Two New Foster Families Accredited!
In case you haven’t been following us for awhile, I’ll give you some backstory so that you can see how huge and wonderful this news truly is.
In Guatemala, there are an estimated 3,800-10,000 children living in the 145+* orphanages and institutions around Guatemala.
While these numbers might not seem big, it’s important to note that there are only an estimated 105-133 foster families for the ENTIRE COUNTRY of Guatemala, which has a population of close to 17,000,000 people.
Even if we take the low end estimate of kids in orphanages and institutions and the high end estimate for the number of foster families (and assuming 1 child per foster family), that means there are currently only enough foster families for 3.5% of institutionalized kids.
*(the number is likely much higher as 145 only accounts for the ~3,800 kids in registered facilities)
Our team visiting the Perdomo Galicia family to celebrate their accreditation as a new Story International foster family!
While the situation seems dire, there is ALWAYS reason to hope.
We’re so glad to announce that last Friday two more families received their official accreditation as new foster families! Praise God!
This is a long and in-depth process that requires the collaboration of the Guatemalan government and an intensive period of trainings/evaluations/etc in order to ensure that we have a well-trained, well-intentioned, and well-equipped network of foster families.
We are being careful to grow slowly so that we can ensure the best experiences possible for both foster parents and kids living in foster care.
Quality over quantity always ought to be the goal when a child’s wellbeing is at stake.
The families that go through our trainings and evaluations and jump through the legal hoops to become foster families in our network are people who care deeply for vulnerable children and are willing to make great sacrifices in order to welcome them into their home.
Our team was also able to visit the Archila Lopez family and welcome them into our growing foster family network!
Slowly but surely, foster care is growing in Huehuetenango.
With these two new foster families, 2 children (or 2 sibling groups) can now potentially avoid the dangers and pitfalls of orphanage life.
It may be a small impact, but for those kids it could mean the world.
Our team is working diligently to encourage and equip local churches to respond to the call of James 1:27 to care for the “orphan and the widow” in their midst (or, in a broader sense, the vulnerable children and families of Huehuetenango).
In total, we now have 9 foster families! Soon, we could account for 10% of ALL foster families in Guatemala.
That’s right - WE - our small team of passionate professionals on the ground in Guatemala and all of YOU who’ve been praying and advocating and donating to help make this work possible.
Thank you for being a part of this - we hope you’ll continue to follow and support this transformative work being done in Huehuetenango!
Please leave some words of encouragement for our team and these new foster families in the comments below and consider passing this blog along to a friend to show them why you believe in the work we’re doing in Guatemala :)