Marvin is 11 years old and lives in the Solalá region of rural Guatemala with his mother and his 6 year old brother. His father, Manuel, lives in Guatemala City, working in State Security. The family lives off his salary, which averages around $190 per month. Marvin’s mother, Santa López, raises her two children and takes care of the housework.

Marvin is in third grade at his local primary school, Escuela Oficial Mixta del Caserío Pochol, and he dreams of becoming a smart and important person with the power to help people in the community. He wants to attend university and improve the quality of human life in his community.

Marvin walks 20 minutes to the Roots and Wings education center, where he takes computer literacy classes. He particularly enjoys Paint, a computer drawing program.

Thank you, Friedman Group at UBS, for giving Marvin skills that will help him accomplish his dream of helping people!

Melvin is 13 years old and lives in the Sololá region of rural Guatemala with his parents, his two brothers, and his two sisters. His father, Diego, sells wood with other people in his community. He earns about $190 per month, which is used for the family’s expenses, including food and education for the children. Melvin’s mother, Catarina, sells fruit in addition to her work raising her children and doing housework. She earns about $6 each day.

Melvin walks 20 minutes to the Roots and Wings Education Center to attend computer literacy classes. He especially enjoys Paint, a computer drawing program. He is a very studious young man, and he has the great ambition of continuing his studies all the way through university and then becoming a lawyer.

Thank you for helping Melvin accomplish his dreams by helping to cover a year of computer literacy training!

Shirly is nine years old and in the thirrd grade at her local primary school. Though she lives in Xejuyup, a rural village in the Solalá region of Guatemala, both her parents work in Guatemala City. Her mother, Juana Felicia, does housework, and her father, Diego, works in the Security Service. He earns less than $200 per month, which is just enough to support the family.

Thanks to your donation, Prashant, Shirly is able to take computer literacy classes at the Roots and Wings education center that is two minutes from her house. When she grows up, she wants to be an English teacher so that she can be a guide for foreign tourists.

Thanks for giving Shirly the opportunity to learn valuable computer skills!

Antonia is 31 years old and lives in Sololá, Guatemala. She is the second of eight children.

In 2009, Antonia received a scholarship and began her schooling at the Universidad del Valle so that she could become an elementary-level bilingual educator. Unfortunately, she had to stop in 2010 because of her difficult economic situation.

Right now Antonia works as a seamstress so she can save up money for college. She is a driven individual and deserves the chance to develop her knowledge and skills in the field of her choice.

Due to your support, a woman like Antonia is able to attend university and pursue their dreams. Thank you for your generosity!

Pascuala lives in the the Solalá region of rural Guatemala with her mother, Elena, and her grandparents. She is an only child and her father left her and her mother soon after Pascuala was born. Though many women in her village only maintain the house and do not earn money, Elena does housework and maintains a business making and selling clothing. She earns only about $25 per month, which is not enough to provide for her family.

Pascuala is now nine years old and is in third grade. When she grows up, she wants to be a Physical Education teacher because she thinks that it is important to exercise and care for your body so that you can develop well.

Pascuala is now taking computer literacy classes at the Roots and Wings education center, which is only a two minute walk from her house. She is learning skills that will be very valuable to her in her lifetime. Thank you, Stephan, for giving Pascuala this opportunity!

Mynor is a 13 year old boy living in the Solalá region of rural Guatemala. He lives with his siblings and his mother, who raises her kids and does housework. Mynor’s father, Juan, lives in Guatemala City, where he works in State Security. He supports the family with his income of $190 per month.

Mynor is in sixth grade at his local primary school and he dreams of being a great painter who uses his imagination and creativity. He also wants to illustrate storybooks and legends.

Mynor walks 20 minutes to the Roots and Wings education center where he takes computer literacy classes. His favorite program in Microsoft Word.

Thank you helping Mynor learn valuable skills — your generosity ensure he can pursue his dream of becoming a painter!

Thank you for coming together to support a year of after-school elementary tutoring for a child like Celestina through Roots and Wings International! Celestina is 13 years old and lives in the village of Pasác near Sololá, Guatemala.

Celestina received support from Roots and Wings International while in the fifth grade at her local elementary school. She dreams of one day becoming a doctor so she can keep people healthy.

Her father is a day laborer and works on large land holdings in the surrounding area. Celestina’s mother is a housewife and takes care of Celestina and her four younger siblings.

Thank you Victoria, Yasunori, and Raphael for supporting someone like Celestina. She can continue to dream of becoming a doctor because of your generosity!

Dominga is 41 years old and lives on her own in the Solalá region of Guatemala. In 2007, she received a scholarship and entered the Pan-American University of Guatemala. She completed her degree in Social Work and Community Development in 2009. Dominga is studying to be a community organizer. Once she has finished her studies, she hopes to coordinate a group of women and train them to work in community development.

Unfortunately, she was not able to continue her studies the following year because she didn’t have enough money. Although she works in the budget department of a neighboring village’s school, the trip to her work costs enough that she can’t afford it herself and she has to charge her parents for it. Dominga earns about $240 per month, most of which she is forced to spend on food, transportation, and other necessities. This month she started saving money to retake classes at the university next year.

Her goal is to learn more in her studies so that she can support herself and hold various posts in community organizations. Currently, she helps coordinate a women’s group that works to provide houses for those who need them.

Thank you, Srivats and Malini, for covering a quarter of her tuition costs. She is even closer to returning to school because of your generosity and the work of Roots and Wings.

Diego lives in the Caserío Pasác region of rural Guatemala with his parents and five siblings. His father is a banana trader and he earns about $130 per month depending on how many bananas he sells. His mother, Manuela, takes care of her six children and runs the household. She generally is not able to bring in any extra income for the family.

Diego is 11 years old and is in third grade at his local primary school in Pasác. He walks four minutes to the Roots and Wings Education Center for his computer classes. His favorite program is Microsoft Paint, which is a drawing program. When he grows up, he wants to be a professional policeman and work to ensure the security of the Guatemalan people.

Thank you for helping Diego learn computer skills that will give him more opportunities in the future!

Nine year-old Domingo lives in the village of Xejuyup near Sololá, Guatemala with his mother, Catarina. His father is a day laborer at a nearby farm but he separated from his wife and has lived apart from his family for so long that he does not support them in any way. His mother also works on a farm where she harvests potatoes to support her children. Domingo has a brother and sister that also live with him and his mother.

Domingo is in third grade at a local school, La Escuela Oficial Rural Mixta Caserío Pasác. He wants to be a policeman when he grows up so he can help limit the violence in Guatemala. According to Domingo, many suffer from this violence and it is important he helps them. He spends much of his free time at Roots and Wings’ computer training center, where he loves to play with the computer-drawing program, Paint.

Thank you so much, Catherine, for funding a year of Domingo’s computer literacy training through Roots and Wings. You are helping Domingo develop vital skills for the years to come!