COMMON HOPE BLOG

After hearing about tropical storm Agatha, Lettie Thomas Hastings, who was adopted from Guatemala, wanted to do something for her home country. So the 8-year-old organized a benefit concert this June to raise money for affected families. The concert was a success, raising more than $200 for storm relief. Click here to see Lettie and [...]

A quick update from Guatemala to assure all of our Common Hope friends that our families, staff and visitors are all okay. San Rafael and Antigua are not affected; New Hope has some ash but everyone is safe and accounted for. As I sit safely in the kitchen at the Antigua site, my thoughts and [...]

Last Saturday, Common Hope staff and friends built a carpet outside the Family Development Center in Antigua. Such carpets, called alfombras, are typically made out of flower petals, sawdust, pine needles, and sometimes fruits and vegetables. Many times, carpet builders work through the night in preparation for a procession of people, who walk over the [...]

As a part of the duties of her Human Resource Director position, Lisa Hetzel interacts with many English-speaking volunteers who are exploring Guatemala. Lisa says that while exploring Latin America is not always an easy endeavor, it is often much more accessible than the reverse — when Latin Americans look for experiences to explore the [...]