Needs

People here have many needs.  One of the things we do to help is give out food.  I know what it feels like to be hungry but I have never gone without food one time in my entire life.  Here, it is normal for people to go without food because they have none.  Not just adults but kids too.  I couldn't really imagine a child going without a meal until I moved here and see them everyday.  Recently, we saw a 15-month-old who weighted 13 pounds.  The doctor told mom that the baby needed milk but the family can't afford it.  We meet so many families like this and ones who haven't eaten and don't know where the next meal is coming from.  Or all they have eaten is a couple of tortillas and some beans.  Eating is one thing and nutrition is something completely different.  People in poor villages eat to fill their stomaches, not to nourish their bodies.  This is apparent when we travel to the city where people have more money to eat better and see Guatemalans who are taller than the ones we see here in the villages.  We have seen 18-year-olds who are as tall as my 12-year-old and bottles for babies that are nothing more than water that has been thickened with flour and sugar - something to fill them up so they won't cry but not nourish their brains and bodies.  Formula is expensive as is milk.

corn flour for tortillas

 Our trips to the grocery store always include extra beans, rice, corn flour and other things.  We have a couple of families we help with food every month and always have things on hand to give people who knock on our door.  If we run out of our "stock", we head to our pantry or fridge because there is always food there.  If we give away most of our stuff, we can always go to the store and buy more but alot of people here don't have that ability - the ability to get food whenever we need/want to.   It's something very simple for us but makes a big difference for the people who need it.  When we lived in the States, we could collect food for food banks, give money to feeding centers, etc., but I never actually met the hungry people we were helping.  Here, we meet them and go to their houses.  I see them every time I go outside.

beans, rice, sugar

People also have medical needs.  Today we took a very sick lady to the national hospital.  The care is free but any medication she will need is not.  It's alot for a poor family to pay 200Q ($26US) for  medicine which seems to be the average people ask us for.  How can we say no to a need that some times is a matter of life or death?  Last week our friend, who has a problem with high blood pressure, had a baby.  She was in the hospital and in pretty bad condition but they didn't have the money to buy her medication.  Her husband came to us late in the evening asking for help.  It's hard to imagine but people here die all of the time due to lack of medical care and/or medication.  Things that are easy to treat in the US are death sentences here. 

 If you would like to help people here with food or medical needs, go to the 12X12 Love Project and click on "Get Involved".  There is an option for food baskets or if you would like to give another amount, you can, just put what it is for in the memo.  100% of the money you give will be given to a family in food or medical care.  Pass the info along to friends and family too - there are always people who need food and medicine.  There are sick and hungry people everywhere on this planet, not just Guatemala.  I would encourage everyone to help somewhere because there are people in need everywhere.