What will 2021 bring?
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be underestimated on Esperanza’s mission for 2020, nor on everyone as individuals. We had no idea when the New Year came in on January 1, 2020 that traveling - anywhere, let alone to Guatemala - would be severely curtailed or impossible, or that school would be disrupted, or that all our fundraisers and meetings would be online. Things changed. And that was not all a bad thing. We learned a lot, about many things. Especially, we learned, or rather, confirmed, that people are unselfish, generous and caring, and grateful. We all witnessed this in so many places, but for us intimately associated with Esperanza de Guatemala, we saw this in the response to our COVID-19 Caring for Nimasac fundraiser in the quickly organized Giving Tuesday Now campaign in May, as well as the results of the annual Giving Tuesday campaign in December, in which donor's gift exceeded our ambitious goal of $10,000 - all during a pandemic and difficult year for so many. The generosity of Esperanza's staff in Guatemala and thanks from the people in Nimasac, Guatemala were abundant.
So, now what?
We don't know if we will be able to travel to Guatemala this year. But that won't stop us from continuing our relationship with the people of Nimasac and with other helping organizations and individuals there. We will continue to pursue getting clean water to all. This is a long-term project and involves many moving parts, such as research, water testing, a community worker, and more. We will continue to pursue the best ways to assist the local elementary school in it's desire for better teacher training and equipment. And we will continue to reach out to tell the story of the people of oft-forgotten villages in rural Guatemala, creating life-changing opportunities so that they thrive.