GET INVOLVED

Are you looking for ways to help educate children and empower families? There are many ways you can become involved in the work we do in Alotenango from volunteering to sponsoring a child, from purchasing a Guatemalan handcrafted item to contributing to essential supplies for the school room. Below are a number of ways you can lend a hand.

URGENT NEED FOR NUTRITIONAL ASSISTANCE

Antigua, Guatemala, the former capital of Guatemala, is a World Heritage site, a tourist destination, a weekend retreat for many middle class Guatemalans and a home for foreign retirees. It is a comfortable, vibrant, and historic city with wonderful restaurants, language schools, and nightly entertainment. And yet Alotenango, where Bendicion de Dios is located twenty minutes away, could be on a different planet. The contrast with Antigua is stark. Many inhabitants live in one room houses with dirt floors, laminated tin roofs and walls, and no running water. Kitchens have open air fires for cooking. The most common meal is beans and a tortilla when they can get it.

The families in Alotenango struggle to provide enough nutritious food to members of their families due to various hardships. Most adults never went beyond sixth grade if they attended school at all, work in marginal part-time jobs, pick coffee beans during the harvest season, and cannot afford to send their children to school. Many households are headed by women alone. 

As we know, food insecurity is linked to various health issues, including poor nutrition, developmental delays in children, and increased medical problems. Bendición de Dios school tries to address the lack of food through a daily meal for the students. However, this simple meal is not enough. 

Addressing food insecurity is crucial for improving the health and well-being of affected families, especially children. Providing regular nutritious supplements for school community families has become a regular part of the support provided by Under the Same Moon’s generous donors. If you would like to help please click the monthly recurring donation button below. Please indicate your contribution is for food baskets. bi-monthly baskets are $20 a month, or $240 per year. The school administration purchases and distributes the food to the neediest families in the community.

One Time Donation

When generous people like you make your 100% tax-deductible gift, Under the Same Moon will ensure the funds are directed to the children's most urgent needs.

Monthly Giving

As you can imagine, consistent monthly donations sustain our programs and provide resources to help us plan for pressing and future needs. Monthly donations can be made in any amount using the button below.

Memorial Funds: Creating a Legacy of Love and Support

There are many ways to remember a loved one who has passed away. One way that serves as a poignant tribute to someone dear who has died is to establish a memorial fund. A fund allows family, friends and the community to contribute something that brings joy to the recipient while honoring the person's memory in a meaningful, longlasting way. If you visit our website, www.underthesamemoon.org, you can see two memorial scholarship funds that were established. One is the Schnappauf Memorial Fund in honor of Joyce Schnappauf, created by her daughter and family. The Schnappauf fund helps fund tuition and uniforms for five families along with bimonthly food baskets for these families.

The second memorial is the Bonnie Grassey Scholarship Fund which supports a group of Bendicion de Dios children and their families who the Grassey sisters have taken a special interest in helping. This Fund has grown since its inception and now supports the educational needs of 7 children, bimonthly food baskets to those 7 families, and provides for material improvements in their households (eg., vented stoves, beds, wardrobes, etc.).

Would you consider starting a fund for someone you loved. Their connection to Bendicion de Dios school, or Under the Same Moon, could be direct or through you or your family. It is also possible to make a one-time contribution in the name of a loved one, should you want to do so, without creating a vehicle for multiple contributions. These individual donations will receive recognition from the school and Under the Same Moon that will be sent to whomever you want to designate as the beneficiary.

If you would like to establish a memorial fund, or simply donate in the name of an individual, please contact Michael Yavorsky, Treasurer, at 84 Regatta Road, Weymouth, MA 02191 or by text to 312-404-7762. Thank you for your consideration.

Donate Essential Items

There are so many ways to help children in need, choose the way that works best for you. In addition to child sponsorship, financial contributions can be made for general support of the school in any amount you choose or can be applied to one of the specific program below.