Hope of Life International saves lives and families in Guatamala
Posted by Peter Roaf
on Apr 28, 2015
Long-time Ladner Rotarian Ed Klassen and his wife Kathy, en route home to Nanaimo from a winter stay in New Zealand, spoke to the club about Hope of Life International.Hope of Life International is a faith-based Christian organization to minister to the spiritual, physical, and educational needs of the impoverished people of Guatemala. To address the needs of the poor, the sick, the homeless, and the fatherless Hope of Life began in 1987 with a campus of 3 acres and now thrives on 3,000 acres, feeding the hungry through 78 feeding centers, caring for countless orphans and the elderly, rescuing hundreds of children from the brink of starvation each year, sheltering the homeless, and providing a first-class education for hundreds of poor children.
Kathy and Ed Klassen, who spoke about Hope of Life International, flank fellow Rotarian Tom SibaOver 98% of the water in Guatemala is contaminated resulting in thousands of deaths each year—regrettably, most are children. Drinking unclean water leads to a number of life-threatening illnesses including diarrhea, malaria, typhoid, cholera, worms and parasites, and many others. Diarrhea caused by contaminated water is the leading cause of death in infants under the age of five. In some villages, families must travel hours to find water, carrying it back in buckets. Hope of Life International has reached out and delivered clean water to surrounding communities.
In 1998 and 2005, massive mudslides swept away entire villages, killing hundreds if not thousands, leaving many homeless. Since then, many storms have battered this tiny country killing hundreds more. A few miles from the campus of Hope of Life International, the government offered these people empty land on which to live. Families, many with babies and toddlers, began rebuilding their lives with “houses” from whatever they could find: sticks, plastics bags, cardboard, discarded tin, or bits of wood. There was no running water, no electricity, and the land was barren because of the drought that followed the mudslides. Hope of Life International began reaching out to these people by providing food and regular distribution of rice, beans, and more. Wells were built at a cost of $5,000-$15,000 each, and as funds became available, one by one, houses are being built to replace the huts and give families hope.
One of the most vital parts of Hope of Life Internationalis the ongoing Baby Rescue work. In 2011 alone, 800 children on the brink of starvation were found, brought to the Hope of Life International campus, and nursed back to health. A more recent goal was to rescue 1,000. Once St Luke’s Hospital is open, it is expected that the ministry will rescue 3,000 children each year.