December 11, 2018 We hope this report finds you well and indeed thriving. As always, it is really a pleasure to send you an update on our outreach with BIENESTAR and thank each of you for your support. The focus of the current work of BIENESTAR is in The Cooperative of Nuevo Horizonte, a small village in the northern PetÊn region of Guatemala. Their vision is to build a more equitable and just society through economic development that benefits the majority, while safeguarding the environment. This vision has a ripple effect within the region, and their achievements over the past year have been impressive. They have opened a new maternity center and recently established a fruit tree nursery. BIENESTAR’S partnership has supported three other projects that the Cooperative prioritized including a training program for diabetes health promoters and opening of the first Diabetes Health and Wellness Center in Northern Guatemala! Below is a brief overview of each of these three projects with accompanying photos that capture the joy, hard work, and indomitable spirit of our project partners. Student Scholarships: With your contributions, Bienestar provided $4,070 to subsidize the education of nine students.
While education within the community is technically free, our financial support assists with the purchase of school uniforms, textbooks and school supplies, and fees for field trips, all of which are compulsory and expensive. Beyond the community, education is largely private; therefore, our financial support assists the families and their children to cover the costs of registration and tuition as well. All nine-scholarship recipients were successful in their academic endeavors and are proceeding to their next year of studies. We received cards of appreciation from all of them, such as the one from Jocelyn, a student in her final year of studies in high school.
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I am writing to all of you at the Foundation of Bienestar to express my gratitude for all the support given not only to me, but also to the other students. Without your support, this [study] would not be possible. It is a door that opens pathways for us.
Folkloric Youth Dance Troupe (“Itzel”): This group has caught the imagination and engagement of an ever-increasing number of young people. It encourages them to participate in healthy physical and social activity, while instilling a real sense of pride and confidence in themselves and their community. BIENESTAR provided $1,700 to assist with the purchase of materials to create new costumes. Mary Ann had the pleasure of seeing the troupe in action on a number of occasions last winter when they performed their new dance program throughout the region. What a joy to witness their delight as they created new dance routines, sewed their costumes, organized their props, and worked for months leading up to their dance performances – it means so very much to all of them as you can only imagine.
Check out Bienestar on the Nelson United Church website @ http://nelsonunitedchurch.ca/ 2
Diabetes Health and Wellness Program: Thanks to a one-time generous endowment, BIENESTAR was able to donate $15,000 to develop a new Diabetes project, which included: 1) 2) 3) 4)
Organizing a diabetes health promoter-training program. Opening a diabetes health and wellness center. Hiring three part-time diabetes health promoters. Securing a physician with specialty training in diabetes management for primary consultation from the nearby city of Santa Elena. 5) Establishing a supply chain of low-cost oral meds, insulin, and syringes. A two-week, full time training program took place in March of 2018, which 23 people attended from five different villages in the PetĂŠn, 21 of whom graduated. The diabetes health and wellness center opened shortly thereafter in Nuevo Horizonte. This diabetes prevention and management program is the first of its kind in the entire northern region of the country. It is built upon the efforts of people living with diabetes from the Cooperative, Selkirk College Nursing Students, West Kootenay Diabetes Educators, and the Bienestar board and donors over the last five years. It is truly a beautiful example of the value of capacity building and long-term commitment, and an incredible tribute to the power of people working together to foster health through a community-wide focus.
100 % of your donations go to projects. Link to CanadaHelps website below to make your donation: www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/38293
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We encourage you to watch a short video presentation on the project that we recently put together. We are sure you will share our excitement and hope about the possibility of making a real difference in the long-term health outcomes of the children and adults who are disproportionately at risk given the relationship between diabetes and poverty, and rapid rise of it in Guatemala. (* note the Bienestar signage about the clinic door that they made for the inauguration of the center)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PCZDFok1KI&feature=youtu.be Our 2019 goal for the diabetes prevention and management work is to establish sustainable funding of $8,000/year. With this in mind, Michael and Mary Ann intend to travel throughout British Columbia with this video to meet with Nursing Alumni and others in the coming months. Contact us if you wish to learn more about the work, volunteer with us or host a presentation of the BIENESTAR projects with your family and friends. We would love to hear from you. All of this supports our practice partners in Guatemala whose abilities and vision know no bounds. Thank you for caring and daring to hope in the dreams of those invisible in society in this time of chaos and challenge. Info on Tax Receipts For the 2018 tax season, you will receive an email from CanadaHelps with your charitable tax receipts attached for printing. If you have any problems with this, please contact me. Warmly,
Cheralynne For the Board (see below) Board Members Cheralynne Kennedy Teeka Ferguson Michael Chapman Monika Nowatschin
Mary Ann Morris Liz Knox (Nelson United Church member) Joe Woodward (Nelson United Church member)
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