New Hope Students Travel the World Without Leaving Their Classroom

New Hope Students Travel the World Without Leaving Their Classroom

Last Thursday, the New Hope School fifth grade classroom got a lot bigger. The kids had a chance to meet and correspond with students in a classroom more than a thousand miles away.
Program Development Director Renato Westby set up a Skype video conference between the Hubbard Woods fourth grade class in Winnetka, Illinois and New [...]

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Finding Comfort and Confidence

Finding Comfort and Confidence

The following profile speaks well to the difference Common Hope’s integrated programs make in the lives of youth at risk of dropping out of school.
Shirley is one of eight children and lives in a town perched on a steep hillside near Antigua.  Her father passed away in 2008, and her mother supports the family by [...]

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Target-Guatemala Visits Antigua Preschool

Target-Guatemala Visits Antigua Preschool

Staff from Target Sourcing Services in Guatemala City visited the Antigua preschool last Thursday to put on a day of fun with the children.
The group brought two piñatas, snacks, and backpacks for all the kids.  The kids were very excited about the piñatas, so they played with them first. Then the kids enjoyed their snacks [...]

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One Last Visit with a Family that is Graduating

One Last Visit with a Family that is Graduating

by Teresa Hermodson-Olsen
Teresa shared a story from her recent Vision Team trip that captures one of the ultimate outcomes of Common Hope’s work in Guatemala — a family becoming stable and self-sufficient enough to graduate from our program and support themselves completely.
On Thursday I had my sponsorship visit with Blanca and her family.  My family [...]

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Visiting Nataly

Visiting Nataly

by Melissa Wanner, on behalf of Joel Wanner
Melissa Wanner helped record her husband Joel’s Vision Team experience through a blog they shared with family and friends. Below is an excerpt of several entries, recounting Joel’s moving visits with his sponsored student Nataly.
On Friday morning, Joel loaded up in a van with the social worker and [...]

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The Reason for Our Work

The Reason for Our Work

Caroline McGee, our Guatemala grants and communications coordinator,  snapped a few photos on her trip to San Rafael last week. Fresh images of the children we serve are always a good reminder of the heart of our work. Check out a few more of her shots on our Flickr feed.

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