We genuinely hope that sponsors and students have an opportunity to meet in person. Our goal is to facilitate dignified, culturally grounded and lasting transformation. Achieving this objective requires a delicate balance of support and encouragement along with respect and partnership. Thank you for respecting these guidelines:  

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• Common Hope U.S. and Guatemalan Sponsorship teams are eager to help coordinate up to two sponsorship visits each year for sponsors and students. 

• Common Hope will arrange visits, which includes logistical preparation, translators, transportation and the accompaniment of social workers. 

• Visits must be scheduled 30 days in advance. Common Hope does not recommend more than one visit within a 30-day period, and no more than two visits a year. 

• Up to four individuals are welcome during a visit; if a home cannot accommodate the group, meeting at an alternative space may be required. 

• If a church or group sponsors one student, a visit by any one of these individuals counts as one visit. Graduation visits do not count as one of the visits we coordinate for you each year. 

• Sponsors are welcome to bring an educational gift or age-appropriate book for the student and one game for the family to play. Small gifts for siblings are also acceptable. For the safety of the student and family, gifts should not exceed a value of $50 and no cash gifts are allowed. 

The most important gift is your presence. Meeting with your student in person is the best gift you can give! 

Important, please note. Scheduling requires coordination between the student’s and family’s schedule, travel time, available transportation, staff work time, in addition to a sponsor’s availability. There are times when we may be unable to fulfill a request for a sponsorship visit. This does not frequently, but it can happen when: 

• A student would be required to miss school or any other required academic commitment 

• The student or a family member is sick or a recent death in the family 

• A family member would need to miss work or lose wages to accommodate the sponsor’s schedule 

• There is a security risk for either the family or the sponsor 

• The student lives in New Hope. Visits to New Hope are often challenging to schedule due to balancing travel logistics and traffic; a very early start may be required. If the logistics of a New Hope visit cannot be worked out, a virtual visit may need to substitute

• Your travel dates are on or near Guatemalan holidays