- Jan 27, 2016
- 2 min read

On this day, 30 years ago…

On this day 30 years ago, the Huebsch Family’s grassroots endeavor to educate children in Guatemala received official Articles of Incorporation. Little did they know that the organization’s destiny was to be MORE THAN they ever dreamed of as they started providing education scholarships to children living in poverty. Now serving tens of thousands of people in Guatemala, you, too, make it possible for families to build a better future for themselves.

It’s MORE THAN just another anniversary

For the last 30 years, Common Hope has been walking alongside families living in poverty in Guatemala. By eliminating barriers to education for children and creating safe, healthy living conditions for their entire family, the organization has helped thousands of families achieve a brighter future. This is in a country where more than 60% of the population lives in stark poverty. Your generosity has made this possible and Common Hope has been learning at every step of the way.

By 1990, we learned that it’s MORE THAN just getting kids to school. It’s about keeping students and their entire family healthy, safe, and stable.

In 1999, we learned that it’s MORE THAN providing emergency assistance after a disaster. It’s about building an entirely new place for families to live and call home.

In 2007, we learned that it’s MORE THAN serving families in Antigua and New Hope. It’s about reaching families in new communities too far away to come to us, but close enough for our staff to reach. We now work in San Rafael el Arado, San Miguel Milpas Altas, and will begin work in a third new community in 2016.

In 2010, we learned that it’s MORE THAN providing access to education. It’s about partnering with the public schools to train teachers and provide them with the resources they need to make learning effective and fun.

By 2012, we had learned that it’s MORE THAN textbooks, school supplies and going to class. It’s about providing Early Education to prepare kids for school before they start 1st grade.

These are just a few of the countless lessons Common Hope has learned over the last three decades, paving the way to where we are today; serving more than 13,000 people, working in 26 communities, partnering with 6 public schools, and expanding our reach into yet another new community in 2016.

It’s much MORE THAN running an effective, efficient human development organization. It’s about making a REAL DIFFERENCE one child, one family, and one community at a time.