Meet Pedro. We Funded His Education in Guatemala.
2010 Honoree Leonor Portela founded Misioneros Del Camino to provide housing and protection to orphaned, abandoned and malnourished children in Guatemala.
In 2010, Leonor was honored at our Awards Ceremony with the 2010 Humanitarian Award and given $75,000 in grant funding to advance her work. Leonor used our funds to provide free special education classes, meals and transportation for 24 children with special needs.
One of those children is 10-year-old Pedro, who has been enrolled in special education classes since our funding started in January 2011. When Pedro first arrived at Misioneros, he had poor motor skills and limited language abilities. Unable to communicate, he suffered mood swings and was completely dependent on his mother. Before finding out about Misioneros, Pedro’s family was afraid they had nowhere to turn–that Pedro might grow up with no hope for a future as an independent adult.
Since beginning treatment at Misioneros, Pedro has made amazing personal strides. His vocabulary has dramatically increased and he can now express himself more easily. Thanks to his improved communication skills, Pedro now seeks out other children to play with and has become increasingly independent.
Pedro’s family has noticed how much he has thrived at Misioneros, expressing their gratitude to teachers and therapists on many occasions.
Today, they look forward to the new possibilities each day could bring; and, perhaps most importantly, Pedro does, too.
Learn more about how our Award funding has had a direct impact on the lives of children like Pedro by visiting worldofchildren.org/about-us/impact.