2025 Projects

In 2024, donors supported the construction of a community center within the Piternos garbage dump where 60 families live, work, and die in the garbage. This new community center has offices for social work, running, water, a classroom, and now has a recycling center which allows the families to sell the plastic for more money.
In 2024 - a recycling plant was set up in the community center and you helped purchased a compressor and scale to allow the people in the dump to be able to accurately weight, measure, store, and sell their garbage at a more fair price for recycling.
In 2025 - the recycling plant has hired 5 people (4 women and 1man) from the garbage dump to work in the recycling plant - can you image the dignity this brings!? They are able to now sell their plastic to industry at much higher prices so giving them more of a chance.
In 2025 - the first teacher was hired for the classroom in the dump and about 15 children attended classes!

58 Students Sponsored for 2025 school year (Jan - October)
2 students sponsored to attend a high school with English classes
2 students in our program graduated and had a celebration at the school for those students and their families
Transportation provided daily for a student with cerebral palsy to attend a special needs school

10 computers were purchased, delivered, and set up in the local public Chiquimula school
Fund were all donated to make this happen and support this long term goal of the school
This is now one of the only schools in the area with a computer lab, computer classes

Collected, packaged, and delivered over 1000 pairs of eye glasses to the clinic this year
Eyeglasses, sunglasses (for post procedures), and reading glasses were all collected at local public schools here in US
Donations sent to the clinic with the Days 4 Girls volunteers
Funding continues to be sought to deliver these much needed eye glasses to rural Guatemala on an ongoing basis

200 Days for Girls menstrual kits were made and packed here locally to bring to Guatemala
These were hand delivered and brought to the villages in rural Guatemala
Teaching conducted in English, Spanish, and Mayan dialects
Volunteers from Days for Girls traveled there twice in 2025 to deliver them.

Funds donated to update their camping equipment, relationship building
Local Eagle Scout wore the Stella Maris kerchief that was presented to him in Guatemala for this Eagle Scout ceremony.

30+ students served on our Student Advisory Board here in Ohio, students from Chagrin, Kenston, Orange, NDCL, University School, and Hathaway Brown.
Poverty encounter experience put on by our Student Advisory board, had > 75 people attend and raised both awareness and funds for our projects
Milton High School in Atlanta, GA started a chapter of Hearts 4 Guatemala Student Board. They have raised enough money to send 9 children to school through a clothing drive, pilates classes, and a vendor fair
NDCL raised money for 10 smokeless stoves using a dress down day as a fundraiser
University School has had a fundraiser to raise money for the projects and their Spanish Honor Society is continuing this forward in 2025

Thankful for every past, present, and future donor who contributes to our projects
Day for girls volunteers who are willing to help
Kiwanis Lander Circle who has helped sponsor delivery of the eyeglasses for the eye clinic
Church of the Holy Angels has sponsored students for education and promotes our fundraising
All the local schools who have allowed students to form chapters and fundraise, build awareness
Our founders acted as mentors for a student pursuing a nonprofit finance certification from Rice University
Our partners in Guatemala who we could not do any of this work without!