on the opinion pages of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Missing Mothers is her first book.

Poverty ends wherever education thrives. Common Hope (Familias de Esperanza) works in 27 communities partnering with nearly 14,000 impoverished children and adults. Common Hope’s comprehensive programs in education, health care, housing, and family development empower families to create a better life for themselves. We work to end the cycle of poverty for children in Guatemala through a holistic, relationship-based model.

While education is at the heart of our work, we believe a comprehensive approach to human development is critical for children and families to reach their full potential. Common Hope was founded in 1986 by the Huebsch Family. Common Hope celebrated the first high school graduate in 1996. By 2011, 1,000 students graduated and in 2017 the 2,000th graduate received their diploma.

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.