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Our various humanitarian projects are very precious to us. We love being able to share our products where they are needed and appreciated, and to provide financial assistance to several projects from funds that our commission earners have earmarked for Simple Solutions. Following is an update on one such project. The origins of the Guatemala Project can be traced back over 15 years to the efforts of Business Associates Hannah Ineson and Michael Linden, who combined forces to answer a call for help from the Central American republic of Guatemala. During that time, the Guatemala Project (originally named Energia Para La Vida, or "Energy for Life") has continuously supported a small but vital nonprofit foundation known as Project Only A Child. The life of Massachusetts resident George Leger changed forever when he read a newspaper article about children living in the streets of Guatemala City. As a result, he founded Only A Child and has devoted his life to it. From the beginning, he wanted his youngsters to have access to the benefits of Super Blue Green Algae products.
Although Guatemala City and the Culion Islands are half a world apart, the situation faced by their people is the same, as is true wherever poverty and isolation are found. George's shelter is in the middle of a city, where the environment is hostile and daily violence, crime, and pollution must be endured. As he writes in his Spring 2009 newsletter:
George writes: "As imperative as it is that we know we can be loved, it is just as important that we are able to give our love in return." After helping out for some weeks, the volunteers were one day greeted by a large number of residents who "began to smile and clap as they called out to greet us. A few of the more nimble among them literally jumped for joy." The effect on George's little band of volunteers was "immeasurable." They felt "valued and respected." He adds:
"No matter how much we have been hurt and even broken, we still retain the ability to comfort others when they are in pain. Our youngsters learned that they too were capable of easing the suffering of another. Perhaps they could have a hand in healing themselves as well." The young people of Project Only A Child are now family to each other and to George, and although the path will remain difficult, they "have been brought together to watch over and sustain each other."
Hannah Ineson heard of the Dr. Theresa Kohen Foundation through a customer, a former missionary who was sending Super Blue Green Algae to an elderly leper and his family. Through the years, Hannah has assisted this family with many of their medical and financial needs. One of the family's grandchildren is a sponsored child in the Foundation. As Patricia Hilao wrote when her project first came to our attention in 2007:
"What concerns me most is the future of our poorest children… The main problems of Culion focus on malnourishment, education, and unemployment, to name a few. How our hearts ache each time we see small graders (grades I to VI) from adjacent islets and barrios walking the 8-9 km on rough roads just to be able to attend classes in a nearby village, all wet in the rain. Teachers would often tell us that upon arriving, these children are hungry and would complain of headache and dizziness. During the rainy, stormy months (May to October) it's an added blow to our poorest people's lives because usually at this time of year everything is dear and scarce, especially food and other prime commodities." Established in 1904 as one of the largest leper colonies in the world, Culion was chosen for its isolation. About 200 nautical miles southwest of Manila, it is not easy to reach even today, requiring long boat rides that are frequently suspended due to monsoons and heavy seas. No cases of active leprosy are now accepted on the island, and only about 100 patients currently reside there, all of them medically treated. The 22,000 inhabitants of the Culion islands are a combination of indigenous tribal people and descendents of original residents of the leper colony. Social as well as physical isolation still haunts the islanders, in spite of an influx of wealthier people who are interested in the beautiful island property. In a recent e-mail from Patricia, she records one of her many "outreach" visits among the islands:
"As we often are out in the fields on `immersion` (home visits), we can see how the impact of this recession and continuing economic crisis goes on, mostly felt by our depressed tribal, marginal fishermen, compared to the ironic parade of outsiders who buy beautiful islands around Culion to be developed into what they have in mind. Presently, blank, pale faces and squeezed countenances greet us as we go around, a sign of hunger and deprivation." Support for both these projects has grown, thanks to the commitment of Simplexity Health at the corporate level and of Simplexity Business Associates. Since this has become a dual-purpose endeavor, the name of The Guatemala Project has been changed legally (as a nonprofit organization registered in the state of Maine) to The Guatemala/Philippines Project. More about each project can be found on their websites
 http://www.onlyachild.org and
The financial situation that affects all of us has even more dire consequences in Guatemala City and Culion. Some of the schools in Culion will be closed, and children must go further to reach school. Starvation is more common, as the cost of rice went from $6 for 50 pounds, to $35. In Guatemala City, the cost of maintaining the shelter has risen dramatically. What can we do to help? Remember that even a small number of U.S. dollars can make a huge difference in these countries. The cost of educating one child for one year in Culion is only $35 - the cost of a bag of rice. Yet many cannot afford either, as they are subsistence fishermen with little if any cash. In Guatemala City, even a small monthly donation adds to the security of the shelter against the outside world. Through Simplexity Health, Business Associates can contribute amounts as low as $2.50 monthly, as an auto-deduction from commission checks, which goes into a general fund for the projects supported by the company. If you wish to contribute directly to the Guatemala/Philippines project, please contact us directly. We gratefully accept one-time donations by check or credit card, or monthly automatic credit card deductions. No amount is too small - it ALL makes a difference! To echo the words of George Leger, "As always, I thank you for continuing to believe in our efforts to bring healing and hope to our youngsters so that they in turn may bring healing and hope to others."
The Guatemala/Philippines Project
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Today, George spends most of his time in Guatemala City, where about 40 young people are cared for through his mentorship, which now includes a full-time shelter. He returns to the U.S. to see family and friends and to have a break from the challenges of Guatemala City, but primarily to raise funds for his youngsters. Thanks to Simplexity Health, some of this important work is already done for him on a monthly basis. The company supports the shelter financially as well as by sending products. Simplexity Business Associates and customers are among the regular contributors to the Guatemala Project, which funnels donations to Project Only A Child.
For the last couple of years, similar support has also been going to a non-profit foundation in the Philippines. On the island of Culion, the location of a former leper colony, poverty and isolation still haunt many of the colony's descendents as well as the indigenous people who fish the waters of the surrounding islands. The Dr. Theresa Kohen Foundation was founded in 1999 by Patricia Hilao, daughter of leper colony residents, to provide support for the poorest children of the island, in particular to provide them with education that they could not otherwise afford. Currently over 100 children receive aid for schooling from grammar school through college. Upon graduation, these young people can earn their own living, support their families, and escape the cycle of poverty into which they were born. On occasion, the families of these children are also given food and the means to rebuild homes that have fallen into severe disrepair.
Through Project Only A Child and the dedication of George Leger, many of these lost children have discovered trust and love. Even more, they have discovered that their lives do matter. A few years ago, under George's leadership several of the youngsters became volunteers at Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, a home for the elderly and mentally ill, also in Guatemala City.
In Culion, Patricia Hilao is a one-woman project in much the same way that George Leger gives life to Project Only A Child. She is a widow in her mid 60's, a former municipal councilwoman who was assisted in her youth by a missionary educator. Dr. Theresa Kohen (now deceased) paid for Patricia's education, and, later, the education of her children. As a result, Patricia Hilao's gratitude fueled her passion for helping others who could not find a way out of their dire circumstances.
