September 2024 Newsletter

¡Hola y Bienvenidos!

Greetings from all of us at BFB Foundation.  Somehow, we find ourselves in in fall with the kids starting to return to school.  We hope that you have had an enjoyable and successful 2024.  At BFB Foundation, it has been a great year as we celebrate our students, donors, and accomplishments.

A few of our board members returned to Guatemala in early July to visit our students while they were in session.  We traveled to the schools and checked in with our education team.  The visit can only be described as one of gratitude for our partners and students.  Every trip allows us to witness our mission of working with developing communities to break the cycle of poverty by providing educational opportunities for girls and women. 

The educational opportunities for our indigenous Guatemalan girls are made possible by you, our donors. Thank you so much for the support!

Join us on our next trip to Guatemala – visit the Touring for Good section of our website.

¡Gracias!

The university girls’ reunion is always a special time of the year.  The ALL-4-1 program supports our university students and is funded through our dedicated and generous sponsors – thank you!!

FOUNDER'S NOTE

Happy Fall!

It is hard to believe that we are rushing into Fall, the Summer has flown.  We had a wonderful time in July at the Girl's Reunion and Networking Event. The girls are so incredibly inspiring.  You cannot believe how much they have accomplished and grown.  We are so proud of all of them.

In 2025 BFB Foundation will be partnering with Riecken Foundation to offer scholarships to girls and women in the more remote areas of Guatemala.  BFBF and Riecken Libraries have a long history of offering women programs that help them develop sustainable income to help their families and communities. Now, we will be partnering to provide academic scholarships to girls and women in these rural areas.  We are very excited about this partnership since these are remote locations we have not had access to before.

A little about Riecken, since the year 2000, the Riecken Foundation has worked with poor rural communities and their municipalities in Guatemala and Honduras to create a network of dynamic community libraries. The libraries are independent, open and free to all, and highly valued in this region of such great need. The vision behind each Riecken Community Library is that it will nourish the minds of its users and drive social initiatives that contribute to community solutions for the common good. To that end, each Riecken library serves as a community center in which to experience the spirit of discovery, books and literacy programs, support for local schools and teachers, safe activity choices for young people, access to the Internet whenever possible and training in technology tools, and other community development initiatives geared for relevance to the community.

We know this will be a successful partnership has have our past programs with Riecken!  We'll keep you informed.

Many thanks to our supporters and donors, you cannot believe how much hope and opportunity you have given to so many girls and their families.  You’ve truly made a difference!

Christine Burns-Fazzi

Founder

DID YOU KNOW?

Guatemala is a country in transition. Since its 36-year-long civil war ended in 1996, more than half of the population lives below the national poverty line, and 13% of the population lives in extreme poverty. Among Guatemalan's indigenous groups (38% of the population) those numbers climb even higher, with 73% living below the poverty line and 28% living in extreme poverty. 

In Guatemala, educating a woman has a huge multiplier effect since opportunities are so limited.

ALL 4-1 CAMPAIGN

Our enduring program offers $600/year scholarships to indigenous Guatemalan girls from disadvantaged communities for their university education. Through our All 4-1 campaign, our goal is to offer more University scholarships each year. Every single dollar goes to a specific girl’s education and your donation is tax deductible. Here’s how you can change a girl’s life, that of her family, and her community:

Recruit friends and family to create your All 4-1 group to fund one girl's scholarship.

Each person commits $150 each for 4-5 years to help a young scholar earn her degree.

Your All 4-1 group will be connected with a scholarship student, who will send you an update each December, sharing the impact of your support to her personally.

STUDENT HIGHLIGHT

BFB Foundation Women’s Scholarships are currently funding 50 University scholarship students. The program started in 2015 with 8 students and has grown each year. Scholarship recipients may go to public university, professional skills training or certification classes, and funds may be used to cover tuition, university, school supplies, transportation and lodging.

Highlighting Karen Gonzalez

Karen Gonzalez is 23 years old from the department of Sacatepéquez in a town called Ciudad Vieja. She graduated from her associates degree as a Nurse Technician.

What inspired you to pursue a career in nursing?

The inspiration for my career comes from my character and my way of being, as I have always enjoyed helping others. Nursing caught my attention because of the nature of the work. It is a profession rooted in humanity, knowing that if I don’t do my job well, people won’t get better. I like the satisfaction of seeing a patient reintegrated into their environment, improved and relieved.

Can you share a memorable experience during your studies that reinforced your decision to become a nurse?

During the Covid pandemic, one day when I was starting my shift during my practice, a patient had just passed away, and I was assigned to prepare the body to take it to the morgue. However, while I was doing this, many thoughts and questions crossed my mind.

1. How life can end in the blink of an eye.

2. The empathy we must have for all patients, as they are also at risk of dying.

3. What can I improve to reduce the number of deaths.

All these questions were related to my career, and I told myself that through humanized care, we could improve the quality of life for the patients we had in that area. They were there because they needed people to care for them, and the healthcare staff were their only hope since they didn’t even have companions due to the situation we were living in.

This experience deeply affected me and made me realize the importance of the role that nursing plays within healthcare institutions, not only in helping to recover patients but also in preventing them from reaching the point of death.

After all, I came home and I remember telling my parents what had happened, and I started to cry. I hugged them and thanked them for everything.

I kept thinking about the patient who had passed away, realizing how fortunate I was to still have my parents with me.

How do you see yourself making an impact in the healthcare field now that you've graduated from your associates degree?

This experience changed my perspective on the nursing profession.

It also reinforced my commitment to implementing humanized care in any workplace I find myself in, as starting there will bring me satisfaction, and eventually, I hope to achieve the same impact within my community.

What advice would you give to current students pursuing a nursing degree?

For those studying nursing, know that it’s not just for the sake of it; each of you has a calling, and you’ve found it in this career. Despite all the obstacles you may encounter, keep moving forward. In our profession, there are many negative people who don’t want to see others succeed. However, don’t do it to prove them wrong—do it out of love for your patients and respect for life.

Explore our shop here to support our mission, or make a donation here.

Interested in meaningful travel? Join our Touring For Good program, offering immersive tours in Guatemala. Experience the beauty of the country while learning about the challenges indigenous communities face and how education is transforming lives. Be part of the change—travel with purpose!

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