Connecting With Your Sponsored Child
Once you sponsor a child, you’ll receive a photo and biography of your child. Throughout the year, you’ll get updates and photos, and you can also send letters and pictures to your child and their family.
All communication is carefully facilitated through our Director of Ministry in San Lucas, ensuring a meaningful and secure connection.
Build a Home
We have families in great need of a secure and dry shelter and home. Donor support is needed to build 35-37 homes of various sizes at approximately $11,000 each. These homes include the pozo (gray water well), 1-2 rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a pila for washing dishes and clothes. These homes have metal doors and windows that lock for security and will be built on the land recently purchased by A’KALA Family Foundation.
Furnish the School
A’KALA Family Foundation currently has a school for children with special needs outside of the city limits of San Lucas. These children are taught by Otto Hernandez and this is their opportunity to go to school and to learn skills such as cooking and sewing in addition to reading, writing and math. Those of you who have been to the school have seen the difference it has made for these children. There is a great need for this type of education in the city of San Lucas.
A new building is being constructed to house our school for children with needs that can’t be accommodated in the regular schools in San Lucas. Desks, chairs, benches, whiteboards, and other vital learning materials are needed to create a learning space for these children.
This building will also be used for community events and by A’KALA for the monthly sponsorship distribution, storage and offices.
Library
Having a library is a big part of the vision of the school building and use. Literacy rates in rural Guatemala are very low. We envision an area of the school stocked with books for all ages. Each month during distribution children can borrow a book, read it and return the one they borrowed last month. Having books available for the whole family will strengthen their literacy skills and broaden their horizons! If you would like your donation to be used for this purpose, please note on it your donation.
Teaching Staff
Our more vulnerable students need dedicated teachers to succeed. We are looking for people interested in sponsoring our new teacher! If you are interested in donating $25-$50 a month toward a teacher, please indicate that in your donation.
Join Us on a Mission Trip
Each year A’KALA Family Foundation takes week-long mission trips to San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala with groups of 20-25 people. During the trip you will have the opportunity to experience the culture and the people of San Lucas, Toliman. It’s important that you have the chance to work in and among the people during the trip. Participate in the monthly food/donation distribution, work on a construction project, tour the area, visit the site of Blessed Stanley Roether, meet your sponsor child (or chose to sponsor a child and meet them!) and visit the school.
You’ll stay in a hostel with modern beds and bathrooms and excellent food! Upcoming trips are listed on the events page at the bottom of the HOME button.
The cost of the trip is $675 for room/board and transportation in and around San Lucas. The cost of the plane ticket is in addition to this amount. For more information on mission trips, contact Julie Cink or Deacon Dave Penton.
