Supporting Guatemalan Charities

Last week it was my pleasure to host an event to hand over the funds we raised – an impressive US$32,800 – at our charity events during British Week 2012, the British Ball and a Beatles Concert, to two deserving Guatemalan charities. To tell you more about it is our latest guest blogger, Paola, our Residence Manager. Over to you Paola!

This initiative started 3 years ago, when we decided to host a party to raise funds to help Guatemalans in need. We were approached by a few companies who wanted to help us, and the decision made to resurrect the British Ball. Over these past three years the initiative has grown so much, and it is difficult for me to say how proud I am of being part of it since the beginning.

Not only has the British Ball become a really well known social event in Guatemala, but the funds that we have been able to raise through it have made a real difference to some fantastic organisations. It wasn’t easy choosing the charities to support, there are so many. Last August, we sent out a message asking all those British charities, or those with British charity workers, in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, to get in touch. We received 14 bids, more than ever!! Then we handed all those bids to the Gold Sponsors of the British Ball, and they had the difficult challenge of analysing the bids and deciding on which two to support. The two selected charities were Education for the Children, and Hospitalito Atitlan with their project “Saving Mothers”. Here’s some information about them.

Education for the Children, was founded in June 2003 in Sacatepéquez, just outside the tourist hotspot of Antigua. Back then they had 80 children, but over the last eight years they have developed an effective formal education establishment and infrastructure, which currently supports over 500 young people aged from 6 – 24 years. These students come from the most disadvantaged of backgrounds, but EFTC strives to give them the very best chance at building a future for themselves in order to break out of the poverty cycle.

Hospitalito Atitlan is located in Sololá, on the famous Lake Atitlan, a region that has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Latin America, and one that has traditionally been considerably higher than in the rest of Guatemala, and where families simply can’t afford pre and post-natal care. Approximately 90 % of births in this region occur in home and are attended only by traditional midwives, with little to no training. Healthcare facilities are limited and there is a lack of trained workers. The project “Saving Mothers” overall objective is to provide life-saving pre and post- natal care to women and children where it’s desperately needed.

All this would not have been possible without the support of our gold sponsors, so a HUGE thanks to HSBC, CSC Group, Yantarni, Rattle & Hum, Grupo Progreso, los Azucareros del Istmo Centroamericano, DIAGEO, Grupo Los Tres, Transequipos, British Telecom, Cervecería Centroamericana, Distribuidora Marte, and Club Rotarios de Guatemala for their support.

Here are some photos from our event.

I cannot wait to start working on some ideas for British Ball 2013!