Hey all!
First and foremost I want to take a moment to thank you for visiting Hopeful Highlights. With all that is happening with COVID-19 we at Hands of Esperanza realize it is a scary time filled with uncertainty and ever-shifting developments. I am sure that I can speak for everyone when I say the health and well-being of you and your loved ones are of the utmost importance, and we can only hope that this blog continues to bring you a bit of hope!
For the month of April, during the season of growth, we decided that we should update you all on how the clinic is progressing inspired by the growing number of generous donations from people like you! Our vision for the clinic is to build a two story multidisciplinary medical and surgical center to provide more comprehensive, accessible medical care to the people of the Alta Verapaz region of San Cristobal, Guatemala. The first floor will function as our medical wing of the building and will house the primary care and sub-specialty clinic rooms, including pediatrics, OBGYN, psychiatry, and various therapy suites. We also anticipate a space to provide a functioning lab for blood work and rapid testing for a multitude of ailments and diseases. The second floor will consist of an outpatient surgery center complete with pre- and post-operative care areas, two operating/procedure rooms, and multiple rooms for dental procedures as well. It will be designed to handle a variety of elective surgical and dental cases in a wide array of surgical sub-specialties. Currently, our Medical Resource Allocation Committee is working vigilantly to develop a budget and find resources for equipment and supplies that the clinic will require once construction is complete. This is a massive task and one that we think is tremendously important to the success of the clinic. Our overall goal for clinic construction is to achieve completion in 2 years.
In order to accomplish these goals, our partner and close colleague, Rudy Gonzalez of AVIS/Living to Serve, has been working with a local architect to draft the blueprints for the facility. The architect is an American who lives in Guatemala now and heard about our endeavors from Rudy. Upon hearing about the team’s mission, he graciously offered to help with the planning and design process pro bono! Currently, he has completed the blueprints for the first floor and is working diligently to complete the designs for the second floor. We are encouraged by what we have seen so far in the 3D renderings of the prints. This clinic is everything that our patients in this area need and more.
In case you have not heard, we have the ongoing brick fundraiser in which a $100 donation can be made in exchange for a brick with your chosen inscription that will be created and used as a part of the clinic infrastructure during the construction process. We are looking forward to having a wall of donors displayed proudly on the exterior of the building once construction is complete to showcase the support we received along the way to make this clinic a possibility. There are even community members from the local villages who have pooled their money together to purchase a brick in an act of support for the clinic. As you can imagine, for a community with such a high poverty rate, this is an incredible gesture of support for us to receive. Both our donors and the people of Guatemala are literally paving the way to build this clinic.
Our team at Hands of Esperanza is overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity and support that we have received from our donors since we started fundraising in late October of 2019. Though we have only been fundraising for 6 months, we have raised over $27,000 as an organization. In conjunction with our partner organizations Living to Serve, Mision Vida Nueva, One World Unity Project, and countless others, we have raised an incredible $65,000! Once we reach 50% of our $150,000 goal, we can begin construction. That means we are only $10,000 away from achieving our first goal. Anyone else tired of doing math yet? All this to say that we are so close to starting construction and we couldn’t do it without your support.
As things progress and the world continues to monitor the changes brought on by COVID-19, it’s easy to lose sight that there will be life and some sense of normalcy once this pandemic passes. During these dark and challenging times it is also easy to forget that there are kind people in this world who continue to shine their light for those in need. We are so grateful for those people. Through your continued efforts to better our patients’ quality of life and access to healthcare, you are making a life-changing impact regardless of the evolving pandemic. Please remember that YOU are the hope that these people need on a daily basis, and perhaps this will bring you a little “esperanza” during these trying times. Stay happy, stay healthy! We look forward to sharing more updates with you as clinic construction hopefully begins in the near future!
-Kurtis D.