Meet Anderson...

Anthony Anderson with his little brother Alex at school. Anderson is 6 and Alex is 3.

Their kitchen in the back of their house.

Anderson with his mother and 2 out of 3 brothers.
His father works as a carpenter doing wood work, which he tells us he enjoys helping his dad sand the wood. His mother makes and sells tortillas. Together they make about Q2500/month, which is roughly $330/month.

Anderson's favorite activity at school is playing on the swings. He enjoys playing cars with his friend Axel. His favorite animals are Tigers and Lions. When he grows up he wants to be a Doctor!

Meet Daniel...

This is Daniel. He is 6 year old and loves cars. He tells us that he doesn't have a favorite animal, because he only likes cars. He enjoys school and while there likes to study and paint. His mom tells us that he loves to draw and paint at home as well and he always keeps ALL of his artwork!

The view from Daniel's house.

Their front yard. The mound to the right with pots on it... this is their kitchen/stove.

This is Daniel's Mother, Grandmother, brother and sister. His Grandmother walks him and his sister to school everyday. We asked how long it takes and this was her reponse, "Not very long, only about an hour." (This is one way.) Keep in mind the view from their house you saw above, in order to get to their house, one must hike over 5 minutes up a very steep incline. Daniel was running up the hill due to the excitement of us coming over, however we were sweating I assure you!

A look at the inside of the house. There are 8 people who live in this one room house. There are 3 beds around the edges and a few piles of clothes. His father is not around, so his mother provides for the family working at a small restaurant in town bringing home Q450/month. (roughly $60/month)

Meet Damaris...

Damaris Isabelle is 6 years old. She loves going to school. While there she enjoys doing her homework, coloring and sleeping. We asked Damaris what makes her happy, she replied, "dolls and stuffed animals."
This is the kitchen the family uses at home.

Damaris with her mother and 3 out of 6 siblings. She is the youngest of 7 children with the oldest being 28. Her father works in the fields and brings home Q35 a day, which is equivalant to $4.60 a day! Her mother collects firewood to sell, washes clothes for others and collects oregano in the fields when it is available. She tells us that she only brings in a few Q per month. This is a family of 8 that lives off of $4.60 per day!

Damaris was very proud of her home and to have us visit, like most children here!

Her mother is unable to read or write and was unsure whether Damaris is 5 or 6, but Damaris assures us that she is 6! She enjoys helping her mother take the clothes to the stream and wash them.

Meet Estefanie Michelle

Estefanie is 3 years old. She loves to draw and play Hide & Seek, her favorite color is pink and when she grows up she wants to be a teacher!

Estefanie has 3 older sisters and a baby brother. Her oldest sister lives with her Grandmother, her Mother stays at home with the baby and her father works in the fields. Her father supports his family of 6 off of his income of roughly $160/month.

When asked what makes her happy, she told us, her favorite song makes her happy. That song she told us is called "Forbidden Love"

Meet Dulce Maria & Tatiana

"A sister is a forever friend." ~Author unknown
Mom with her girls

Tatiana is 4 years old. She enjoys painting and coloring and her favorite animal is a Giraffe.

Dulce Maria is 5 years old. She's helps out at home by running errands, sweeping and bringing the dishes in.

This family of five live off their fathers income from work at the melon factory of roughly $320/month. Mom occasionally washes and irons others clothes and brings in a small income! Though the top picture shows Dulce Maria wearing shoes, mom tells us that currently, the girls do NOT have any shoes and have a very small amout of clothing.

Video for HIM

Jumpcut - Love
Click on the "Jumpcut - Love" link above to view the video I created with pictures of the children here in Guatemala!

Malnutrition...

A visit to the local nutrtition center here in Teculutan...

This 1 year old little girl was brought to the nutrition center a week ago from the hospital. It's a bit difficult to see, however it you look at her hair, you will notice the roots are blonde. Probably about the first inch of hair was blonde, then faded to black.

Notice the hair on this precious little girl. The shape of her head was very odd and large for her body, and she had thin patches of hair around her head, making a close resemblence to the spokes on a bicycle wheel when pulled into a ponytail.

Guatemala ranks 6th in the world for chronic malnutrition, with about 50% of Guatemalan children under the age of 5 suffering from chronic malnutrition, affecting their mental and physical growth. According to UNICEF, Guatemala has the worst malnutrition problem in Latin America, even higher than Africa. 57% of the population currently lives under the poverty line and cannot afford an adequate diet. Mother's are often unable to provide breast milk for their infants due to malnutrition. 75% of the primary indigenous rural population live on less than $2 per day.

Meet Victor...

Victor is 4 years old and has a 7 year old sister and a 1 year old brother. As a single mother of 3, their mother makes and thus they live off of Q300/month. This is the money earned when she does domestic work for others in their village. This would be the equivilent of roughly $45/month.

They live in a house with 2 rooms & 10 people.

Victor has 1 pair of shoes and a minimal amount of clothes. He loves going to school and is probably one of the happiest children I've ever met. He has a constant smile on his face! Victor's favorite song is the song off The Power Rangers, and when he grows up, he says that he wants to be the red power ranger. He has truly shown me the meaning behind, "a little can go a long ways." Could you survive off of $45/month? An even better question, could you raise 3 children off of $45/month?