Boston Scientific unites the corporate community during Hispanic Heritage Month To kick-off Hispanic Heritage Month, Boston Scientific HOLA (Hispanic Organization for Leadership & Advancement), hosted a Walk for Hope at Bde Maka Ska. Among the attendees were companies from across the Twin Cities and their respective Hispanic/Latino ERGS including UHG, General Mills, Land O’ Lakes, Target, U.S. Bank, Accenture, Medtronic, RSM, and Visit.org. Boston Scientific’s unified Walk for Hope event reinforced community and was a spectacular way to pay tribute to the next generation of Latino students. Bringing together 10 corporate partners was a powerful way to inspire change and share Common Hope’s mission with others. Their walk event included speaking engagements, a food truck, prizes, music, and concluded with a group dance class! Watch a video recap of this year’s event! Thank you to Boston Scientific for supporting community, and for striving ensure students and families in Guatemala thrive.

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month all year long with 3M 3M is honoring Hispanic Heritage Month by partnering with Common Hope to support education for children in Guatemala. The community came together throughout this month to pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our society. The walk event brought together over 30 3Mers along with their friends and family. At the start of the walk, the Hispanic Star Flag, a symbol to unify all Latinos, was raised, followed by words of prosperity and hope from Natacha Rajlevsky, 3M Global Portfolio Director, Shari Blindt, Common Hope Executive Director, and Marina Pariseau, 3M Chief Diversity Officer. “This Hispanic Heritage Month is especially meaningful to me, I started reflecting on what heritage means to me, and I just felt an immense sense of pride for my roots. I know that my upbringing, where I’m from, my culture, mi gente, have really shaped who I have become as a person and as a leader.”- Marina Pariseau Since music, food, and fun are an essential part of Latino culture, the event included live music from a marimba band, Hispanic-inspired snacks, and Mexican food from a local food truck! ¡Que rico! Supporting Philanthropic Efforts During Hispanic Heritage Month, Common Hope also celebrates Sponsorpalooza, a time of year when Common Hope recognizes its sponsors and recruits others to become a sponsor. This year, 3M Latino Resource Network made possible a $10,000 3M Equity Grant, which served as a matching gift that doubled new sponsors’ donations dollar for dollar. Thank you to 3M for their incredible partnership that ensures students in Guatemala have access to quality education and the opportunity to learn, grow, and lead.

Covid-19 is still prevalent in the US and around the world. After two years of the pandemic, we all have been impacted in one way or another —and the same can be said for our families in Guatemala. Throughout the pandemic, Common Hope’s social workers have identified a higher prevalence of food insecurity, loss of employment, and strained physical, emotional, and educational health, significantly impacting the families we serve. The rising costs of groceries has made it difficult for households (who sometimes survive on less than $2 a day) to feed their families. Coupled with reduced income due to job loss, food insecurity remains a top concern for parents. Food is essential for families and growing children in school. Food insecurity during childhood can have long-lasting impacts. The economic stress has caused some students to prefer to work and not study. When a student’s top priority is satiating a hungry belly, education takes a back seat to supplement extra income for their families. But there is hope. Families who are food insecure and have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 have become Common Hope’s top priority. The social work team has developed a new partnership that facilitates the purchase of food for families through prepaid cards so they can buy what they need and can be re-loaded if needed. Not only does this make it easier to meet the families where they are at, but it also makes it easier to manage from an administrative perspective. Currently, 331 prepaid cards have been delivered to families so they can purchase groceries and hygiene products that best fit their needs. Common Hope is committed to continuing to support families who are food insecure. Four food benefits will be delivered each year to families in need. During these challenging times, social workers have been able to support families by actively listening to their concerns, directing them to programs that will provide aid, and helping motivate them to keep moving forward. Through home and tele-visits, social workers have maintained a steadier communication flow that keeps them in constant contact with families. They have made various referrals to programs such as The Clinic (for prescription refills, consultations, and Covid-19 testing), Scholarships Department (for educational needs of the scholarship recipients, internet payments, and tickets to educational centers), and the Healthy Mind Program. (provides emotional support for students and families) Families have shared that support from Common Hope is a helping hand that gives them strength in times of stress and worry. Families feel motivated knowing that the Common Hope team is in their corner, helping them through difficult situations. Social workers feel hopeful about what’s to come in the future. Although this year has been different, there have been new feelings of joy brought by the return of social workers visiting communities again. You help by providing critical funding that Common Hope needs to prevent food instability and hunger. Please help us ensure that families’ needs are met by donating to the Covid-19 Crisis Response.

Mente Sana is a health program that seeks to provide participants with the tools and guidance to help them identify and better manage their emotions in order to create positive families and home environments. Providing the necessary tools for families so they can manage their mental and physical health helps them focus on achieving their children’s educational goals. The Mente Sana Program helps families create stronger and more positive family dynamics, which is particularly important in building resiliency for persevering through challenging times. When families experience difficult emotional situations, they usually seek support through their social workers, who then refer them to the Mente Sana Program. The exercises families engage with focus on the areas in which the family should strengthen according to the assessment completed in the first meeting. These activities range from building communication and active listening skills to helping families establish a schedule where they create a space to spend time together. Some students and family members are slightly hesitant when they first participate in the Mente Sana Program as it’s often their first introduction to mental health. But staff shares that the relief of sharing their experiences, being listened to, and building new skills leaves them excited to return to the next session. Common Hope students have shared that one of the greatest outcomes of participating in the Mente Sana Program is learning self-love. Through the program, students are learning how to manage all aspects of their emotions and are more equipped to take care of and express themselves. By building resiliency and self-advocacy, students can make confident decisions and comfortably stand up for themselves. They also feel more comfortable acknowledging when they need help. By supporting mental health, along with physical and emotional health, Common Hope is helping families build strength and resiliency. If you’d like to make a gift that can support the Mente Sana Program, click here.

“I am a person who is always in the process of self-training, and I love to share everything I learn with others.”- says Jorge Alvarez, pictured on the right. Many students in Guatemala struggle with remote learning as many do not have adequate devices (computer, cell phone, or tablet) to connect to online classes. The challenges do not stop with connectivity, and many parents feel as if they cannot guide their children due to not having adequate schooling themselves, or they are not able to monitor their children’s studies due to work. Without in-person guidance and support, many students lack the motivation to continue studying and, like many of us, are tired of the constant screen time. Teachers and students had to figure out how to “do” remote learning, so the successes of students and the ever-clever teachers during quarantine need to be celebrated. Now the reopening of in-person support programs for students and their families is a reason to celebrate! Without talented and dedicated staff, getting students excited and motivated to learn would not be possible. The Education Support Program is built of men and women devoted to making learning a fun experience that students will keep wanting to come back to. Jorge Alvarez, manager of the Educational Support Program, started his adventure with Common Hope in 2010 and now shares that his journey has been educational for him. “Common Hope has been a great school of life since it allowed me to have my first work experience and learn so many things that have marked my life to this day,” Jorge shared. When you meet Jorge, you realize that teaching is not a job for him but a passion. He is always trying to look for the best way to do things while seeking clear and efficient processes for everyone. Jorge’s passion for learning and curiosity is a powerful influence on students that visit the educational support programs. Motivation Jorge noticed that many students lacked motivation with remote learning. He identified lack of social interaction and physical activity as big contributors to student burnout. At home, some parents worked all day, causing students to spend long days alone without the interactions they normally would’ve had with in-person classes. Remote learning meant that kids spent much more time indoors and on screens. Covid-19 protocols kept students confined to their homes and unable to gather with friends to enjoy play time outside and get beneficial exercise. The Educational Support Program’s main function is to provide access to educational and extracurricular programs, services, and resources to reduce risks and academic barriers for scholarship students and other affiliated family members. Common Hope is currently offering the following resources provided by the Students in the Homework Center. Educational Support Program to keep students motivated: – Homework Center, is a physical and virtual space in which children are supported by a teacher and are encouraged to share and learn with their classmates. – Skill Learning for First Grade, this program is a classroom for parents where they learn how to guide/teach their children through the help of a facilitator. They learn how to support their first graders at home by encouraging them to read, write, and introduce them to numbers. – Connectivity Resources, provides internet recharges and access to the Research Center. In the Research Center, in addition to finding equipment (computer, tablet, internet, printing), they have the guidance of facilitators. Engagement Are students still interested in learning, and are they actually learning? The answer is unclear, Jorge admits. “It is difficult to indicate students’ commitment to learning and what they are learning. Some indicators may be the attendance of virtual/in-person classes, homework completion, grades for each unit, and participation in educational programs and resources.” His and the Educational Support Teams’ perception is that most students and parents try to make learning meaningful. Still, they have many limitations, which makes them leave their studies. It is in these situations that Common Hope exists for families. The return to in-person activities feels like news start for the families, students, and staff of Common Hope. “I hope that every time we can see our spaces full of students and families seeking services and support, we have available for them. We have children who would be in the Homework Center daily if they could. Some even come when they don’t have homework,” exclaimed Jorge. With the help of Common Hope’s Programs, families can continue to strive for a better life through quality education.

After two years, students and faculty were welcomed back to the classroom on Monday, June 8! The first day back was filled with constant excited chatter and happy energy from students, staff, and parents. There was no shortage of excitement, and many students wanted hugs, but to limit physical contact, a puño (fist bump) is what they shared! Families are divided into four groups and can come to the school for a maximum of three hours per day to prevent the spread of Covid-19. When students are not in the classroom, they communicate with their teachers through WhatsApp and Zoom sessions. As the infection rate decreases, New Hope can increase the number of students in classrooms. Face-to-face classes are not mandatory, but most students are excited to return to the classroom! Elsa Murga, Director of New Hope School, says she’s excited for students to be back as it makes it easier to reconnect, help answer questions, and track where students are after two years of remote learning. New Hope teaching staff. “Many students arrived early and were excited to share stories from the past two years. The teachers are also happy but worried because they are already finding far behind students. The good thing is that they can attend to students and help them catch up. Every teacher is already exploring ways to serve these students,” said Elsa. Diagnostic testing has been completed by grade to determine the level of learning (or lack of) during the last two years to assess the level of competencies of each grade. Each student who is not at the desired level of learning will be provided with an individual plan to get them back to the desired level. With the new hybrid model, there is an opportunity to provide timely feedback and resolve questions that students may have before going home. While remote learning was tough, there is a silver lining. Parents and students have become more accustomed and comfortable with online communications, which have greatly improved information flow and reach. Renato Westby, Director of New Program Development, shared, “I’m excited to take what we learned during the pandemic and use technology to update the School’s curriculum.” With the increased communication, supporting and identifying the students experiencing learning difficulties is easier. There is so much to look forward to for the rest of the year! Everyone is ready to catch up on all things missed in the past two years, and there is hope that classes will soon return to being 100% face-to-face!

In the month of June, we celebrate a very important group of people—Fathers! Common Hope would like to celebrate all fathers who are there as friends, mentors, teachers, and caretakers. Fathers influence us in many ways, lift us up when we are down, and shape our lives for the better. To honor fathers, we wanted to share inspiring and heartwarming stories of fathers from the Common Hope family. Not only do they support and care for their own families but they are active participants in helping families in Guatemala. Their commitment to their own families and the families they serve is admirable and for that we thank them. Thank you to all fathers and father figures who go above and beyond for their families, and friends, and play pivotal roles in their communities. Sharing their stories: Juan Santos, Housing Program Coordinator Q: What is your favorite part of being a father? A:The opportunity to learn every day from my daughters to be a good dad. Q: How has being a father made you a better leader at work? Do you notice a difference in the commitment you have to the families you serve? A: Every time we visit a family to build a house, I see the children and think about how my daughters are able to have opportunities that many children don’t have, and that motivates me to change the conditions for them in their housing. Q: What is your hope for your daughters? A: That they become successful women with college careers and above all that they never lose empathy for those who need our help the most. Q: What is your favorite activity to do with your daughters? A: Reuniting at the dinner table and sharing how everyone is doing and getting to discuss dreams and ideas. At that moment we can talk about how we can support each other and clarify many things such as misunderstandings or situations that happen in the family. Yonatan Jeronimo, Technology Facilitator Q: What is your favorite part of being a parent? A: My children make me feel like I have superpowers that have the power to heal. If only they knew that they are the ones who give me the strength to keep dreaming. Q: How has being a father made you a better leader at work? Do you notice a difference in the commitment you have to the families you serve? A: I think and feel as if I am the kids’ father when I help, advise, and support them. I listen to their problems and invite them to keep trusting in themselves while also showing them that everything has a solution as long as it is done with faith. Q: What advice do you have for parents or parental figures? A: Listen to children. Gifts, luxuries, and trips aren’t what matters–what matters is to listen, support, guide, and love them. Listen to them to make them feel that they are important in our lives and that they are fundamental for us to continue being those heroes called dads. Jerson Santos, Housekeeping Q: What is your favorite part of being a parent? A: My favorite part is being by my little girl’s side and enjoying every day of the baby stage. Her first words were “PAPA.” Q: What was your father’s role in your life and how does that influence the way you parent your children? A: My dad is a great person, he taught us to respect others, that we are all equal, and that despite difficulties you can always come out ahead. He taught us to never give up and to be responsible, so I want to follow his example so that my daughter will be a great person. Q: What is your favorite activity to do with your daughter? A: Playing with her, watching her favorite shows, teaching her to take her first steps, (I was nervous to let her go) being her with is the best thing. Francisco Berganza, Systems Analyst Q: How has being a father made you a better leader at work? Do you notice a difference in the commitment you have to the families you serve? A: It helps me think more clearly and I take time to reason and look at the best options. I see a lot of crossovers between my role as a dad and my role at the Common Hope team, as I can apply the same care and support to the students we work with. Q: What is your hope for your children? A: My hope for them is to make them good people, with the necessary skills to be loving, responsible, respectful, and exemplary. Q: What advice do you have for fathers or father figures? A: Enjoy your children, you have to guide them, within a father they see a superhero and they view you as the best dad in the world. Take advantage of the time you have with them to create or strengthen the relationship bond.

Visitor Experiences are the backbone of Common Hope’s support system. The visitor programs are designed to provide an immersive experience to learn about the people, culture, and landscape of Guatemala. They give a deeper insight into how Common Hope operates and the organization’s partnerships with families. When a volunteer visits Guatemala with Common Hope, their life will change as well as the lives of many Guatemalans. The past two years have been challenging and there has not been one person untouched by Covid-19 and its added complications. In March 2020, Guatemala closed its borders, completely stopping all travel for volunteers. 2020 was predicted to be a record-breaking year for Common Hope, with the most Vision Teams in the organization’s history scheduled to travel. The borders closing deeply impacted staff, volunteers, and most importantly Common Hope families. Frisch & Friends Vision Team building a secure and safe home for a Common Hope Family.-2022 “The lack of volunteers on campus did not go unnoticed by anyone and visitors were missed in ways that can’t be expressed. The need for volunteers did not stop when travel stopped. Right now, volunteers are needed more than ever,” Avi, Associate Director of Strategic Relations & US Visitor Experience, states. Now, almost two years later Common Hope eagerly welcomes volunteers back to Guatemala. Common hope has dedicated the past two years to creating, adjusting, and establishing new protocols to provide a safe experience for volunteers, staff, and families. Common Hope believes that all travel is personal. Travel inherently includes a level of personal risk—and each traveler needs to weigh out the risks with their desire and comfort level in traveling. If you choose to travel, you can still expect a life-changing experience. When you embark on an adventure to Guatemala with Common Hope you are traveling with a purpose. The core of Visitor Experiences is getting to interact with students, their families, and staff to gain full insight into Common Hope’s life-changing work. It is an opportunity to be a force of good. We have designed and implemented protocols to keep everyone safe while maintaining the integrity of the experience—not much has changed! Flexibility has never been more important. We recommend travelers book flexible fares and insure their tickets in case travel gets delayed due to unforeseen changes. Vision Team members collecting student letters. The choice to travel is completely up to you. Traveling during a pandemic can be confusing and hard to navigate. Below are the requirements to travel with Common Hope. These guidelines are subject to change to align with Guatemala’s travel policies. We believe that these precautions best protect travelers, staff, and the communities we serve. All travelers must be fully vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19. The last booster shot must be administered at least 2 weeks before departure. Provide a negative Covid-19 PCR or antigen test within 72 hours of your departure. Be symptomless when traveling (if a traveler gets exposed to a positive Covid-19 case within 7 days of departure they will not be able to participate in any of Common Hope’s Visitor Experiences) When you are at the project: Practice social distancing; keep a minimum of six feet from families and staff. Facemasks are to be worn at all times when going out in public. Sanitize and wash your hands often. If you start feeling symptoms of Covid-19, advise Common Hope Staff immediately and isolate as soon as possible. When you travel with Common Hope you embark on an incredible journey that will challenge and change you. We still believe that Visitor Experience programs are one of the best ways to see Common Hope’s impactful and life-changing work. Once you decide to travel to Guatemala for a Vision Team, we will be ready for you. If you would like to schedule a trip, make changes to an existing reservation, cancel a trip, or have travel-related questions please contact AviM@us.commonhope.org

3M Latino Resource Network (LRN) members across the U.S. and Latin America continue to volunteer their time to foster important cross-cultural relationships. Most recently, 50 volunteers partnered with Common Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting poverty in Guatemala through education. 3Mers translated 320 letters between Common Hope students and their sponsors in the U.S. These relationships, built via a pen-pal system, encourage cultural exchange, help students gain written communication skills, and also provide a great deal of motivation for students. In 2021, LRN members translated more than 2,800 letters. This correspondence played a role in encouraging students to stay in school despite many challenges navigating distance learning and daily life during the pandemic. By staying in school, students receive an education that will ultimately lead to positive change for their families and communities. Common Hope believes that education is the key to ending the cycle of generational poverty. By providing families with health care, housing, food, tuition, tutoring and other needs, these factors no longer stand as a barrier to their children’s education and the family can make education a priority. The organization has supported the education of tens-of-thousands of students since 1986. In Guatemala where the graduation rate is less than 20%, Common Hope students are graduating at a rate of 60-70%. Today, more than 2,750 students have received their high school diploma, and 2021 Common Hope celebrated one of the largest graduating classes in history––despite a pandemic. 3M’s partnership and volunteerism with Common Hope not only weaves a fabric of cultural inclusion but also ensures that education is accessible for Guatemalan children experiencing poverty.

Dr. Steve Humbert has made 62 volunteer trips to Guatemala to provide dental care for families through Common Hope’s Dental Team program. He considers Guatemala his second home and during his visits, he’s made friends with a lot of the families he serves. Dr. Steve says that his focus is always providing dental care but he especially enjoys reconnecting with families. Over his tenure, Dr. Steve has acquired a great understanding of the state of dental care in Guatemala. He sat down with us to answer a few questions and provided a deeper insight into the work he does in Guatemala. Q: Do you find that many patients don’t have an understanding of good oral health? If so, what additional advice/words of encouragement do you give to patients so that they can practice oral hygiene at home and prevent diseases? In the United States, most communities have fluoride in water to help maintain dental health. In Guatemala, there aren’t fluoridation programs. A lot of the kids are exposed to questionable water quality, so what many of them call “agua” or water is carbonated sugary drinks like coke. They sip it in substitute of water due to lack of access to clean water and end up bathing their teeth in sugary substances that will lead to further problems. If kids are calling pop water, do not have fluoridation, and are not going to the dentist for regular treatments —they’re going to have problems. Q: What type of dental work do you commonly perform on patients in Guatemala? A: It depends on where we are. When I first visited San Rafael el Arado (a very rural community) it was mostly extractions. If a patient was experiencing pain and it was questionable whether we could save the tooth or not, and if there was not going to be immediate follow-up care, it was better to take that tooth out. In the early years of visiting Guatemala, extractions in San Rafael were probably 80-90 percent of the work done, while 10 percent of it was preventative and restorative care. In Antigua, that percentage was better––more restorative work was done than extractions. When families are able to receive continued care there is a significant improvement in dental health. When I know that I can come back and treat patients more often, work moves to be restorative and preventative rather than extractions because of continued care. Covid created a backlog of patients that needed to be seen and taken care of. If families aren’t seen by Common Hope’s Dental team, they either have to put up with pain and discomfort or go to public hospitals to seek treatment–– but that costs money and sometimes families don’t have that money to spend. Q: Around how many patients are you able to see during your trips? From left to right: Dr. Lynn, Dr. Steve and Dr. Nancy. A: Generally, we see 20-25 patients a day between three dentists. Usually, we’re doing preventative care, oral surgery, or restorative work. Q: Is your team the only option for some families to gain access to dental care? A: We all have “access” to dental care except the cost is sometimes what prohibits us from getting it. Even in Minnesota or in the United States in general there is a fair percentage of the population that doesn’t regularly visit the dentist. Now, you compound that in Guatemala where more people live below the poverty line and can’t afford to take their money and spend it on oral health. So yes, sometimes we are a families only access to dental care because Common Hope provides that service for little-to-no-cost to patients. Dr. Steve already has his next trip in Guatemala planned out for the end of February, which will make it his 63rd Dental Team trip! (We are definitely keeping count!) “I wouldn’t visit Guatemala if I didn’t like it! That’s the issue––once you go the bug hits you and it especially hits you if you sponsor children,” states Dr. Steve. He currently sponsors three students but in total, he’s sponsored 10 students through Common Hope. He says his sponsored students make it hard for him not to go back. Thank you, Dr. Steve for volunteering your time, skills, resources, and care to serve patients in Guatemala! Because of you families and students have a reason to smile!

At Common Hope, affiliation is just the beginning of a student’s road to graduation and the partnership with their whole family. Affiliation can be compared to an application process for being admitted into college. The process ensures that fixed criteria are met and situations, where families that may need support, are identified. The overarching goal of orientation is to help families learn what opportunities are available through Common Hope and to reinforce the requirements of the partnership. This year it was more important than ever for new families to feel welcome and supported as many have experienced significant challenges during the last two years. Typically, it’s uncommon to see fathers present in the affiliation process, but this year was different. Complete, unified families were there to participate in the orientation. One of the fathers shared, “I want a better future for my daughters and to have them be established professionals one day.” Many families expressed similar sentiments along with feelings of gratitude for the opportunity to join Common Hope. When families share the same educational goals as Common Hope, it creates a foundation for a successful partnership. With teamwork and collaboration, graduation can be more than a dream, but a reality.

Poor health affects how much children can achieve in school. Children who suffer from malnutrition and other health issues have diminished cognitive function, perform worse in school, and miss more days due to illness, which leads to higher dropout rates and repetition of grades. Furthermore, if a family member is ill, often a child will experience pressure to earn an income and forego their education. Healthcare in Guatemala To understand the healthcare situation in Guatemala, one must look at factors that influence the healthcare landscape, like population, population density, government spending, and higher education. In 2021, the population of Guatemala was over 18 million people, with eight million living in rural areas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are approximately nine doctors for every 10,000 people, equating to about 16,000 doctors. Comparatively, the State of New York has a similar population, with more than 53,000 doctors registered. What’s more, access to doctors is not equal across the country. The Borgen Project states that 80% of the doctors work in Guatemala City, leaving rural areas severely underserved and disadvantaged. USAID states that, overall, six million people in Guatemala lack essential health and nutrition services in direct conflict with Guatemala’s constitution, which states that every citizen has a universal right to health care. Unfortunately, healthcare spending in Guatemala and other Central American countries remains low compared to the United States, which invests 7,000 dollars in healthcare per person. According to recent data from Macrotrends, Guatemala spends $260 on healthcare per person compared to Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, which spend $176, $286, $289, and $910 on healthcare per person, respectively. The intersection of poverty and health care Poverty affects every part of a family’s life. The average income for a family in Common Hope’s program is $200/month or $2,400 annually. This level of poverty affects physical, nutritional, and mental health. Guatemalans living in rural areas often have to travel long distances to receive care, which is costly. Traveling to receive health care is not affordable when someone must miss a workday and go unpaid. Fast Facts: In Guatemala, one in every two children suffers from chronic malnutrition. In rural areas, 70% of children under five years old suffer from stunting (low height for age) due to malnutrition. Many Guatemalans die of preventable diseases and illnesses like pneumonia, diarrhea, and malnutrition. It is common for people to live years with problems like dental pain or a hernia. The infant mortality rate is among the highest in Central America. Community health education, particularly in rural areas, is not the norm. Many Guatemalans experiencing poverty do not have access to information to make informed health decisions. Common Hope seeks to reduce the risk of family health crises threatening a child’s ability to stay in school through curative, preventative, and general wellness services. Volunteer dental team in Guatemala. At Common Hope’s clinic and through health partners in surrounding communities, Common Hope students and their family members have access to quality curative and preventative health care, including doctor visits and wellness exams, laboratory screenings, medications at the pharmacy, nutritional services, dental care, and prenatal care. Common Hope’s healthcare staff treats everything from common respiratory issues to infections to minor injuries and emergency care. Chronic diseases, like hypertension and diabetes, are treated onsite. Doctors also refer to specialists when necessary, and treatment comes at reduced or no cost to the patient. Common Hope social workers meet regularly with each family and refer them to the clinic if they identify any health-related issues. Common Hope aims to help families address short-term needs to achieve long-term goals of a better life. Together we are working to make healthcare accessible for families in Guatemala. Donate to support Health Care