NPH Guatemala: Supporting Children & Families

Country Facts
NPH Guatemala at a Glance

Country Facts

Understanding Guatemala’s geographic and social landscape helps explain the challenges children and families face and the need for long-term, community-based support.

Area

42,042 square miles – slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Population

18,255,216 (2024 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official) 69.9%, Maya languages 29.7%, other 0.4%; there are more than 20 officially recognized Amerindian languages.

Issues

Predominantly poor country that struggles in several areas of health and development, including infant, child, and maternal mortality, malnutrition, literacy; soil erosion; water pollution.

NPH Guatemala at a Glance

NPH’s fifth home for orphaned, abandoned and at-risk children was established in rented facilities in 1996. The family moved to their new home, named Casa San Andres, which is situated 4,900 feet above sea level in Guatemala’s highlands, in August 2003.

Opened

November 11, 1996

Location

Casa San Andres Home is in Parramos, 16 miles from Antigua and an hour northwest of Guatemala City.

NPH Operates

Family-style home, school (grades K – 9), medical clinic, farm and greenhouse, vocational workshops. Community Programs include the Sagrada Familia (“Sacred Family”) Daycare Center, the Father William Wasson Family Center, and NPH OneFamily which provides services to families in need.

2024 Impact in Guatemala

These 2024 outcomes reflect the impact of NPH programs in Guatemala.

Children and adults supported

Local people employed

K – University graduates

Lunchtime for a class of elementary students. Student's desks are pulled into a rectangle, so the meal is more communal.

A young NPH boy sits at the top of a slide on the playground at the NPH home in Guatemala.

Your support helps children thrive.

Donor support makes it possible for NPH to provide long-term care, education, healthcare, and family programs for children and families in need.

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How to Get Involved

Interesting facts

Program Highlights in Guatemala

The school year in Guatemala is January – October. The curriculum includes Spanish, social studies, natural sciences, English, arts and crafts, music and sports.

There are five nationally certified vocational workshops: Baking, Cooking, Carpentry, Metalwork, and Sewing.

The Children’s Daily Care Center (“Centre de Cuidado Diario Infantil”/CCID) opened on the NPH property in 2019. It provides care and early stimulation for 2-to-4-year-old children of single parents with limited resources.

The Father William Wasson Family Center opened in 2022. Located 5 miles from the NPH home in Chimaltenango, it focuses on supporting and strengthening families by filling vital gaps in services to help children, people with disabilities, and single mothers. The Center offers free nutrition, daycare, and tutoring for children; speech and physical therapy for children and adults; and training for parents.

In 2024, a total of 92 children and young adults were supported through the OneFamily Program which focuses on keeping struggling families together by providing aid through scholarships, psychological therapy, educational workshops, and parental schooling.

The Chicas Poderosas (“Powerful Girls”) program helps prepare and empower girls by building self-esteem, self-awareness, and confidence.

The Labor Insertion Program gives youth necessary skills to acquire a job that so that they can become self-sufficient and contributing members of society. The program provided job training and education and placement assistance.