Because You Said Yes | February Round Up For Orphans Report
Porter’s Round Up for Orphans Provides Funding for
Twelve New Students to Enter Higher Education Program!
(Students of the Chimaltenango Community Care Center (CCC))
Journey to Chimaltenango, a sprawling working class town in central Guatemala, and you’ll find two distinct populations: those who are thriving in retail, commercial business, and farming, and those who struggle to survive by working in local dumps to sort trash and search for anything that might provide money for rent or food. These families work twelve to fourteen-hour days hoping to collect enough garbage to earn roughly $3 to $4 US dollars a day.
Since 2012, Orphan Outreach has been a safe haven for the most vulnerable children and families in the area. "These are families of extreme poverty,” shares Tiffany Taylor Wines, Orphan Outreach Vice President of Development, “Orphan Outreach’s program is about family preservation—keeping kids from becoming orphans by focusing on their physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational needs.”
(Shown above, Jonathan and other students at the CCC)
The Community Care Center (CCC) serves the children and families who work at the dump (also known as The Ravine) and other families living in extreme poverty in the city of Chimaltenango. The CCC offers comprehensive care, including an after-school program which includes mentoring, tutoring, bible classes, and a nutritious meal each day.
In Guatemala, public education ends at the 6th grade level. Having only an elementary education severely limits a child’s ability to thrive as an adult. That’s why the CCC also provides a special higher education program for students who want to attend secondary school. Tuition and other expenses are covered through the generosity of donors and sponsors, and certified tutoring is provided weekly to help students with gaps that may have come from their early education experience. Additionally, these students receive the other essential benefits of the ministry program.
Students like 9th-grader Byron have been transformed by the CCC Higher Education program. “I thought maybe all I could ever be was a laborer,” he says. “Now I am studying to be an accountant.” And Jonathan has joined the program as the first-ever high school student. His prayer is to affect change in both his family and community by being the child to graduate high school and continue to university.
(shown above, 9th-grader Byron, has been transformed by the CCC Higher Education Program)
Twelve teens are now enrolled in the CCC Higher Education program thanks to the generous contributions of our patrons. Porter’s Round Up for Orphans is ensuring students like Byron and Jonathan have what they need to succeed. They want to shine brightest where the world is darkest – and together, we can help make their dreams a reality. This was all made possible, Because You Said "Yes."
