United in Service Latin America

In 2009, USLA was able to obtain enough funding to pay for 15 children to attend school for the 2010-2011 school year ($153 each), and for 10 children to participate in a local soccer league. This soccer league is predominantly comprised of middle class or upper middle class kids who are often viewed as having more worth in society than the kids who attend the ministry. Participation in this league teaches our kids that they are just as important as everyone else. It also teaches them the value of hard work and setting goals (only kids with passing grades get to participate).

The Ministry of Light and Truth is a Guatemalan Christian organization that works with 30-40 children in a slum area of Guatemala City. They provide clothing and food donations and work with the families of the children to ensure the children are nourished, clean, well-groomed, and attending school. They partner with schools the children attend to ensure they are performing well.

In the Spring of 2008, we began partnering with the CASS program (Cooperative Association of States for Scholarships) at The University of Northern Colorado. This program was created in 1989, to improve the academic skills and practices of teachers in Central America and the Caribbean.

USLA has develop partnerships with various groups in the El Paso and regions of Northern Mexico. In February and May of 2009, we were able to provide the Rotary Cub of Cuatemoc, Mexico with 10 computers to schools attended by the Tarahumara Indians of Chihuahua, Mexico. The Tarahumara live in extreme poverty in the mountains of Chihuahua. Some have also moved to Juarez in order to find work.

In 2009, USLA established a partnership with a special education school in Santa María de Jesús, Guatemala. Children with disabilities are often viewed as having nothing to contribute to society in Guatemala. This school believes differently, and has provided children who would otherwise remain illiterate with the opportunity to attend school. You can view their website at: http://www.newlifeguatemala.com.

In Guatemala, individuals with disabilities experience life very differently from individuals with disabilities in the U.S. In Guatemala, children are allowed to fail a particular grade 3 times, and then their educational career is over. And for kids whose disabilities impact their ability to learn, that is exactly what happens.