Repairing classrooms in the local village school – painting, whiteboards, desks, windows and light fixtures.  The schools are typically in a state of disrepair. Evidence exists to indicate that improved learning environments have an impact on the student’s behavior, motivation, learning and achievement.

Our Adopt-A-Home program provides a family with furniture (bed and bedding, clothing wardrobe, tables and chairs, kitchen cabinet), cooking utensils (dishes, pots and pans), hygiene basket, and cleaning supplies.

These may seem like a list of ordinary household items, but they are necessary for a functional home.

Since no two families are alike, the gift will be tailored to meet specific needs.

Because of the high altitude, nights are cold in this region of Guatemala and proper bedding is essential. Many families sleep on the dirt floors in their homes.

A steel double bed with a thick, durable mattress,  2 sheets, pillows and a bedspread (thin top spread).

Bedding: 2 sheets, pillows and a bedspread (thin top spread)

Most people in Canada cycle for exercise. In Guatemala, a bicycle can mean survival. A bicycle can make all the difference in a person’s life. It can be the difference between having a job or not, going to school or not, seeing a doctor or not… Receiving a bicycle can really be a life changing event!

The recipients of our Build-a-Home projects are chosen by our social workers in consultation with community leaders.

Our Loving Arms volunteer teams and local workers build unfurnished homes for families but we have to pay for the construction materials.
This gift is a life-time for a family.

Give this gift of one or two books chosen for children based on their age and reading skills.

You can also make a donation of books for a school library.

Buy a twin-sized steel bunk bed will give the children a place to sleep and will maximize the space in the small-sized home.

Provides the mandatory school supplies to children that could otherwise not attend school. Loving Arms believes that all children deserve the right to an education and that it is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

The purpose of this program is to provide an opportunity for poor families from Parramos, to start their own agricultural business. The materials, advice and market to sell their products will be provided for them.

The goal of the project is to educate and train family members, giving them the ability to develop and maintain agricultural type businesses, resulting in improving their lives. .

The benefit of this project is not only for the immediate families, but a portion of the proceeds will be reinvested into Loving Arms to enable other family start-ups.

The purpose of this program is to dignify women and provide much needed improved health care for women who currently cook with wood and in many cases just on the soil in their home.

The goal of this project is to provide stoves to all families in the villages we work with (currently Parramos, Parrojas and Paraxaj).  The health benefits have been well documented, after indigenous households that cook indoors received these new designs that are vented to the outside.

Since January 2011 we started the water filter program and we built some filters as a pilot in each of the villages and we built these first filters in families that were referred by the Health Department as urgent due their health condition, after a month of using the filters and received their worm medicine and vitamins these families were totally recover no more diarrheas, vomiting, skin problems, they were healthier.

Most people in Canada cycle for exercise. In Guatemala, a bicycle can mean survival. A bicycle can make all the difference in a person’s life. It can be the difference between having a job or not, going to school or not, seeing a doctor or not… Receiving a bicycle can really be a life changing event!