Reyna is a 12-year-old girl who lives in Guatemala in the town of Coatepeque, 118 miles west of Guatemala City. According to the note we received from the people running the "Mundo Infantil" aid project there:

Reyna comes from a Latino family that speaks the Spanish language and wears westernized clothes. She has six siblings; her aunt and uncle live at home, and they work to support the family since the father passed away. The mother is illiterate; she does the house chores. The family's monthly income is below US$100 which is not enough to provide for their basic needs. They own a three-room dwelling, built of metal sheets, roof, wood walls, dirt and cement floor. They have running water, a toilet and electricity. Meals are cooked on a rustic stove. Reyna's health and her nutritional status are normal. She attends school.

The climate is warm with two seasons, dry from November to April and rainy the rest of the year. The majority of residents are ladino - Spanish-speaking, westernized Indians and non-Indians. The standard of living here is very poor. Jobs are scarce, so most families grow corn and beans for themselves on small parcels of land. During the dry season, many parents migrate to the southern coast to work as laborers on plantations. Others are able to find work as masons, carpenters and tailors, maids or roadside food stand operators. Families living in town rent rooms in buildings with wood or block walls, galvanized roofs and cement or dirt floors. Those in the country live in huts built with palm and mud with no electricity or indoor plumbing.

Meals lack sufficient nutrients for growing children. Their diet mostly consists of coffee, tortillas, chili and salt; occasionally they have beans and vegetables. Lack of food, combined with poor living conditions results in malnutrition and disease. However, health care is costly and therefore unattainable for families. Also, although schools are available, many youngsters do not attend because of the expense of supplies and tuition. In addition, children are expected to help their parents in the fields or at home.

With your sponsorship, life is improving for these villagers. A medical clinic has been established where medical care is provided along with medicines. Children are immunized and receive oral rehydration and supplementary food when needed. The importance of education is stressed through the payment of school fees and the provision of school uniforms and supplies. A school snack program offers nutritional food daily for the students. Participation in recreation is encouraged among the children, who often have very little leisure time. A literacy course is offered to the adults to increase their skills.

To improve the incomes of the residents, Mundo Infantil provides them trainings on tailoring shops, pig breeding and beekeeping. Your support is making these programs possible and creating a better life for many children and their communities.

ABOUT THE LANGALIST SPONSORSHIPS:

Those of us with computers and Internet access are vastly better off than most of the world's population. Because of this, I decided that a portion of the LangaList Plus! subscription fees would be donated to registered/legitimate charities helping the underprivileged around the world. The contribution does not increase the cost of a Plus! subscription in any way; the donation is taken "off the top" of any profits. (This is described in the pages at http://www.langa.com/plus.htm )

Reyna is the fifth child sponsored for a full year (via an international relief agency) by the collective generosity of LangaList subscribers. LangaList Plus! subscribers also have collectively contributed to emergency earthquake relief efforts in India and to funds to assist those hurt in the Sept 11th terrorist attacks on the US.. (To see all the donations so far, click to http://www.langa.com/plus2.htm#kids )

As the year goes on, and as more readers sign up for Plus! subscriptions, I hope we'll be able to sponsor more children and assist other charities around the world.

Graham Greene once said, "There is always a moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in...." If you're already a LangaList Plus subscriber, thank you! You can feel good about giving back a little to those less fortunate, and opening "a door to the future" for a child in otherwise-desperate circumstances.

If you're not yet a Plus! subscriber check it out: With a Plus! subscription, you can not only help yourself make the most of your hardware, software and time online with expanded content and no advertising--- but you also can help those less fortunate (like Reyna) make the most of their very lives. Thanks for your help!

http://www.langa.com/plus.htm

homepage