The Mahatma Anna Legacy Project in Guatemala

In honor of Anna Giannotti, who died in July 2023, our foundation “Stichting Aphelion” decided to collaborate with the organization Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) in Parramos, Guatemala. 

A heartfelt moment of Susanne embracing a child during their mission visit to NPH OneFamily in Guatemala

This organization primarily supports children aged 4 to 16 who need protection from social risks such as abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Actually, NPH supports children and youth of all ages and doesn't stop at 16 or 18. They continue to assist young people in becoming productive members of society. The children are cared for in a safe environment where they receive education, spiritual guidance, opportunities for sports, and mental and physical care.

Around 15 years ago, Anna made the bold decision to travel alone to Parramos and spend a month volunteering for this organization. To us at Stichting Aphelion, she was truly a pioneer.

Today, NPH runs smoothly and efficiently, with branches spread across Central and South America, including Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru.

With an organization that large, one might assume they don't need extra help, but they do! Financial support is, of course, a wonderful way to contribute, as with any charity. Beyond that, NPH employs paid staff and offers opportunities for volunteers to get involved. These volunteers face pretty high expectations—at least, that's how it seems until you get to know the organization. Volunteers are generally expected to commit at least a year to working on-site (with some exceptions for shorter periods), be fluent in Spanish or take a course beforehand, and, most importantly, have a genuine love for children.

I initially thought, why a year? It seemed like such a long time and quite a big ask for someone to put their life on hold. But that perspective completely changed after my visit.

Leo Giannotti, the President of Stichting Aphelion, and I, as Treasurer, decided to travel to Parramos at our own expense. Our goal was to meet the people there and gain insight into what a volunteer might experience when traveling to and living at the NPH Parramos premises, in Guatemala.

And what an experience it was!

Pedro picked us up at the airport. He was once a student at NPH, arriving there as a child many years ago. Now an adult, he speaks some English, owns a car, and works as a driver to earn a good living. This is a wonderful example of the opportunities NPH provides to its children!

We stayed in the charming town of Antigua, nestled between Guatemala City and Parramos. It’s a wonderful spot to get to know the country and its people. Just three days before our arrival, there had been an earthquake, but fortunately, it caused no significant damage. Antigua and Parramos are part of the Circle of Fire, surrounded by volcanoes and prone to frequent earthquakes.

After getting settled, we spent two full days and Leo also two full nights at NPH. With the guidance of Thomas (Coordinator of the International Volunteer Program and coordinator of United Nations civil Society Engagement NPH International) and Annie (Visitor Coordinator NPH Guatemala), we were able to go around the premises and meet a lot of people. Leo brought pictures of Anna surrounded by children, and we discovered that many people we spoke to either remembered Anna or recognized the children in the pictures as their siblings or themselves! It was quite an emotional experience.

The premises are already a fantastic place to be, featuring spacious and well-maintained buildings for medical care, administration, classrooms, workshops, a kindergarten, a chapel, a general kitchen, lodges for volunteers, lodges for in-house children, playgrounds, and more.

The children are raised to be independent. I saw kids as young as four washing their own dishes and towels. They were incredibly outgoing and warmly welcoming, even coming over to give us hugs just to greet us. It was so sweet!

The children attend a Montessori education program in the morning, share lunch together, and spend their afternoons in workshops like welding, cooking, bread-making, sewing, and carpentry. Through these experiences, although they all start from a disadvantaged, problematic, or underprivileged position, they gain valuable skills, giving them a compensating edge over their peers and opening doors to a brighter future.

By the way, the founder of NPH, Father Wasson, was a remarkable man. His story alone speaks volumes about the soul of NPH.

We visited a family with seven children in Parramos as part of the "NPH OneFamily" project. Along with Thomas and Annie, there were also two social workers (one of whom was a volunteer) and a psychologist. It was an intense experience for me—being welcomed into their home with a cloth as the front door, clay floors, laundry lines, and a tortilla oven in the central space. The youngest child was still being breastfed, while the oldest four, supported by NPH scholarships, attended school daily. The children introduced themselves, shared their grade levels, and talked about their dreams for the future.

I introduced myself in my makeshift Spanish, and the staff asked some questions to catch up on the family. Then we all played a game, which turned out to be a fantastic icebreaker. I brought gifts for the children and handed them to one of the youngest to share with her hermanos and hermanas (brothers and sisters), which earned me a big hug and a beaming smile.

It's heartwarming to see that NPH not only supports the children but also the entire family. They take a holistic approach by offering scholarships to the children, assisting with job opportunities (like the mother in this family who bakes tortillas to earn money), and discussing important topics like birth control. However, it's not guaranteed that the youngest children in this family will also receive scholarships. If a family is able to support themselves, they are responsible for their children's schooling. By maintaining close contact with the family, NPH ensures their funds are not misused.

The next day, we visited Centro Familiar Padre W. Wasson in Chimaltenango, a community center located in a protected building within a less safe area. Here, families can access medical assistance, ranging from physiotherapy and dental care to parenting advice. Small children can attend kindergarten, while older kids can come after school for homework help, relaxation, or simply passing time before heading home. Parents, mostly women, can learn skills like sewing, bread-making, cooking, or crafting bracelets. They can bring their children along, who are cared for while they acquire these new skills, providing them with opportunities to earn some income. Also, here NPH takes care of the family as a whole.

During lunch, we spoke with some volunteers and learned about their experiences with NPH and the children. They explained why NPH requires volunteers to stay for at least one year. Many of the children have faced trauma from neglect, malnutrition, abuse, or similar challenges. In the safe environment of NPH, they often form strong attachments to the staff and volunteers. If volunteers leave after a short time, like the one-month Anna experienced as a volunteer, it can retraumatize the children. For this reason, NPH decided that volunteers should commit to longer periods, which now makes perfect sense to me.

At the end of the day, Leo and Thomas signed a Memorandum of Understanding between NPH and Stichting Aphelion. Our goal is to recruit and select volunteers for NPH, and if necessary, offer sponsorship to those who want to help but lack the financial means to cover travel expenses. This approach allows us to support individuals who share the same dedication and passion as Anna Giannotti.

That day, I walked away with a head full of impressions, memories, and experiences, and a heart brimming with care and admiration.

Volunteers don’t put their lives on hold for a year; they gather experiences that stay with them for a lifetime!

Susanne Kroes

Treasurer, Stichting Aphelion