What Does
HUGS Do?
Many families in the communities HUGS serves exist on less than $200 per month. 79% of indigenous Guatemalan children live in poverty and 33% of adults cannot read or write. These parents are unable to pay for school supplies and other educational necessities leaving a life-altering gap for each next generation of Guatemalan kids.
HUGS steps into this gap by providing school tuition, uniforms, and supplies. Some of our students are malnourished, sleep on concrete or dirt floors, and have never seen a dentist. For these families, HUGS also provides bunk beds, monthly groceries, and dental care.
Equip Kids for School
HUGS provides school supplies, backpacks, uniforms, shoes, laptops, tuition and more for students in Panajachel and surrounding villages in Guatemala.
Guatemalan schools provide specific lists of school supplies for each grade. HUGS Social Workers send the lists to “librerias” small locally owned supply stores in Panajachel and they are delivered to the HUGS office. Parents are then notified when to pick up the supplies shortly before school begins. A picture of each child with their supplies is sent to the sponsor.
Improve Quality of Life
Many impoverished families in Guatemala either sleep all in one bed or on concrete or dirt floors. For several families HUGS has provides bunk beds for the children so they can rest better at night and are able to concentrate and learn in school.
Flory & Angel, pictured here, were sleeping with their mom and no one was getting much rest due to the children kicking and moving during the night. Now the children sleep well and Rosa, their mom, is rested before her work day.
Provide Quality and Affordable Education
HUGS has been blessed to provide over 30 scholarships to two of the best schools in Panajachel for our highest achieving students.
Life School is a bilingual school taught in English. All the Life School students will be bilingual when they graduate which will enhance their employment opportunities.
Eben Ezer is a private Christian school with an excellent academic reputation. Our students there will graduate with a 2 year “career” focus ranging from teaching, electricity, medical assistant, accounting and others.
HUGS staff in Guatemala track grades and offer tutoring to students who are struggling. Students in Guatemala take 3 languages simultaneously. Spanish is the national language but there are 32 Mayan and other languages spoken. Many of our students speak Kaqchikel or Quiche’ at home, Spanish in school, and are studying English.
HUGS’ other students are located in various schools in their local communities.
End Food Deprivation
HUGS staff has found many students malnourished due to lack of nutritious food. Parents who are impoverished cannot afford meat, milk, or fruits and vegetables so they eat tortillas, rice and beans. For these families, HUGS provides a $100 package of food and necessities monthly. In addition, water must be boiled or bought as local water is full of parasites. Unfortunately, large bottles of soft drinks are cheaper than bottled water which leads to poor nutrition and dental problems. HUGS staff is teaching parents about adequate and safe nutrition for their children during home visits.
Increase Access to Healthcare
Almost all of HUGS students had never seen a dentist when they were enrolled in the program. HUGS schedules monthly dental visits with a local dentist who provides a discount for our children. Healthcare is “free” through government clinics and hospitals, but there are still fees for medications and care. Although HUGS primary focus is education, we are able to assist children with emergency care at a private clinic when necessary. HUGS has also referred to sister organizations for housing needs.
Celebrate Birthdays
Most HUGS students have never received a birthday or Christmas gift. Each month HUGS plans a party with cake and individual gifts for the children with birthdays in that month. The kids are so excited to come share a cake and receive a special gift. Each HUGS student also receives a gift at Christmas. In 2024 28 of our families in extreme poverty were given a basket of tamale ingredients for Christmas. Tamales are the traditional Christmas dinner in Guatemala and those families could not afford to have Christmas dinner.
