Give children in rural Guatemala a healthy start in life

Hi we're Gareth and Araminta.

We want to make a lasting impact in the community that we live in, so we've decided to take on the toughest challenge in Guatemala to fundraise for an extremely important cause.

The Critical "First 1,000 Days".

Studies show that the first 1,000 days in a child's life are critical to the future development and prospects of that child. Without access to this information and the critical nutrition needed, many children in Guatemala are malnourished during this critical 1,000 day period with lifelong lasting impacts. This isn't a problem for most of us in the West, where access to education, medication and nutrition are affordable and easy to come by. But, for many teenage mothers in Guatemala they simply have no access to these critical resources.

ODIM's "Healthy Mommy and Me".

The Organisation for the Development of the Indigenous Maya is a non-profit organisation in Guatemala that support mothers and their babies during the first 1,000 days. In Guatemala, child mortality and chronic malnutrition are among the highest in the world, and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In fact, in the rural communities here at Lake Atitlan where ODIM works, 8 out of 10 children are malnourished, and a worrying number of babies don't make it to their 2nd birthday. The current Covid-19 crisis has made conditions even worse, with many families losing jobs and unable to support their families.

The support, nutritional supplements and education these mothers and infants receive from ODIM create a healthy and safe environment that support these children for life. ODIM is working together with the people of San Pablo and San Juan la Laguna - our neighbours where we live at The Sanctuary Guatemala, San Marcos Lake Atitlan.

THE CHALLENGE.

Over the course of 8 intense days, we will travel through Guatemala completing three different challenges:

• CHALLENGE ONE - 2 night/ 2 day 62km jungle trek from the ruins of Yaxhá to the ancient Mayan city of Tikal
• CHALLENGE TWO - Overnight hike of Volcano ACATENANGO (height 13,041 ft / 3,976 m above the sea)
• CHALLENGE THREE - 12km Paddle boarding across Lake Atitlan

Our Goal and Your Support

Our aim, as a team is to raise enough money to fund the ODIM Guatemala’s Healthy Mommy & Me Initiative in 2021 and to do this we need your help.

Our fundraising goal is raise a minimum of $6000.

This amount is enough to support 25 mothers and their babies throughout the entire program - 1,000 days of life - that have such a huge impact in the future of these children.

Your donation, no matter how small, will go a long way to helping us meet our goal.

Will you help us give children in Guatemala a healthy start in life?

Enter a donation amount on this page to show your support.

Thank you for your support in making a difference.

Love,

Araminta & Gareth