A GREAT new project for AGAND! Join us.

November, 2009

NEW PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As you know, since the new Adoption Law was put in place, AGAND cannot continue with the adoption program, but we still feel that it is important do our part to care for children in need. We also hope to “stay in the game” as changes are made by the National Adoption Council in the future. Many ideas have been talked about, but to be honest, Haydée and I feel that an Early Childhood Education Center to serve about 40 children daily would be a resource for mothers who work at minimal wage jobs. Many of those kids are left with older siblings, or a neighbor, or locked in their small dwellings while the mother is away. Many have little food, no education, and no good role models as they mature.

If we could make this dream a reality we would like to divide it in two areas; care for the children, in appropriate age-groups, with special attention to education, healthy food, health, and moral and spiritual values. To begin we would receive children from 1-6 years of age, increasing ages as there is need.. The other area of interest is in working with their mothers, forming a “parent-school” whose focus would be improving self-esteem, good work habits, and moral and spiritual values. This would produce a continuation of what the children learn at daycare. Of course, this would fill a tiny part of the great need in Guate-mala, but it would plant a seed which, when it germinates, could help change our country.

You might wonder about the desire to continue to work with children—well, they are our past and our future! It is the area we know best, having worked with children for more than 33 years. We have the experience, the equipment, the physical plant……everything except the funding to make it a possibility. For this reason I am asking for your help.

These will not be children in an adoption program, but we will be able to improve the quality of life for many families with few other resources. There will be a fee of Q.100 or about $12 a month for each child—enhancing their sense of responsibility and pride in caring well for their children. They also will be “required” to attend a Saturday class for parents. The real cost per child will be about $80 per month.

We will evaluate the objectives of this program within 6 months. In the long run we hope to have the satisfaction of seeing young families grow and become increasingly productive adults, and their children growing up with a good moral base for the future.

Many times we are critical of the many irresponsible young people, and we talk about the irresponsibility of their parents, but often this is a consequence of not having the opport-unity to learn and grow in their childhood. If the parents, or in most cases, the mothers, of the children in the daycare, do not receive adequate and timely instruction then the child-ren who are in daycare have no continuity at home. That is the premise that moves us to want to work in both areas.

To donate : http://www.agand.org

Mirna Vargas, Director AGAND Guatemala mirna@agand.org
Judy Oltrogge, AGAND USA judy@agand.org

This blog is inactive.  Please visit www.agand.org for all updates.  Thank you!

We would like you wish Agand a happy anniversary. We have 2 children that were adopted from Agand.

Jackie (Jackie Antonieta) adopted at the age of 5 1/2 years old. She came home to Iowa in Dec, 1998.

Lucas (Juan Pablo) adopted at the age of 2, came home August 1997.

We are a family of five. Ken, Luann, Derek age 15, Jackie, age 13, & Lucas age 11.

Thank-you to Agand and all who had a role in taking care of our children and the paperwork side of it. A big hand to Kathy Oltrogge. Kathy has helped in so many ways during and after our children came home to Iowa.

Ken & Luann Heying

August 2006

Be part of the celebration of AGAND’s 30th anniversary! Choose to honor both the Organization and the dedicated people who have made it all happen. If you would like to send a note, a card, some photos, a gift, a special memory – please do it! We will see that it gets to Guatemala as part of the celebration.

NOTE NEW ADDRESS:

AGAND USA
918 Sagebrush Trail
Duncanville, TX 75137

Judy Oltrogge, AGAND USA Board member
judy@agand.org

P.S. Funds received will be used for an updated and more reliable computer system for the AGAND – Guatemala office!

Here is the AGAND USA board in June when Myrna and Haydee visited. On the couch (L to R) Pam Echerd, Mirna Vargas, Judy Oltrogge, and Haydee Guzman. Standing are Sarah Oltrogge Colby and Suzanne Barrett.