Archive for News
The Future of Semillas de Amor Children’s Home
Posted by: | CommentsThe future, even in the next weeks, of the Semillas de Amor children’s home is in jeopardy. We have been without a income for 18 months. We have, however, received generous donations but it is still not enough to keep our children’s home afloat. Our monthly budget, and this is bare bones, is $15,000.00. I spend as much time as possible doing fundraising but the truth is, that it is just not enough. So many children’s homes in Guatemala have closed and I wonder where the courts are putting the children? A system that was already overcrowded and understaffed is bursting at the seams. We have had to turn down children, that the courts have referred to us, because we cannot jeopardize the lives of the children already in our care. But the truth is, that their lives are in jeopardy. Without money to pay salaries, we are three pay periods behind, we are losing our staff and many of those people long term and valuable employees.
When adoptions were in open in Guatemala we were able to run our children’s home with little donation money. The fees for the children that were adopted paid for the children, that either were not adoptable or were special needs adoptions. But in the last 18 months that income has stopped as Guatemala closed adoptions due to the Hague Treaty. We have had to focus on fundraising, and generosity, to care for the kids.
Our plans for the future have been to open a small preschool for kids ages 3-5. Since we already have 15 children in that age category our school is almost full, but we will invite some children from the community. We hope to partner with an NGO in Canada to begin our school, they will provide technical support, which is a huge help to us. The overhead to care for 30, 40 or 50 kids is just so expensive and we don’t know whether they will ever have a chance at being adopted. I won’t warehouse children. The best option is to care for the 15 children we have, that do not have families, and begin our education program. We hope, at some point, the other 22 children will be going home with their adoptive families, once the Guatemalan government stops their harassment of children’s homes and quits using the kids as political pawns.
In the meantime, if you can find it in your heart and financial means, we are in desperate need of your help. No amount is too small.
We really try to keep our spirits up but right now it is tough. When we can’t pay the staff, and these are people who cannot go without a paycheck, it is so difficult. Every tiny expenditure is a luxury. The thought of sending any of these kids back into a court system that will not and does not care for them kills me. We won’t give up and we will keep fighting for the kids, the rights and their home but we need your help.
Donation information:
Donations can be made via PayPal at SAVESEMILLAS.ORG or donations can be sent, checks payable to Seeds of Love to: Seeds of Love, 905 Notre Dame DR, Woodland, CA 95695. For more information or questions please contact Nancy Bailey at nancy@semillasdeamor.org.
The slideshow shows our garden, complete with new name tags for the plants, the Scott family whose children are adopted from Guatemala, their school had a fundraiser for Semillas de Amor and raised $1500.00. Also lots of kids doing what kids do the best, having fun. Oh yes, and our new sign, that I bought over a year ago, but had to wait until we painted to put it up, Welcome to Our Home.
Instant Family of Five, Oh My!
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Going from a young, carefree couple living in New York City to the instant parents of three babies is an incredible change. We, at Semillas de Amor, were fortunate to watch that transition and all the joy it brought to the Copper deCarlo family. The family did not bring home “just” three little ones but one of Guatemala’s infamous street dogs as well. The Cooper deCarlo family found a four month old puppy in the bushes starving to death. So caring for three little ones was not enough, nope, they loaded up the pup, named her Cula, and she became number four in the adoption story. This family has been quite the inspiration. While they lived at Semillas de Amor, not only did they love their own children, but they loved and cherished all the children at our home. We have all been blessed.
Cula
Human Rights?
Posted by: | CommentsLast week, Gaby, Daisy and the four dogs and I, were driving home from the children’s village and I asked Gaby, my 13 year old daughter, born and raised in Guatemala (and very proud of it) what she had learned in school. Mornings she studies Spanish curriculum and afternoons and evenings English. Gaby told me about the three generations of human rights and the United Nations. As she went on about human rights, it all sounded very good to me. Then I asked her what country she was talking about. Gaby looked like I had slapped her, she said, with her head bowed down, “Guatemala”. I truly was surprised by the number of human rights in this country. I guess, I assumed, even after living here 15 years and all I have been through that there were no human rights. The truth is there are many. I asked Gaby if she thought about what her teacher was telling her, what she was reading and the reality of the life around her. She again looked sad. So I asked Gaby to write a piece about human rights in Guatemala. This is Gaby’s post, her feelings and her thoughts from a 13 year old Guatemalan teenager’s view.
The views of this post belong solely to the author, but I think what she has to say is right on.
Human Rights?! What a joke! ’cause I see none. Do you?
Blog by: Gabriela Bailey
June 18 of 2009
Dear Fellow and Loyal Readers.
Now, you must be wondering what I’m doing writing this instead of Nancy Bailey. No? Well then,you can scroll down instead and ignore me or go get a sandwich and listen to what I have to say. You have read what goes in Guatemala if read the blog or if you have adopted a child from Semillas de Amor. But do you really know what happens? Nancy Bailey has seen and experienced it all. What have I done or seen? I’ve seen violence, poverty break apart bit by bit the lives of children, animals and people. I’ve seen it kill the hope in our hearts. I’ve seen injustice pass before my eyes more than I can count in my life. You have read the battle between the Guatemala government and Nancy Bailey through her perspective. Now I will tell you my perspective from a 13 year old that has seen the suffering destroy the lives of others. I have lived my entire life in Guatemala and I have seen abuse and cruelty pass through it’s streets more than I want to remember. Some things make my heart ache and some make me want to scream at the top of my lungs with despair. I have seen animals in pain from cruelty. I have seen children abused and made to obey in fear. I have felt how this entire battle destroyed the hope in our hearts. I have seen how Nancy, Luvia and Gerson have been destroyed in the battle and I have seen more than one child try to hide their tears with a fake smile.
What you may not know, though, is that Nancy Bailey was not kidding when she said that these children’s rights where being violated. In fact, all of them are being violated. The 20th of November, 1959 there was the Declaration of the Rights of Children. The United Nations declared this law, but I haven’t seen it in action. This document was meant to protect children and protect the objects that where going to protect them. Where did it go? The UN is “supposed” to make human rights become reality. To keep the peace and make sure there is protection in Guatemala. Work together for the solution of economic, social and cultural problems. Coordinate hard work on the nations to reach the principals of peace, the well being and respect for human rights. The principal rights for children are: They have a right to food and a home. They have a right to a family and a right to an education. They have a right for a peaceful life. They are born free with no bonds holding them down. Now out of all these rights I have seen none being followed. Instead I have seen children hardened from the suffering of their human rights being abused. I have seen bleeding and crying animals. I have seen pain pass more then once across a face and I have seen more than one spirit torn to pieces and left to rot.
You may not want to face the reality of life but get over it! Now get out of that chair of yours and think. Imagine. What if this was happening to your wife, your child, your sister or brother? What if your aunts and uncles were suffering and in agony? What if it was you? What if it was you in the torment and black hole of despair, depression, agony and anguish? You would be fighting for family members but what about us? Where is your heart and moral compass. Are you too selfish to get up and care about a child who is not just hurting but who is dying inside? Are you to busy to get up and bother about the world? If you are then I have seen your kind. I have seen people make promises and then not give a bother about us later. I have seen families take there children back to the United States and then not give a a second thought about us. I have seen people think they know what their doing, when in fact,they are going to end up lost in the big black forest of the Guatemalan government. Then I have seen the people who do care. Who bother to get up and fight. Such people as LSS and the Copper family. They are proud to stand up and I am grateful that they care. I am beyond joy when I have seen what they have done for these kids. I have seen people stand up and give the children more fun in there lives with the care and love they give them such as Rich and Pam Garman. The biggest advocate I know is Nancy Bailey. She is my hero and mother who can whip up the best apple pie in a couple of hours. Have a sense of doing the right thing and help her, she deserves it more then you know.
Now you may be wondering why I care. How is it that I care? Maybe Nancy Bailey just made me write this? No. I have taught myself to open up to the children and make them my little brothers and sisters. More then once they have called me mama by accident. I tell them if they want they can. Or they can call me big sis. Which ever they like best. I love these children more then I love myself. They are little brothers and sisters and I would do anything for them. Cut my arm off if I had to. Please, have a heart and take a second to care. Instead of sitting there and commenting about what a pity that these children are in despair,why don’t you try and help? But what do I know? Maybe you have something more important. I hope I have made my point and I am sorry if I ranted there for a bit. I just hate not being able to do anything to make adoptions possible again. I will have to settle for being the older sister of fifteen brothers and sisters. Oh well, I would ask for nothing more. Even if I want to tell them to get lost when they have just asked me the same question ten different times for the last ten minutes I will always love them and care. Help out and stand up, for the world would be a better place if you did.
