The buzzards wait, watching, smelling for opportunity below them. Something fresh, or something rotting. They follow a pecking order that determines which vultures will eat first. A meat carcass. A bag of rotting fruit. A stack of moldy tortillas. These scavengers are not picky. Far below, a truck arrives, dumping more trash into the teeming filth, its contents spilling into the ravine below. Creatures that look like ants scurry around the vehicle, carrying away their own treasures.
DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT THROUGHOUT JUNE
$100K MATCH
$100K MATCH
All donations made to support our annual fund during the month of June will be fully matched—up to $100K.
We’ve worked hard for over 20 years to make a difference in the lives of people living and growing up in the Guatemala City dump community. While our early impact was important and immediate— students having a safe space that allowed them to learn and play as children should—we strived for more. We are now seeing that come full circle, with alumni who have gone on to follow career paths that were once beyond their wildest dreams. We have picked a few stories to highlight this in our Spring Newsletter and we hope you will continue following along for future stories.
Thank you for helping to make this possible.
Photo by Fabienne Montepeque
Angel of the Garbage Dump: How Hanley Denning Changed the World One Child at a Time by Jacob Wheeler
Julio Alvarado was born in a small village outside Jutiapa, in the Guatemalan mountains. His earliest memories are of his family struggling to survive. Violence and darkness dominated his childhood. His mother carried the full burden of providing for the family financially and his father was not a positive influence; leaving the care and responsibility of raising Julio and his younger sister entirely to her.
But around 2007 (at age 9), Julio’s mother, with little support and no guarantees, moved her family to the dump community in Guatemala City, determined to escape the violence and fear of their hometown. Within 6 months of their move, she learned about Safe Passage from a cousin, and although she herself had never learned to read or write, she enrolled Julio in 6th grade—she was determined to give him a better future—to help him achieve an education, and find a vocation.
Julio recalls arriving on campus. He had no self esteem and lacked confidence, but his mother instilled in him three principles: stay
focused, be humble, and help others.
Julio remembers this period as a new beginning: when everything started to turn around for him, not only academically, but he started to get to know himself. He said that his teachers, the social workers, and the
adjusting their mindset towards education and learning important values along the way.
“Society doesn’t guide kids in Guatemala,” Julio said. And up until that point in his life, he had no one aside from his mother to positively influence him. Volunteers and staff began to guide and encourage him. He made new friends as well. Julio added that when he started at Safe Passage he “…started to learn to dream.” He envisioned a future for himself and his family because Safe Passage got him thinking bigger.
international volunteers made a huge impact on him immediately. They began reinforcing the same values and principles his mother instilled, and all of a sudden he was surrounded by positive adult role models, full of hope and optimism. He also connected with other students and peers who shared similar backgrounds and experiences —they were slowly
Around that time, Julio started volunteering to give campus tours to American and European visitors. Growing within this positive learning community, his confidence and extroverted personality began to shine and he took pride in welcoming people to campus. He began to write rap songs in English which he would share with volunteers and visitors. Their attention, friendship and diverse world views boosted his confidence even further. He began to see that, “If you are willing to learn new things, it can change your life.”
Stay focused, be humble, and help others.Julio and his mom at his high school graduation.
Despite Julio flourishing in the new supportive community, he also shared some of the challenges his family faced during that time. He had worked to help support his family for nearly his entire life (from age 5 on) and he said that he still found it difficult to start over, working in the garbage dump. He also described the irony of leaving the fear and violence of the highlands, only to encounter it again with the gang violence in zone 3. And while his mother was supportive and a champion for him attending school, he felt his father didn’t understand the transformative impact his education was having. Before Safe Passage, life had been about survival, not education.
With his mother’s encouragement, Julio continued to attend and flourish in this welcoming school community. He describes Safe Passage as being the “light in the darkness,” which challenged him to think differently, and he discovered that he liked being challenged. He spoke about one particular teacher, Lili, who had a special ability to help others, with love. She influenced him to continue his education and continue seeking new challenges.
In 2016, Julio completed his studies at a local
high school, graduating at the top of his class with continued support from Safe Passage’s CRE Program (our high school education reinforcement and career planning program now called Oportunidades). He continued to stay in contact with his teachers and social workers at Safe Passage. His social worker, Elisa, helped him to secure an internship with TELUS, a local telecommunications company that partners with Safe Passage to provide opportunities within their call centers. Julio continued to flourish and from there he took a job at FedEx and became a supervisor, followed by various other jobs where he worked his way up.
“I taught Julio in 9th grade, he was 17 years old. Julio was an example of perseverance and effort…he had clear goals. I always knew he was going to have a good future because I could see his desire to succeed, and how hard he worked every day. I hope he keeps on succeeding as he was doing the last time I saw him.”
Lili Roman (previously a teacher with Safe Passage), now works at our partner organization, Creamos, in adult education.
Of all the challenges he faced throughout his life, 2020 presented the most difficult. Despite Julio’s professional successes, he had to say goodbye to his mother, who passed away from a long illness. Their financial resources were drained by her medical bills and as he took on the sole responsibility of his younger sister’s care, he felt alone and hopeless. Still, he held onto the values taught by his mother and Safe Passage and he began to approach his situation as another challenge he could overcome.
Today Julio and his younger sister Melida live in a gated community in the suburbs of Guatemala City. Julio is 24 years old and works in tech support at GoTo—a unified communications company that sells software such as GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar. Melida attends a private high school with Julio’s support, and is top of her graduating class. She too has excelled academically and her teachers look to her as a student leader and role model for her peers. Julio said that, “In a country where the public education system is struggling, Safe Passage taught me to think open-mindedly and not to put limits on myself.” He is instilling these same values in his sister today.
Julio and long-time Safe Passage friend and supporter Rod Kreimeyer.Angelica Bac graduated from our Oportunidades program in November 2022. She is currently enrolled in a Microsoft Office certification course, and she hopes to become a systems engineer in the future.
“This program has helped me a lot, economically and academically…My life would not be the same without the help of Safe Passage…”
Gabriela is 20 years old and was enrolled with Safe Passage for 6 years. She graduated from our Oportunidades Program in the Fall of 2019 and thanks to a scholarship from our partners at Shared Beat, was embarking on her first year of medical school at the Mariano Galvez University of Guatemala when the pandemic hit.
Gabriela has not allowed the pandemic to interrupt her studies. Now, as a fourth year student, Gabriela spends 4 days each week in theoretical classes and 1-2 days in the hospital as a medical intern.
Gabriela shared, “My time at Safe Passage was vital for me and a complete blessing, because my mom could not give me the opportunity to study.”
This is what motivates her, Gabriela said, “…I try to have the best grades and be grateful for every opportunity I have…I came to serve and help and want to do something like what Safe Passage does. I want to help the people around me, my circle… Safe Passage offers us something that no one else does, and it gives us the motivation to keep going and do things better every day.”
“I want to help the people around me, my circle.”
“I am really thankful to Safe Passage for the opportunity of being part of this family, for the love and patience that I receive every day. Thank you for my education and the opportunity of a better future.”
Vanessa – Basico Student
“They have taught me many things to allow me to grow and face the world. They have taught me to make an effort and thanks to that effort, I am who I am today. They have supported me in my failures and never doubted my achievements…”
Maruin – Oportunidades Student
This year, we asked some of our older students, who are preparing to move on to the next step in their educational journey or careers, “How has Safe Passage Impacted your Life?” These are some of their responses:
“The teachers do their best to teach the subject matter, and they also take care of how we feel. It’s a place where we can meet amazing people. I feel lucky being here.”
Rosselin – Basico Student
“Safe Passage has impacted my life by helping me become a better person and has changed my way of thinking… Safe Passage has taught me to see life in a different way.”
Zuly – Oportunidadas Student
Bachelor’s in Computer Science
Bachelor of Arts and Science with a focus in Graphic Design
Bachelor in Business Entrepreneurship
Technical Accountant
Expert with a Specialty in:
• Refrigeration + Cooling
• Marketing and Public Relations
• Car Mechanic
Expert of Digital Content Development and Software
Bachelor of Science with a major in: Biology, Electricity, Construction, Auto Mechanic
“Safe Passage has impacted my life because now I have the opportunity to study. Thanks to every member of this family, I can follow my dreams.”
Sheila – Basico Student
Alan grew up in zone 3. His parents both worked full-time, his Dad was a technician and from a young age Alan was learning about computers, repairs, network connections, and all things tech related. Alan recalls his Dad going to the garbage trucks at the dump to buy discarded computers to supplement their income while he was working, or sometimes in between jobs. Together, they would take them home, clean and repair them to either sell whole or for parts. He recalls going straight from elementary school to help his Dad many days after school.
Alan describes the environment his parents worked hard to create as “a Christmas atmosphere.” In their free time, they were always playing soccer and hanging out with friends and neighbors. But Alan also remembers it was difficult having his parents working so much of the time. He said that while he may have had resources others in his community did not, he didn’t always have his parents around.
Friends and neighbors of Alan’s studied at Safe Passage and he listened to their stories about visitors who played with them and getting help from teachers and volunteers with their homework. Alan wanted to attend and said they tried to apply for admission, but because his family had resources others didn’t, he didn’t qualify to enroll.
Now, years later, as an employee, Alan says he realizes that his calling was never to be at Safe Passage as a student, but rather as a teacher. And he says his own childhood has helped him realize what he can provide for students—his attention, time, and care. He is often functioning not just as a teacher, but as a mentor for the kids.
Alan was hired in early 2020, just as the
pandemic was sweeping through Guatemala and across the globe. He says that at first he felt insecure as a teacher because he was not that much older than some of the high school students attending. But from the very beginning, his team and the administration at Safe Passage believed in him and supported his growth and training. When he joined the Oportunidades Team, there was no structure to follow as a Computer Teacher. But he quickly worked with his team to
build a structure that would support their students. They created a series of modules which allows students to develop their skills working with databases and software programs, giving them real experience that they can apply to jobs in the future. Developing the computer technology curriculum, along with teacher training which incorporated a deep understanding of our on-site integrated health services, helped him to build his confidence as an educator with the unique
Familiar territory.“…my passion and my challenge is to motivate young people and children to study and train to achieve their dreams.”
Safe Passage learning community.
“Safe Passage provides a space for academic and professional improvement. It is a safe space where I have found good friendships… from the beginning they gave me the opportunity to develop as a person and believed in me even when I had no experience [teaching]. And now my passion and my challenge is to motivate young people and children to study and train to achieve their dreams… to keep motivated, to move forward, and to strive for their goals.”
He has motivated Angelica Bac, a recent graduate of Oportunidades to do just that. Alan worked with her throughout the pandemic on a web design module. Alan’s support has inspired her to continue her studies and pursue a career in computers.
Alan continues to motivate not only Safe Passage students, but also others within the community. His dad currently runs a foundation, Fútbol Calle, to support street youth in zone 3 through sports. When Alan wraps up his work at Safe Passage each day, he often goes to volunteer with his dad’s project.
We asked Alan how he would define Safe Passage in one word. His response, “Family.” And Alan is working hard to create that same “Christmas atmosphere” for his students that his family provided him—a positive, lighthearted environment for them to thrive and learn.
Thanks to generous friend and supporter Stanley Eisenberg all gifts received in the month of June will be matched up to $100,000.
Education takes sustained support and your routine gift helps us plan our programs for the future. Just sign up once and your gifts, made on a recurring basis of your choosing, will help us maintain stability and more accurately budget for our programs.
Meet Safe Passage Visionaries, Suja Thomas and Scott Bahr, Safe Passage supporters who are helping us plan for the longevity of our work through planned giving.
“It’s a charity that we give to where you see the direct impact of your donation… They [Safe Passage] are creating these opportunities that are helping these kids actually have incredibly successful lives…”
Suja Thomas and Scott Bahr live in Urbana, IL and have been Safe Passage supporters since 2008. They met in 2007 and quickly realized they shared a passion regarding efforts to eliminate patterns of poverty. Scott and Suja work at the University of Illinois where Scott is a programmer and Suja is a law professor. They also share a passion to improve the justice system and are working on a documentary film on this topic.
Visit our Planned Giving page: www.safepassage.org/legacy/ to learn more about how you can join Scott and Suja and others in becoming a Safe Passage Visionary!
We have many positions available, from professional volunteers to virtual volunteering.
WWW.SAFEPASSAGE.ORG/VOLUNTEER/
Stay in nearby Antigua and come help out at Safe Passage during a one-week visit.
WWW.SAFEPASSAGE.ORG/VOLUNTEER/
Walk, run, skip, hop! Participate in our virtual 5k from wherever you are! Saturday, September 23 – Sunday, October 1, 2023 This year 413,485 healthy and nutrient-rich snacks and meals will be served on campus across all grade levels. Your support will help to provide necessary resources towards these nutritional needs and to continue addressing academic recovery.
Thanks to the support of Rotary and Rotaract Guatemala La Reforma the first Upcycling Art Festival and sale is taking place May 17 through June 3rd at the Alianza Francesa in Guatemala City. Artists, young adults, and children will all be participating in making art from discarded materials. Proceeds from art sales will go toward art programming for Safe Passage.
