Family Support Center (formerly La Guarderia/daycare)

The Family Support Center was created to serve single working mothers in Llanos del Pinal, a rural K'iche Maya community situated 20 minutes south of Quetzaltenango in the Guatemalan highlands. Meals, educational support, and extra-curricular activities are provided for the 36 children aged 2-18 who attend the Center at any given time. This institution allows for parents to continue working after school lets out. These extra hours of work enable families to earn enough money to continue sending their children to school.

The Center is staffed by seven full- and time-part employees, including one teacher. The staff cleans, cooks, and maintains the Center. The staff is thought of as family by the children because many children have difficult family lives.

The Family Support Center is supported by volunteers from the Pop Wuj Spanish School, and is regarded by the Foundation Todos Juntos as a priority because it is the only place where children can receive help on their homework, as their parents (or parent) tend to be illiterate and unable to academically assist the education of their children.

The epidemic of malnutrition which plagues Guatemalan children is combated here as well. The Center provides children with healthy meals and vitamins to aid in their natural development along with medicinal lotions to fight off skin diseases. All of the children receive regular check-ups from the staff and volunteers of the Pop Wuj Medical Clinic.

Along with services to the children, the Center provides counseling and social work services to the families who participate in the program. Familial disintegration, alcoholism, and depression are common problems in Llanos del Pinal and the Center offers hope to individuals suffering from such problems by offering them a broader community.

At the Family Support Center a Greenhouse Project was also started as part of our Environmental Program in 2007. Its goal is to provide safe food for the children at the Center and create a source of income for the Center by growing food products that can be sold in the market. The Greenhouse Project also allows the children to learn healthy agricultural and environmental skills and practices. We are planning to plant spinach, radishes, and cilantro in 2012.

The Family Support Center costs approximately $2,000 a month to run. The budget consists of salaries for the seven full- and part-time employees, food, dry goods, cooking fuel, cleaning supplies, utilities, and rent.




Thursday, February 14, 2013

Catching Up with the Family Support Center

It's been a while since our last post about the Family Support Center (formerly La Guardería). November and December are vacation months for students in Guatemala, and, despite a budget crunch, we offered some special activities for the children and youth at the end of last year.  In additional to the Olympics and a fun art activity, we also organized a few special days with the children and youth.

Art Activity:  Special Christmas Party Invitations for the Families

Self-Care Activity
The children and youth participated in a self-care activity in November.  All of the participants were instructed to arrive at the Center, on time, ready to greet the day.  We encouraged them to bath in the morning and wear clean clothes.  We divided into four groups and prepared a delicious breakfast, including cereal, fruit, scrambled eggs, and smoothies.  Each group was responsible for part of the breakfast activity, including decorating and setting the tables.  The idea behind this activity was to show the children and youth that they have enough time in the morning to get ready for school and prepare and eat a healthy breakfast.
Washing the Oranges
Soaking the Strawberries


Scrambling the Eggs






























Enjoying Cake and Secrets
Birthday Party
Also in November we celebrated the birthdays of all of the children and youth who have birthdays August-December.  We enjoyed two piñatas, several cakes, gifts for the birthday boys and girls, and goodie bags for all children.  Pop Wuj students made delicious homemade cakes, decorated with Hershey's Kisses and giantblack berries.  Que rico!
Fancy Cakes!


















Gifts for 35 kiddos and teenagers
Scholarship Assembly and Christmas Party

The second week of December was a busy week at Pop Wuj.  We had the annual scholarship assembly and the Family Support Center Christmas Party.  Most of the children who attend the Family Support Center also receive scholarships.  All of the scholarship recipients and their families are invited to Pop Wuj for a day-long event including health checkups, special guest speakers, and a hot lunch.  All scholarship program participants leave with a bag of school supplies for the next school year, beginning in January.

The very next day, we held the Christmas Party for the children and youth of the Family Support Center.  We invited their families, Pop Wuj Students, and the famous Yajahira, the project's former teacher. Everyone had a blast playing 'Pin the Nose on Frosty,' singing Christmas carols in Spanish and English, and receiving gifts.  Each child received a new pair of school shoes and a new sweatshirt.

Thanks to a last-minute donation we were also able to purchase small toys/gifts for each child.

A New Car! (shouted like on The Price is Right)