“Seño Carolina, ¿Cuándo viene la próxima Brigada?”  (Miss Caroline, when is the next Vision Team coming?)  These are the words that crowds of tiny, excited children bellow at me whenever I go out to New Hope, Common Hope’s satellite site just north of Guatemala City.  The kids have learned to associate my presence with the arrival of Vision Teams, the small groups that come to Common Hope to volunteer their time, to learn, and, ultimately, to better understand our mission.  It might seem strange that kids would get so excited about the arrival of a group of gringos, but for the kids at New Hope, this arrival signals the beginning of a temporary escape from the difficult situations they face at home.

The kids at New Hope School come from two very different populations.  They are either residents of New Hope Village, which means that Common Hope helped their family relocate away from the dangerous ravine towns in Guatemala City, or they are from one of the small, poor surrounding villages near our project site north of Guatemala City.  Most come from families living in extreme poverty, and many of them suffer from malnutrition and face issues like alcoholism and domestic abuse from a very young age.  These sad situations, however, are momentarily forgotten when a Vision Team shows up with a fun new game or art project.  This is where my job comes in. 

As the New Hope Vision Team coordinator, I plan and schedule Vision Team trips at New Hope, with the purpose of helping these teams gain a better understanding of Common Hope’s work at this site.  Activities usually include classroom observation, sports games, and art and science projects with the students.  These activities allow Vision Team members to see first-hand the work that Common Hope is doing to improve education quality in Guatemala. 

Although many of the children at New Hope may be too young to realize it, their affiliation with Common Hope provides them with much more than just a chance to play with the occasional Vision Team.  The excellent education and the support they are receiving at New Hope School will provide the majority of them with the encouragement and resources they need to study through high school and possibly beyond.  The children also have the option to participate in the school’s extracurricular program, and their affiliation with Common Hope gives them and their families access to integrated social services.  Armed with a great education and Common Hope’s support, these children will eventually begin to break the cycle of poverty within their own families and communities. 

Planning trips and explaining our work at New Hope to Vision Teams is always rewarding, but the best part of my job is arriving at New Hope to the smiling faces of children that are ready to forget all their worries and just play.

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