Common Hope

Common Hope promotes hope and opportunity in Guatemala, partnering with children, families, and communities who want to participate in a process of development to improve their lives through education, health care, and housing. What are Common Hopes basic areas ofwork? Our work is concentrated in four basic areas: education, health care, housing, and family development. In education, we help a child attend school, and we provide support to schools to enhance the quality of education children receive. In health care, we provide access to affordable health care, and we provide preventive health education. In housing, we provide the opportunity for families to earn new homes, stoves, and utilities like water and electricity. In family development, we provide a social worker for each family, helping them define their goals for the future, and also connecting families with counseling, parenting classes, and job placement services. How does Common Hope work? Once a family forms a partnership with us, we require them to actively participate in their own development process-beginning with their child staying in school. We believe that their participation in the process preserves dignity and builds ownership. With help from Common Hopes social workers, each family identifies the challenges they want to address and sets goals for themselves. The goals might include building a new house, getting their family dental check-ups, or searching for a new job. The social worker helps the individual family members connect with the right program or activity so that they can begin achieving those goals and improving their lives. Where does Common Hope work? Common Hope currently works in 26 communities near Antigua and Guatemala City. What distinguishes Common Hopes work? Common Hope has six distinguishing elements: (1) personal, regular contact with the families we serve; (2) required participation from those we serve; (3) comprehensive and integrated programs; (4) responsible and e