Children at Nuevo Reto - November 2010
Charlotte Pritchard visited the orphanage in November 2010 and took with her an advance donation from the church, which was used to take the children out for the day. Charlotte sent a report on her visit, which Janet Pritchard presented to the congregation at the December Evensong on 12th December.
The collection at the service was added to the donations given for the Christmas Greetings Card Tree. The total of the 2010 donation to the orphanage came to £902. The balance is being used to help with funding of the children's school fees for the beginning of the shool year in January 2011.
To download a PDF file of Charlotte's report from her visit in November 2010:- Click Here
To see photos taken during Charlotte's visit, go to the photo gallery in the "Photos" section
Charlotte Pritchard by the 2008 Christmas Greetings Card Tree in the Church
As part of its Outside Giving the church has been pleased to support the orphange in Guatemala that Charlotte Pritchard has been visiting on a regular basis over recent years. For the last two years the Christmas Greetings Card Tree in the church has raised money for the orphange. These donations have been used in part to provide the children with Christmas presents such as grapes and apples (luxury goods typically eaten at Christmas time in Guatemala) that they otherwise would have gone without .
The orphange has been struggling more than ever in recent months and Charlotte has kindly sent the following report:-
" Nuevo Reto (New Challenge) is a Christian ministry founded in 1991 to reach the street children of Guatemala. It offers a home to some of Guatemala's disadvantaged children, be it because they have no immediate family, or their family are unable to offer them the support they require. It also reaches out to offer support and assistance to the children in the neighbourhood, which is severely economically deprived, in the form of clothes, school supplies and workshops.
These last few months have been particularly difficult for Nuevo Reto due to the loss of a long standing donor whose business has unfortunately suffered significantly in the recent economic downturn. There is currently a 60% deficit in the monthly budget and this is predicted to increase as, like many voluntary organisations, the overall level of donations is decreasing. Staff are on reduced wages or have decided not to receive them in the short-term, a great sacrifice as it is their only source of income.
Arguably however, the budget shortfall causes a more immediate and concerning problem. After several years of effectively living in a building site, the younger children now have a wonderful home with a capacity to sleep up to 40 children, yet many of the bedrooms remain empty. Sadly, this is not due to a lack of need. Indeed, far from it. Pastor Jacob's aim for each of the children he accepts is to be able to give them, amongst other things, regular meals, clothing, medical attention and a good education but not at the expense of the support offered to the other children. Therefore, the number of children whose lives can be impacted is restricted by the resources available. Not all of the children or their parents accept the help and support they are offered but this is far preferable to a situation in which they cannot be offered the opportunity to receive it in the first place.
The Nuevo Reto logo at the top of the 2009 Tree
With the generous collection raised by the congregation of St. Mary's Church during Christmas 2009, the children were bought warm winter jackets, as they are also suffering from cold weather at the moment, and toys for Christmas. The support of St. Mary's means a great deal to the children and staff alike, and they were very touched to see the photograph of their logo on proud display at the top of the Christmas tree. "
For more information about Nuevo Reto visit:- www.nuevoreto.org
For a photo gallery of the children at the orphanage go to the "Nuevo Reto Orphanage" page in the "Photos" section.