The Background

March 21st-28th 2009.

Six of us 20-somethings and one trip leader participated in Orthodox Christian Fellowship Real Break 2009. Our particular trip was to the Hogar Rafael Ayau Orphanage in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The Hogar is located in Zone 1, the most dangerous part of Guatemala City. It was founded in 1857 and is run primarily by three Orthodox Christian nuns (Mothers Ines, Ivonne, and Maria).

About 30 minutes away from the Hogar sits the site of the new Orphanage and the Lavra Mambre Monastery (where Mothers Ines and Maria live).

There are currently 75 children at the Hogar.

Aerial view of Guatemala City

Like much of Central America, Guatemala is still struggling to recover from long standing dictatorships, coups, invasions, and a 36-year civil war resulting in the deaths of 200,000 innocent civilians.

Guatemala is rife with violent crimes, narcotics, gangs, poverty, legalization of prostitution, and a corrupt government and law enforcement.

In the 2007 elections, 50 of the 52 candidates were shot and killed. Of the two remaining candidates, Alvaro Colom, a drug lord, was chosen to lead the country. Under this new leadership, adoptions in the country have nearly ceased. The entire per capita GDP of Guatemala is approximately $4,700 USD (compared to $48,000 in the US).

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This entry was posted on April 11, 2009 at 9:32 pm and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.