How to Help Children in Guatemala Without Money: Six Ways That Add Up

Can you help children in Guatemala without donating money?

Yes. Several of the things the schools of Las Delicias del Jobo, in Taxisco, Santa Rosa, ask for can be donated in kind: school supplies, backpacks, shoes, recess games and a computer. There are 7 schools, primary schools and telesecundarias (rural middle schools), with more than 700 girls and boys aged 6 to 16.

In-kind gifts count: in one recent year, Start with a Smile Project (Proyecto Sonrisas) handed out 500 Christmas packages and, thanks to donated toys, close to 1,000 gifts. On top of that, it delivers school supplies to about 500 children every year.

And some help is neither money nor things: your voice, your time to organize and your network. Here are the six ways.

What can I donate that I already have at home?

Check your closets before you buy anything. These help if they’re clean, complete and in good shape:

• Children’s books in Spanish and coloring books.
• A used computer that works, with its charger.
• Leftover school supplies: notebooks, crayons, markers, pens, paints and backpacks.
• Clothes and shoes: shoes, sandals, socks, caps and sweaters in small sizes.
• Non-violent toys: balls, jump ropes, dolls, toy cars and stuffed animals.

For the 2022 Christmas delivery, for example, the project asked for shoes without heels for children and adults, children’s clothes, sweaters in sizes S and M, blankets, stuffed animals and non-violent toys (Guatemala.com). Before you pack, read what not to bring and, for books, how to donate books in Guatemala.

Does sharing on social media actually help?

Yes, and there are numbers behind it. According to GoFundMe, fundraisers shared on social networks raise three times more than those that aren’t, and each time a supporter shares with their network, it brings in an average of $13 more in donations.

How to do it well:

• Share the link to the project’s GoFundMe with a sentence of your own, not just the link.
• Follow @proyectosonrisas.gt on Instagram and the project’s Facebook page, where deliveries are posted with photos.
• Share the project’s own posts instead of downloading and reposting photos of children: it protects their image.

How do I tell the project’s story so more people join in?

A concrete story fits in three sentences:

Amalia Jarquín was born in Las Delicias del Jobo, Taxisco. Her mother died when she was 11 and taught her that a book, a pencil and a school can change a girl’s future. Today she teaches Spanish in Antigua, and the project she started at Christmas 2014 supports the 7 schools of her village.

Tell it in your class, your office, your group of friends or your Spanish school. Show the video of Amalia’s story, where she explains how a scholarship let her train as a teacher at the Escuela Normal in Jalapa. And if someone asks whether it’s real, Prensa Libre covered it in 2021 and Guatemala.com in 2022; both stories are on our Press page.

How do I organize a school supply drive?

1. Ask first what’s needed. Message us and we’ll tell you what the schools need at that moment.
2. Pick one category (notebooks, crayons or backpacks) so giving is easy.
3. Set an end date and put a box where people see it.
4. Agree with us on how it gets to Antigua before you collect everything. The simplest way is for someone who’s traveling to bring it in their suitcase.
5. Close the loop: share the delivery photos the project posts with your group.

For a sense of scale, the project has already brought more than 4,000 notebooks to the schools of Las Delicias. There’s a full guide in how to run a school supply drive for Guatemala.

Can I help with my time instead of money?

Yes, though Start with a Smile Project doesn’t have a formal volunteer program and we won’t promise you one. Your time goes furthest on things that don’t require being here:

• If you’re traveling to Guatemala, bring a suitcase of donations; we explain how in travel with a purpose in Antigua, Guatemala.
• If you have contacts, ask your company, school or community whether they can donate a used computer: it’s one of the things the schools are missing today.
• If you like to write, tell the story in your own words and share it.

And if you can give money later on, the project’s GoFundMe is open. To donate in kind, message us on WhatsApp at +502 5562 3313, email amaliajarquin@gmail.com or use the contact form, and we’ll work it out together.