January 22, I set out for Guatemala, the first stop of many. I was due to stay in Guatemala for a month and a half. I was staying in Antigua, Guatemala, which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a program that conserves sites of cultural and natural significance.  It's colonial churches and bright colored houses pose as one of many attractions that attract tourists to this amazing place. Today, the streets are bustling with tourists snapping pictures and admiring the culture around them. This big flood in tourism has been rather beneficial since it’s allowed many new businesses to open up, like travel agencies and language schools, opening up many job opportunities.  Despite all the bustling tourism, I was still able to walk down the street and have the privilege to peek into the lives of the indigenous, which I found to be extremely special. It’s the part of Antigua I didn't get to see in the pictures.  Every Sunday, I was able to walk down the street and watch the Mayan women doing their laundry and when finished, retreating back to their homes with pounds of wet clothes balanced on their heads. Why use a washer and drying when you can just clean your clothes by hand?

Due to the lack of an effective government and immense poverty that sweeps most parts of Guatemala, the country faces many problems. When I walked through the local food market and see blocks and blocks of people selling food and it made me wonder how anyone could go hungry in this country. It all boils down to the fact that the food doesn’t get distributed the way it should, leaving the poor with very little.  75% of the population in Guatemala is below the poverty line, which is defined as an income that is  insufficient  to buy a basket of food. Also, the size of Guatemalan families puts a strain on what they are able to afford; out of all Latin America, Guatemala has the highest fertility rate, each women between the ages of 15-49 have on average 4 children. 

During my time in Antigua I took three weeks of Spanish classes, stayed with a Guatemalan family, and was able to volunteer at the public welfare hospital, helping out with the cleft lip and malnourished babies. I knew for a while that working with babies was what I wanted to do – the fact that my Spanish was not too good limited me to the younger aged children. 
(you can only learn so much Spanish in three weeks)

Looking back though, I’m extremely satisfied with the work I was able to do. Never did I think I would find myself entertained by playing hide-and-seek for an hour with a little 3 year old boy.

 It can be as simple as picking them up and playing with them. Such a small thing like holding a baby and letting them see you smile goes such a far way for these kids.

Volunteering with the babies and learning about their stories only increased my desire to help them in any way possible. With the help of an Organization called T.E.S.S unlimited, a project that targets ways to improve the lives of impoverished children in Guatemala, mainly by sponsoring medical missions, I was able to sponsor two babies to get the cleft palate surgery.

The issue of the cleft lip and palate is especially prominent within the Mayan culture. One reason this is a problem is due to a genetic predisposition within the Mayan culture. Also, during pregnancy, mothers do not take in enough protein to help the baby develop fully.

  Addressing the issue of cleft lip and palates is extremely important because without the surgery, the baby will grow up with speech deficiencies and will most likely get shunned from their villages.

 With just $250 dollars, a baby will receive the correct surgery they need, the medicine required for post-op and the necessary check-ups and recovery tools.

Before a child can receive the surgery, they must be at least 10 pounds. Because the babies I'm sponsoring are only 5 pounds, it will be a while before they are able to get the surgery. 

 But once they do get the surgery, I will be getting updates back on how they are doing! (:

The pictures below are an example of a pre-operation and post-operation. 

I can't tell you how rewarding it was to have the privilege of sponsoring two kids to get this surgery  and to have the opportunity to volunteer at the hospital. it felt very rewarding to get done with a few hours of volunteering and know that

 my help didn't go unnoticed or unappreciated.

I would like to thank T.E.S.S unlimited for finding the medical missions that will eventually give the two babies I sponsored the surgery. And I  can't thank you all enough for helping me raise the money to make these two surgeries happen.(:

Below is a link to a Video of me in the field with the babies I'm sponsoring.

Smiles In Guatemala