Common Hope

The fundamental belief that access to education is an opportunity for families to break the generational cycle of poverty IS the heart of Common Hope’s work. It is a fabric of support systems in education, health care, housing and family development designed to remove the barriers that prevent children from graduating from high school. Through Common Hope’s comprehensive approach families received access to programs and interventions that provide families with the tools they need to support the educational process we believe will break the cycle of poverty, but will also create a stronger, more sustainable community for generations to come. Common Hope supports more than 14,000 children and adults through our comprehensive programming model in 27 communities in Guatemala.

For 35 years, Common Hope has successfully delivered our mission to promote hope and opportunity in Guatemala. All of our programs work towards the long-term goals that students will (1) graduate high school or a vocational equivalent, (2) develop critical thinking skills, and (3) possess the confidence, compassion, and organizational skills that will enable them to be multipliers of our work and agents of change.

Common Hope’s 2017-2020 Strategic Plan is focused on growing our ability to serve thousands of children and families through education, health care, housing and family development and on renewing our commitment to foundational excellence by making necessary investments. This planning period will work to:

**Invest in the future. To carry out our mission, we need to ensure our capabilities grow along with our commitments and support envisioned growth.

**Build on a Proven Approach. As Common Hope has grown and evolved into a larger, more professional organization, we've honored our core values and maintained the emphasis on education within a holistic and relationship-based approach to human development. We are committed to building strong relationships between those we serve, our staff and volunteers, and our loyal, committed donor base. In this planning period, we will continue to steward our resources with integrity and discipline, maintaining donor confidence and providing a stable foundation of support to affiliated families so they may build a better future.

**Innovate to improve outcomes. As more than 2,000 graduates and a third long-term impact study demonstrate, Common Hope has been successful in raising educational attainment. To make hope real for more young Guatemalans, we continue to innovate in our programs to better address needs and obstacles. In this plan period, we seek to increase promotion rates through Junior High and into High School, improve the education primary schools provide affiliated students, and increase the number of students who continue into secondary school in San Rafael.

1. Empower families to eliminate barriers to education for their children by delivering efficient, effective programming in health care, housing, and family development. Our programs empower families to commit to education for their children through high school graduation. We will focus on providing support to families who are faced with sicknesses and insecure housing while accompanying them in their process of development.

2. Improve the success of key interventions to increase annual grade promotion toward high school or vocational graduation. We seek to create greater momentum for students rising through primary school, reaching junior high on schedule, and ultimately graduating from high school.

3. Improve the lives of families in the San Rafael and Santa Marta communities by increasing the educational attainment of their children and providing access to primary healthcare and social work accompaniment to the family. We will address the extreme poverty and barriers families in these communities face. Keeping children in school longer, providing access to secondary education, and addressing very basic family needs like primary health care and housing.

4. Improve the quality of education that primary schools provide to students in communities where our affiliated families live, contributing to improved outcomes in primary and secondary education. We will graduate our ¬first six partner schools with improved classroom management systems and literacy for their students and will launch Partner School 2.0 in up to eight public schools.

5. Define the vision for 2025 for the New Hope Site. We will specifically address our vision for New Hope School, unoccupied land, infrastructure and maintenance, the New Hope community, and potential areas for program expansion or innovation.

6. Build organizational capacity to align with goals for the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan and beyond. To honor generational commitments we make to grow the number of students in school, serve new communities, and partner with local public schools, we need to invest in our organizational capacity to attract, manage, and deploy greater resources.

7. Grow philanthropic support to generate revenues in excess of $5.5 million by 2020. To provide for planned expansion and investment, promote stability for generational program commitments, and sustain annual operations, we will generate revenue in excess of $5.5 million by 2020.

8. Steward our resources with integrity and discipline, carrying out our mission efficiently and effectively. Our history of stability, consistency of purpose, and kept promises has earned us credibility with our donors and the families we serve. We will maintain our goal of at least 80% of funding for program expenses, and maintain ¬fiscal integrity and donor trust.

Common Hope has been a strong and well-respected presence in Guatemala since 1986, and we have a well-established track record for accomplishing our goals and managing our programs. We have built a broad foundation of support, with the involvement of local schools, communities, governmental and non-governmental organizations. Our capable and committed staff is highly attuned to the local communities served, and 98% of in-country staff is Guatemalan.

Programmatic advances and innovation were possible because of our loyal donors and dedicated staff. Our mission is carried out by more than 8,000 active supporters, many of whom provide smaller, regular gifts over long periods of time. These recurring gifts make up nearly 42% of our annual revenues. This stable base of financial support enables us to make long term commitments the families we serve.

Common Hope has a well-established track record for accomplishing our goals and managing our programs. During the last three years, an average of 81% of donations have gone directly to programs. For 9 consecutive years, Common Hope has received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, a charity watchdog that measures for financial health as well as organizational transparency and accountability. Only 2% of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive this “exceptional” designation. Our rating means that our ability to allocate resources toward programs and services, while minimizing overhead and fundraising expenses, and our level of transparency and accountability with our donors, continues to exceed industry standards. Common Hope also meets all standards of the Charities Review Council.

For 35+ years, Common Hope’s comprehensive approach has provided education, health care, housing and family development programs that make it possible for children to attend and stay in school. Despite the fact that only 18.6% of the population in Guatemala complete a high school education, Common Hope has supported more than 2,400 students through graduation. Programmatic achievements include:

Education: Common Hope helped provide pre-primary, primary, secondary, and university education for 3,271 students in 2019, paying for tuition, books, supplies, shoes and uniforms. We celebrated 157 young men and women who earned their high school diploma, most of them being first generation graduates. In addition, educational support programs offered tutoring, summer school, special education, access to libraries and computer labs, youth groups, and teacher training. Moreover, Common Hope operated a school for primary and pre-school students at New Hope Village, and we served an additional 547 students in public primary schools through our reading and math initiatives through Partner Schools, a program designed to improve the quality of education for all students who attend.

Family Development: Common Hope partnered with 1,629 families to provide resources and tools to improve their lives in Guatemala. Through a long-term relationship with a Common Hope social worker, families identified goals, obstacles and created their own family development plan. In support of these development plans, we provided training for adults in parenting and early childhood stimulation. Common Hope also offered emergency relief and support groups for parents and those struggling with alcoholism, psychological and emotional issues.

Health Care: Common Hope’s medical and dental staff and volunteers conducted a total of 10,760 consultations with patients at our clinics in 2019. Health care services included examinations, lab tests, x-rays, medications, surgeries, mental health services and dental care. Clinic staff provided treatment and education for specific health issues endemic to the area, including diabetes and hypertension. In addition, we conducted 4,798 screenings to diagnose things like cervical cancer, diabetes, and nutritional deficiencies. We partner with other organizations to provide health and dental care at our San Rafael, San Miguel Milpas Altas, and New Hope sites.

Housing: Common Hope partnered with families to build 80 houses that are clean, dry, and safe. Family members worked more than 4,695 sweat-equity hours to “earn” these home improvements. Common Hope also improved and operated the infrastructure for New Hope including running water, electricity, and sewer, to help families who have relocated from marginal housing in Guatemala City. In addition, the housing program built 10 retaining walls using recycled materials to protect homes from landslides, provided 68 efficient wood stoves, and provided 25 families with space saving, folding bunk beds.