Pancakes for La Paz was a Great Success!
July 14, 2011
Thanks to the support of our family and friends, Pancakes for La Paz netted $999.47 for a building project at the La Paz public school in Guatemala City. On Harbor’s next trip to Guatemala departing on July 18, several Houston school teachers will provide training for approximately 200 Guatemalan school teachers from several schools in the Linda Vista area. La Paz is one of those schools.
Additionally a successful Houston area businessman will go with us to provide business development training for some individuals in the community who are attempting to start a business.
Both efforts are a part of an ongoing partnership between the Harbor Community and Cuidad de Refugio and Pastors Jorge and Annie Cerritos. The church is located in one of the most impoverished areas of Guatemala City – some call it Squatters Village. Officially it is call Linda Vista.
Cuidad de Refugio has a strong ministry of outreach to the community. In addition to ministries to alcoholics and street gangs, they have a very specialized ministry to single woman where they teach them a skill that allows them to care for themselves.
The average person who lives in this community lives on $3-$4 per day. Education is the best tool they have to fight this kind of poverty, so Cuidad de Refugio is involved in a partnership with the local school. The school is called La Paz and it has 970 students and 22 teachers. They meet in a really run down building and teach with almost no resources.
As a result of this long-term partnership, over the past couple of years we have provided money to help upgrade the school building; we have donated over 100 Spanish language books for children; and we have provided scholarships (you have to pay to go to high school) for a dozen children.