The Elderly and Widowed
In Guatemala, widows have very little support or care if they don’t have a family.
That is why we began an outreach program to identify and help this often forgotten group of people. We began a few years ago, and we have quickly grown to support 94 widows.
Finding Widows
The widows are first identified by the elders in their village or by one of their neighbors, and their names are given to us. Our team makes an initial visit during which we assess the condition of their home, their physical health, the amount of people depending on them, and their ability to provide for their needs. We then begin making a plan to "adopt" the widow and help her family. The reputation of Casa Angelina has become well-known throughout the community, and we have experienced a lot of acceptance from the surrounding villages. read more
The Widow Project
We fully support the households of over 100 widows who live within a 20-mile radius of Casa Angelina. Often, they take care of children, grandchildren, or other family members, yet they barely have any means to provide for their own very basic needs. We find them in deplorable conditions with homes constructed of cornstalks, beds made of trash, and only small cooking areas on the floor. Their health is also extremely poor, and they often have a small area of land in which to grow crops to eat, sell, or trade. The harsh weather conditions during the rainy season in Guatemala can find them close to starvation or worse. When their households become part of our Widow Project, many things dramatically change in their lives.
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We begin by taking them food each month. On a weekly basis, we bring them clean, purified water. Our staff also transports them to the medical clinic at Casa Angelina where they and their entire immediate family receive a complete physical from our doctors. Under the care of our medical staff, their health issues are addressed and a medical treatment plan is initiated. Our team, including teenagers from the orphanage, visit the widows each week in their homes. During these visits, the teens do chores for them that consist of cleaning, cooking, and washing. We have built new homes that are made of cinder block and have metal roofs. Each home is furnished with beautiful cooking stoves that also serve as heaters. When additional donations are given, we buy them furniture, shoes, clothes, radios, and blankets, as well as fund further improvements.
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Love With No Expectation
Bioquinta
Bioquinta and her husband, Augustine, are beautiful examples of lives impacted by the Widow Project.
They are both in their eighties, she has very little hearing, and he has all but lost his eyesight. All of their care, including monthly shares of clean food and water, comes directly from our widow support project. Once we saw that all of their major needs were met, we were then able to provide them with a simple gift to enrich the quality of their lives. In an effort to bless them, we repaired their front poor and furnished it with rocking chairs. Having never laid eyes on a rocking chair before, both Bioquinta and Augustine were overwhelmed with joy (see their ecstatic faces). In addition to these gifts, we also built them a new clothesline, bought them new bedding, and repaired their stove. While their many Mayan superstitions make it difficult for them to trust going to the medical clinic, we continue to look after their healthcare needs through regular house calls from our doctors.read more
To learn more about our precious widows, click here: