Giving Back to our Beloved Guatemala

Iva and I wanted to go help with the rescue efforts for the recent Fuego eruption. We did our research, scouring Facebook posts and asking everyone we knew, trying to find a place that needed volunteers.

Queso & Rui wanna go with me to Antigua!

Many reports indicated only organized and professional groups of volunteers were being allowed into Alotenango, where most of the survivors are being sheltered. Escuintla needed help, but we thought the distance might be too far for one day.
With a few good leads, Iva and I got on a chicken bus at 7 a.m. from Panajachel to go to Antigua.

Map of Volcán de Fuego's path of destruction and surrounding towns.

The map above was taken from an amazing article at OKAntigua. (<-- click!) Tons of information there. Go read it...when you're done reading my blog, of course! 😁

The 3-hour chicken bus ride passed quickly as Iva and I chatted away. We arrived in Antigua, had a quick breakfast at The Most Beautiful McDonalds in the World 😄 and then headed to our first stop. Tropicana Hostel.

At Tropicana, we met Valerie. As far as I could understand, she was a traveler who simply jumped into helping the hostel's owners and other guests in gathering donations, sorting supplies, and coordinating deliveries into the affected zone. Valerie briefed us on their activities and then hesitantly told us that they actually didn't need any more help today. The guests of the hostel had been so eager to help that everything was taken care of at the moment. She told us they were doing a donation run but it wasn't until 5pm, so we couldn't stay to join in. She introduced us to one of the hostel's owners, Dean, who thanked us warmly and then bustled off to attend to business. We left our donations at the hostel and then Valerie walked us over to Revue Magazine's office a few blocks away.

Tropicana Hostel looks like a super fun place to stay if you are a young person looking for a rocking party! 😎 It is only a block from the central park and has a little pool, a rooftop patio, and offers tours to hike Acatenango, the volcano NEXT to Fuego. Besides all that, everyone there was so friendly and generous and lovely. The work they've done for Fuego rescue efforts is amazing!

A small portion of the donations at Revue's offices for Unidos Para los Animales

The Revue office is a donation center for Unidos Para los Animales. Giant bags of dog food were stacked in the corners. Medical donations were arranged neatly on every flat surface. We met Terry, whose eyes filled with tears as she spoke about the disaster relief efforts and the pet owners who went back into the danger zone to retrieve their dogs. She also told us about a vet in town who is treating animals with burns on their paws from the hot ashes.

Terry and Valerie talked about their respective donation campaigns. Valerie donated a good amount of Tropicana's funds raised to UPA, and I donated my small bit of cash as well. The secretary wrote up official receipts and spoke about how important it is in Guatemala to be "above board" on all donations.

We asked about volunteering to help the animals today, even just cleaning cages or anything. Terry was touched by our offer, but the Unidos' shelter is way up in the hills and the recent rains have made it difficult to get there. She took the phone number of Tropicana Hostel and promised to let them know if they needed volunteers.

Back to Tropicana, we spent a brief moment saying our thank yous and goodbyes, then headed off walking to Hotel Real Plaza. We had seen a post on Facebook that they needed help with washing sheets and towels. The Hotel has converted their ballroom into a center for the firefighters and other rescue team members to sleep at night.

At the hotel, we were directed around to the back entrance. There were many people bustling around with supplies. A lady sat at a table taking names. She told us that they had enough volunteers for the current time. We asked if they knew of any other places that needed volunteers. A flurry of Spanish between several people and then they sent us off to find a shelter where there were "many children" who needed someone to play with them.

At this point, we were footsore, hot, and frustrated. While it was wonderful to meet people who were helping, we didn't come here to chat! And ironically enough, we were heading back exactly to the place where we started: the chicken bus terminal.

As we walked, our feet crunched on the gritty black ash that coated the sidewalks. We stepped aside for people sweeping ash from their homes, or hosing it away into the gutters. We passed firefighters collecting donations. We saw sign after sign after sign proclaiming in hand-written letters, "Centro de Acopios!" (donation center) Everywhere we looked, people were coming together to do what they could for the damnificados (casualties) of the eruption. (What an interesting word.)

One of the many handwritten signs indicating a donation collection center.
These nice folks helped us towards our final destination.

We circled the block where we thought the shelter was. Neither of us had thought to write down the directions. We asked everyone with our limited Spanish, "Buscamos un lugar con muchos niños. Un refugio? Huérfanos?" We weren't even sure if it was a shelter or an orphanage or what. We just asked and asked.

Finally, surprisingly, the most wonderful man who was directing chicken buses asked us if we needed help...in English! I said we were looking for a place with lots of kids, maybe orphans. He said, "Un albergue?" Yes! I know that word! It means shelter or hostel. He pointed us down past the maze of moving chicken buses and said, "Cerca el carro rojo." (Near the red car.) We literally dodged buses and mud puddles to get there and finally found the place! 😁

Iva at the entrance.

There is no sign because the shelter sometimes operates as a home for abused women and children. Most recently, it was a shelter for homeless people. They had been evacuated to make room for refugees from Fuego.

The organization is called The God's Child Project or La Asociación de Nuestros Ahijados.Click the names to go to the websites.

The place was busy and a bit chaotic. A lot of people seemed to be finishing lunch served on plastic trays. We spoke to one woman about why we were there and she then passed us off to ... a child! Ha ha! Literally, our guide was a girl maybe 10 or 11 years old. Her mother coordinates the shelter. She spoke English very well! We got volunteer badges and went to work. 

First job: sort donations. I got to be in charge. Just kidding! I got the clipboard and the chance to work on my Spanish vocabulary. Azúcar, cinco bolsas. Frijoles, dos bolsas. Papel higiénico, 24 rollos. I even learned some new words, thanks to the young bilingual girls who were helping.

Sorting donations.

After that, Iva mopped the kitchen floor and I swept ash from the hallway. We got to take a look around the facility, which is quite small, but very efficient. All around us, adults were busy with lists and boxes and interviewing for intake. A group of firefighters sat in the corner, quietly eating lunch. We briefly met the shelter's coordinator (Sandi, our guide's mom) and asked if she knew that Hostel Real Plaza needed mattresses. She said she did and they had provided as many as they could. Then she rushed off, so busy and focused!

The sleeping area.

The indoor play area for small children with a TV and a ton of toys!

Lots of donations. 

In Guatemala, single-serve water comes in plastic bags. These are bags of bags of water.

I spoke with the young girl who was our guide what was going on at the shelter. She knew quite a bit! She told me that the people staying at the shelter had lost their homes. They would stay at the shelter for two to three months until their new homes are built in a safe place. She said that all of the families at this shelter had been guaranteed a new home in collaboration with "an American company". I believe she was referring to ConstruCasa. <--click!
She also said that the area where the people's homes were is now a sanctuary. Another girl corrected her and said, in Spanish, "No, the word is cemetery." I said, "It is both. A sanctuary and a cemetery." 😢

Trucks leaving to deliver donations.

Volunteers sorting clothes and moving mattresses.
That's Agua volcano in the background. She doesn't erupt.

Another volunteer told us that it was time for an activity outside at the table. Craft time! We opened up packages of donated colouring books and markers and modeling clay and storybooks. Iva and I joined the kids in colouring and making plasticine creations. 😁

Iva at the end of the table, doing a maze.

Some of the children were very shy but others opened up right away and happily shared their pictures and plasticine creations. There were several international students there, ages 10 to 15 roundabouts, who were fluently bilingual. They helped us with our translations to admire the kids' work. ¡Tan bonito! ¡Bien hecho! Muy bien! (So pretty. Well done. Very good.)

I made the kitty on the left. Then a girl put down her kitty to the right. Hmm. 😆

Iva and I had been on our feet since 6 a.m., so she smartly suggested that we should take a wee break to grab some food and water. I suggested we look for bubbles for the kids to play with. Who doesn't love bubbles?
We went to the nearby Despensa Familiar, a grocery store, and I stood patiently in line behind a Guatemalan man buying boxes and boxes of donations: dog food, feminine hygiene products, soap, toilet paper. His receipt was longer than my arm!

We grabbed some mediocre pizza, found some bubbles -- Iva nearly bought all of the ones for sale -- and headed back to the shelter. Well, I'll tell ya! As soon as Iva pulled those bubbles out of the bag, they were snatched from our hands by smiling children! Burbujas! 

Iva took this great photo of some of the kids blowing bubbles.

We spent the rest of our time blowing bubbles big and small, and I bid them a safe journey to the sky. 😊 "Adios, burbuja! Bien viaje!" (The kids thought I was weird! Nothing new there!)

It was getting late in the afternoon and we knew we had a long trip ahead of us, so we decided to call it a day. As we were leaving, Iva stopped to give a monetary donation. Sitting at the table was a man that I had heard speaking English earlier. We started to talk to him and found out he was the founder of the God's Child Project, Patrick Atkinson. He only had a brief moment to talk, but I felt so lucky that we had that chance to meet him. Read more about Patrick's amazing backstory here. 

Asociación Nuestros Ahijados de Guatemala. In English, the God's Child Project.

Then it was time to get back on the chicken buses for the arduous trip home. I wanted so much to complain about the packed bus, the loud music, and the greedy driver who kept piling people in, but I was too tired and too aware that I should be grateful I'm alive. So I kept quiet and we arrived home in the dark at almost 8 p.m.

A long but eventually successful day. It was good to help, even though it wasn't what I expected to be doing. I think we did some good, so that's all that matters. Here is a summary of all the places we visited and learned about so you can click and learn about them all. Thank you!

The God's Child Project
Facebook page for Nuestros Ahijados
Tropicana Hostel
Revue Magazine
Unidos Para los Animales
Hotel Real Plaza
ConstruCasa
Iva's donation page at Amazine Me Movement

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RULES OF BEING A GOOD VOLUNTEER

1. Listen to the authorities. If they say you have to leave the area, leave the area.
2. Do what's needed. Volunteer work is not fun and games. You are there to help in whatever capacity is needed. Wash dishes. Fold towels. Carry boxes back and forth and back and forth. If someone asks you to do something, just do it. No complaints.
3. It's not about you. Sure, take a selfie or two. But know that you are there for others, not for your own ego. Share your selfie and promote the cause. Then get back to work.
4. Be prepared for the situation. You may be volunteering in an unsafe area. Before you go, understand the dangers of the situation. Tornado? Earthquake? Landslide? Volcano? Know your evacuation route. Wear proper equipment -- good shoes or boots, long pants, dust mask, etc.
5. Take care of yourself. Some volunteer work can be emotionally distressing. Other work is physically draining. Keep track of your state of mind and energy levels. It's okay to take a break. It's okay to go to the bathroom and bawl your eyes out. Deep breaths. You're doing great. Get back into it.