COVID Response Program for Santiago

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!  We wanted to send a short note to let you know that we are ending the COVID Response Program for Santiago project.  This project was started as a way to provide emergency help with food and resources during the pandemic.  We were able to give out many hot meals, bags of food staples, health supplies to the local health clinics and first responders and masks and soap to the community.  As time has passed, we have focused less on emergency help and more on sustainable projects that will drive lasting change in the community.  While waiting for the schools in Guatemala to open, we have shifted our focus to expanding our Healthy Mothers Groups.  Mayanza has accomplished the following: 

• Provided weekly health education to 24 women with topics such as hygiene, nutrition, exercise, healthy food preparation, strategies for stress management, sexual health and reproduction and women's empowerment.
• Sponsored weekly group exercise sessions led by peer facilitators.
• Collaborated with a number of local organizations to provide specialized content in a culturally sensitive manner.
• Provided the resources and training for all women to learn the skill of embroidery that can be a source of income for the family.

We are grateful for all of your support of Mayanza in the past and we hope that you will continue to support the work that we are doing in Santiago!

Thank you!

Jami Smith