We provide physical and speech therapy services for children with special needs and support for their medical needs.

In the western highlands where we work, there is a high percentage of children with disabilities, most of which are due to cerebral palsy and undiagnosed congenital disorders.

Although there are low cost therapy services for children with disabilities in the cities, they are inaccessible to people living in rural areas. The families we work with are unable to connect with them due to the long distances involved in reaching the city, the cost of transportation, and work constraints. They also lack the financial resources to pay for these services even though they are low cost.

We currently have three therapy centers serving rural communities in the department of San Marcos.

At these centers professionally trained Guatemalan therapists from the local area, some of whom speak the indigenous language, provide weekly physical therapy and/or speech therapy sessions to over 400 children.

Transportation is provided for some children who live in very remote areas and who would not otherwise be able to reach the centers. Additionally, one of the therapists travels to individual homes to provide therapy to children who for some reason cannot attend the centers.

We are grateful for the generous support we receive from the Papal Foundation, which has awarded us grants conjointly with an organization working in a neighboring area of San Marcos, Hermana Tierra.

Hermana Tierra, an Italian-based NGO, decided to establish their own therapy center when they saw how many families were bringing their children to ours. We helped them to set up their center and committed to sponsoring one of their therapists, which we still do today.

In addition to receiving therapy, children who come to our centers are evaluated for other urgent medical needs. We then coordinate the care of the roughly 20% identified as needing additional services, providing logistical and financial support to families as well as giving follow up care and treatment.

We facilitate important surgeries including for complex cardiac and orthopedic problems, cleft lips and palates and eye and dental surgery. We ensure that children receive prostheses, vision and hearing testing, neurological assessment, dental work, medications, wheelchairs, walkers, or whatever other urgent need they have.  

As our centers become better known, our most pressing challenge is an increase in patient demand as families are traveling from other municipalities for the support we provide.

Other organizations in the department, following our model, have opened therapy centers in their own communities for which they have solicited and received our support. Our own centers, in the meantime, continue to expand and the number of children we serve, to grow.