Jocotenango, Guatemala (CNN) — After decades of civil war, Guatemala continues to suffer greatly from poverty and violence. Guatemala’s homicide rate is the fifth highest in the world. Guatemalans made up 37% of the 57,000 unaccompanied children from Central America who attempted to flee to the United States and were caught since October 2014 — this number is higher than that of any other country, stated the Department of Health and Human Services. Many Guatemalan parents have no money and no prospects, leaving their children without hope or motivation. Crime, drugs, and gangs often become the only thing to turn to.
Romero Fuentes, now 30, became a teacher in his home town of Jocotenango at age 23. He then witnessed first-hand the hopelessness and disparagingly dim prospects of the children he taught. So he decided to go a step further.
With his parents’ permission, Fuentes converted the entire front part of his family home into a community center for children in the area. It began with him tutoring and mentoring several children after school. When word of the center spread, many more children from the community soon became a part of the program. Fuentes named his nonprofit Los Patojos, or, “the Little Ones.”
His center now offers free tutoring, classes, and one nutritional meal per day, a meal that is often the only one the children will see each day. Low-cost medical care is also available to the children and to more than 1,500 members of the community each year.
Classes take place in the main center which is covered in brightly painted murals and quotations. Some of the classes include dancing, juggling, theater, music, photography, and performances are often put on by children for other children. These classes are meant to inspire creativity, encourage passions to flourish, and give hope for a brighter future. There are also leadership seminars to instill values of “moral courage, social justice, and self-expression.” “We are raising them to be the future leaders of Guatemala,” Fuentes said.
The organization is currently in the process of building its own school, where approximately 250 students ranging from preschool to sixth grade could come to learn and grow, have their lives turned around, and be given the hope and knowledge necessary to build a brighter future for the for the current and future generations.
Romero Fuentes stands proudly in front of the students of his nonprofit-turned-school, Los Patojos.
Romero Fuentes spends some quality time with a few of his students who now not only have an education, a dependable daily meal, and a place to get away from the violence of the streets, but also the empowerment and hope to create a brighter future for themselves and generations to come.
Source: CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/31/world/cnnheroes-romero/index.html)
It is so sad that that large a percentage of the unaccompanied children that have tried to come to the United States were Guatemalan. The prospects of their parents must have been really bad for that to happen. However, it seems that Romero Fuentes is making a huge change in the world. I could not imagine living in an environment that is similar to these children, but with his work, I feel that he is making a change in the lives of these children as well as the community. I feel that giving these children a chance to explore their passions, to learn how to become leaders, and to further their education will help produce future citizens that will help others in their communities, and help to change the state of their town for the better. I do have one question: where do they get the medical care, if the community center is his house?