MISSION GUATEMALA INC
Do All The Good You Can
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Mission Guatemala's primary areas of focus are health, education and nutrition. And, since the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact in the areas that we serve, we are also working to address needs that have arisen in the areas we serve. Access to quality medical care for Indigenous Mayan people of Guatemala is rare. In addition, the majority of children in Guatemala do not attend school past the 6th grade. And, according to the World Food Programme, 47 percent of children in Guatemala suffer from chronic malnutrition, which is the highest rate in all of Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the highest rates in the world.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Medical Clinic
Mission Guatemala operates a medical clinic 5 days a week in the community of San Andrés Semetabaj. Patients pay a small fee for consultation with the doctor and a small fee for any needed medicines. Mission Guatemala works to ensure that no one is denied access to the doctor due to a lack of resources.
Nutrition Program
According to the World Food Programme, 47 percent of children in Guatemala suffer from chronic malnutrition, which is the highest rate in all of Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the highest rates in the world. Over the years, Mission Guatemala has worked to help combat this through our nutrition programs, which are organized with community collaboration.
During a child’s critical early years of development, the effects of malnutrition can be especially devastating, leading to stunting, anemia, and chronic infections and sickness.
For this reason, Mission Guatemala coordinates the "Niños Chispudos" (Kids With Spark) Early Childhood Nutrition Program which utilizes the Chispuditos® food product. Chispuditos® is a soy/corn based atol, or porridge, developed by The Mathile Institute in order to provide a daily nutritional supplement for children in Guatemala. Our "Niños Chispudos" program is open to all mothers with children aged 6 months to 6 years old, and provides Chispuditos® as well as free medical care for their children at Mission Guatemala's medical clinics. In addition, any young children suffering from malnutrition who are treated in our clinic are referred by the doctor to the "Niños Chispudos" program.
Scholarship Program
Most of us take the opportunity to have access to a middle and high school education for granted, but here in Guatemala, the education that the government requires and readily provides ends at 6th grade. While the level of elementary school enrollment generally approaches 100%, because of the lack of access and increased cost of a middle school education, the percentage of Guatemalan youth who continue their education past the 6th grade drops to below 50%.
The "Becas con Misión" (Scholarships with a Mission) program helps provide an opportunity for students who have the determination and grades—but not the financial resources—to continue their education past the 6th grade, which is still the only educational level that the Guatemalan government requires and readily provides.
The students selected for the "Becas" program are chosen based on a variety of factors, including economic need, grades from elementary school, and recommendations from their 6th-grade teachers. Once accepted into the scholarship program, students will have the opportunity to continue in the program throughout middle school and beyond, as long as they maintain a 75% average each semester.
Where we work
Awards
Top Rated 2021
GreatNonprofit
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students who receive scholarship funds and/or tuition assistance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of people who receive medical care in our clinic.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Medical Clinic
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 our clinic had modified hours due to the government's mandatory curfew.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Mission Guatemala Inc., is a faith-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to help meet the basic needs and improve the quality of life of under-served and impoverished Guatemalan peoples through health, education and nutrition initiatives and missionary service.
Our Vision is a Guatemala where:
Children do not die from hunger.
Children, women, and men have access to quality and respectful healthcare, regardless of race, religion, sex, age, or economic status.
Rates of illness and death due to respiratory illnesses and burns from open cook fires in the home becomes a problem of the past.
Families learn the importance of proper nutrition and sanitation.
Mothers and children have access to vitamins and formula.
Water is accessible and safe to drink.
Dental care is no longer a luxury.
Communities decide what services they need and help make them a reality.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Health: Mission Guatemala operates a medical clinic 5 days a week in the community of San Andrés Semetabaj. Our goal is to provide quality medical care to all Guatemalan people. Mission Guatemala works to ensure that no one is denied access to the doctor due to a lack of resources. And, our medical clinic provides quality medical care including lab testing done on site.
Education: Mission Guatemala provides scholarships for middle and high school students. The students in our “Becas Con Misíon” scholarship program (Scholarships with a Mission) are selected based both on economic need and on their grades from elementary school. Once accepted into the scholarship program, students will have the opportunity to continue in the program throughout middle school and beyond, as long as they maintain a 75% average each semester.
Nutrition: During a child’s critical early years of development, the effects of malnutrition can be especially devastating, leading to stunting, anemia, and chronic infections and sickness. For this reason, Mission Guatemala coordinates the "Niños Chispudos" (Kids With A Spark) Early Childhood Nutrition Program which utilizes the Chispuditos® food product. Chispuditos® is a soy/corn based atol, or porridge, developed by The Mathile Institute in order to provide a daily nutritional supplement for children in Guatemala. Our "Niños Chispudos" program is open to all mothers with children aged 6 months to 6 years old, and provides Chispuditos® as well as free medical care for their children at Mission Guatemala's medical clinics. In addition, any young children suffering from malnutrition who are treated in our clinic are referred by the doctor to the "Niños Chispudos" program.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Through our medical clinic, scholarship program and nutritional programs, we are equipped to make an impact in the areas of health, education and nutrition in Guatemala.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2022, we celebrated 12 years of serving! Over the years, we have opened and maintained a medical clinic that provides quality medical care, started and maintained a scholarship program and provided nutritional programs for children in Guatemala. In addition, there have been many schools who now have bathrooms, hand-washing stations, classrooms, and other improvements and also homes that have quality stoves installed because of the work of our mission teams.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
MISSION GUATEMALA INC
Board of directorsas of 05/17/2024
Ken Hundley
Madisonville UMC
Term: 2021 - 2023
Bob Sekijima
Thomas Greene
Tricia Howell
Karen Furr
Jessica Welcher
Luke Maurer
Ken Hundley
Lucinda Lautz
Aaron Carlisle
Jason Morris
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No