Child sponsorship update from Jocotán, Guatemala

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Jocotán, Guatemala from June 2008

Dear Friend:

Once again we would like to inform you about our SOS Children´s Village of Jocotán, about the children, their activities and achievements reached in their benefit.

On April 15th of the current year, we celebrated our silver anniversary (25 years of foundation); it was a very emotive and solemn act where we expressed our gratitude to all the persons who have supported us as of the beginning in the construction and the life in the Village nowadays. A special recognition to the mothers was given for such a noble cause, specially to Mariana García, an SOS mother with whom the SOS Children Village of Jocotán started operations with in 1983.

Mariana arrived to the village when she was 34 years of age, being a single woman with a strong vocation to take care of children, helpful, and with patience and effort she had raced 3 generations of SOS children, to whom she has dedicated all her inner force and had love them as her own children. Another recognition for 20 years of commitment to SOS Children's Villages was given to María Luisa Amador, mother of the SOS family 5, Bertalina Pérez y Pérez, SOS mother of family 8, and Emilia Marcos Onofre, SOS mother of family 9 and at the same time the SOS Children's Villages Jocotán Director, Rafael Buezo also received a recognition for the 24 years of serving with dedication and love given to this noble cause.

Children growing up in Jocotán

We also celebrated the Start of operations of two remodeled houses, with which we formed already two more families, family 13 is integrated by seven boys and two girls, family 14 is integrated bye four boys and three girls. There are 21 boys and 11 girls as new population of 2007. All these children had adapted very well and feel happy of finding a new home where they will grow up with love and protection.

We also want to share with you that on March 8th two new SOS mothers graduated and participated in a solemn act in the National Office of Coordination in the City of Guatemala, they were Rosa Elena García Gómez from family 10, and Jovita Amarilis Escobar España from family 11. And on the same day Bertila Pérez García from family 3 y Rosario Lem from family 7 received the SOS ring of recognition for 10 years of service.

All the children and youth are integrated in school and the oldest ones to their jobs, we have 55 boys and 62 girls in the SOS Children Village Jocotán; 30 young man and 20 young girls in the youth communities and programmes of post support in Chiquimula; and they all are giving their best efforts to be better each day.

These are the news that we can give you so far about our programme. We want you to know that we feel grateful for all your help and support given in order to provide these children a home where they feel respected, loved, educated and safe.

Sincerely yours,

Rafael Bueso
Director de Aldea Infantil de Jocotán