The Four Of Hearts Foundation

Casa de Sion currently gives one glass of Incaparina - a high protein drink - to 275 children per day.For many of these children, it is the only source of nutrition they will have each day. These children come from the nearby village of Los Robles. The cost of this program is approximately $550 per month for the 275 children. They are in desperate need of donations to keep feeding these children. They are turning children away daily, as there is just not enough to go around! 

Casa de Sion also has a formula distribution for the mothers of infants in the village. We are accepting any cans of donated formula for these infants. Last year alone, over 80 babies under the age of 2 died in the village of malnutrition! Please help us be a part of helping these infants thrive. Most mothers in the village are malnourished themselves, and so they do not produce breast milk.  Formula is very expensive.  Please help with a donation of canned formula that we can deliver to the village!

The children of Guatemala are bright and love to learn just as children everywhere! These children are lucky if they are able to attend the one room school house through the sixth grade. The very lucky kids who find sponsors, are able to attend Jr. or even High school. As there are not funds for school supplies, we hope to provide each child with a school bag filled with supplies, so they can attend school and learn. We hope to stress the importance of education to them and their parents in order to change their lives!
Below is a list of supplies we need for each bag:

• 4 unsharpened pencils
• 1 pencil sharpener
• 1 box pre-sharpened or unsharpened assorted colored pencils (approximately 7" long, about 12 pencils to a box)
• 1 pair blunt-nosed scissors with metal blades
• 1 rubber pencil eraser (approximately 1" by 2")
• 1 straight edge ruler—not to exceed 12", with metric measurements
• 1 durable cloth bag made of heavy fabric or a backpack
• One notepad of paper

The infants of Los Robles and their mothers are among those most in need. There are currently about 30 babies in the village and we would like to provide each mother with a kit to help them raise their infants. There will be more babies coming and we would like to know that they will get the essentials when they get here! Along with the formula these little ones are in need of other items.  The kits we will be assembling are listed below:

• 1 double receiving blanket (2 regular receiving blankets or one fleece blanket-between 36" and 45")
• 4 flat fold (single thickness) cloth diapers (100% cotton Birdseye Cloth or 100% cotton diaper flannel), approximately 25". Please do not use pre-folded or disposable diapers.
• 4 diaper safety pins
• 1 pair booties or baby socks
• 2 regular-size bars of soap (Ivory or other non-allergenic brand)
• 1 newborn layette gown (please, no footed sleepers)
• 2 plastic bottles
• 1 pacifier
• Infant toy

Four of Hearts Foundation plans to distribute water purification systems to Los Robles. The systems are shown above, being distributed by another humanitarian group in a similar village in Guatemala. As mentioned before, water is brought in by families in buckets. This water is used for washing, hygiene, clothing, and cooking. Some water will sit for days and be very contaminated, making the families very ill. Use of these simple systems allows the families clean water to drink and cook with. 1 of the buckets is placed on top of the other.  The top one has the filter in it and the water runs though, filling the bottom one with clean water, which is then released through a spigot when turned. Such an easy solution to a huge problem! We do not yet have a total cost on these units, but they will be approximately $50 per family - a very small price to pay for clean water and healthy drinking and eating!

We are working with other humanitarian groups in Guatemala to get more information on this program as soon as possible. Essentially, the families of the village that sign up for the Chicken Program will be provided with 10 chickens. Our team will help them build coops for the chickens, and they will be provided with a bag of feed. Because chickens are very inexpensive to raise, these families will have the ability to add much needed protein to their diets by eating eggs as well as breeding additional chickens for meat. They will also be able to sell the eggs at the open market, helping them become more self sufficient and purchase the things that their families need. More information will be provided soon!

We will be holding additional clothing and shoe drives to gather these items to take with us to Guatemala. The clothing will be distributed to the families of Los Robles, and we hope that each child will receive several outfits. Many children have only one outfit or a few items of clothing. This "basic" need should not be something these children long for. In most families there are several children.  If there is money for shoes, the head of the family will often be the only one who gets shoes. We hope to provide at least one pair of shoes for each person in the village, to help avoid injury, infection and even amputation.