Lemonade International

We know that God is near in times of pain and loss. We can be comforted by this fact when remembering the dual characteristics that La Limonada has: hope and pain.

Diego Chic, a new student in the Mandarina school this year, was playing outside with his siblings this Saturday while his mother kept an eye on them from her door.  There was a tragic situation in the small street in front of his house, which eventually took his life. He was wounded, taken to the General Hospital, and passed away a couple hours later.  His three older siblings have …
Read the rest of this entry →

The following is reposted from The New York Times Blog, “Lens”:

Efraín Ríos Montt, a former Guatemalan general who is now bespectacled and gray-haired, now insists – through his lawyers – that he never issued orders that left thousands of his countrymen dead or disappeared in the 1980s. But Jean-Marie Simon remembers how on March 23, 1982 – the day he seized power in a coup – he looked every bit in control. Indeed, his rule would be marked by some of the worst atrocities that befell that Central American nation, where he now faces charges of genocide and …
Read the rest of this entry →

In the month of December we raised $10,000 as part of our “Give Christmas” initiative and those funds are being invested to provide all the children at the Schools and the Safe Home with school shoes.

As you may know, our Community Development Director, Hubert, has been working with “O” – a shoemaker from La Limonada – to make all the shoes for the children. A businessman from South Carolina provided a loan to “O” to expand his business to include all the necessary tools and materials to make the shoes and he is beginning work on the project …
Read the rest of this entry →

This past November, several of our team members were together for a workshop with Joel Van Dyke and the people of Estrategia de Transformación. During the workshop, Joel said, “The way we see a place determines our behavior toward that place.”

So many have dedicated their lives to serve the people of La Limonada. This is how some of them see La Limonada:

“Eighteen years ago I saw La Limonada as a place that God wished to serve, help, and bless. Today, after having been there all these years, I can say it is a place where the abounding grace …
Read the rest of this entry →

It’s the time of year when we solidify dates for short-term groups to serve with us in La Limonada. Dates are limited to a first-come first-served basis so visit our Short-Term Groups page today to begin the process of securing your dates.

Our work in La Limonada is founded on our relationships with the people who serve and live there. It is our desire that those relationships are extended to include you as well. A great way to initiate or develop such relationships is by going to Guatemala to meet the people of the community and the team that serves …
Read the rest of this entry →

It’s an exciting time of year in La Limonada!

Last Thursday and Friday the teachers were at the schools getting all the children registered for the new school year and on Monday the children arrived for the first day of school.

Registration…

First day of school…

…
Read the rest of this entry →

Registration at the Límon school in La Limonada. Teachers parents and children are gearing up for the new school year.…
Read the rest of this entry →

Reunion and happiness were felt by all in attendance as the Guatemala Team came together yesterday at a church in Guatemala City for our first meeting together after our December break.

Nestor, one of our team members who leads our Micro-Enterprise Program, helped to lead worship, which reminded us all that we are not only related to each other in ministry, but to God in His plan. We reviewed our “map of ministry” to inform and remind us each of our individual part of this body and plan.

Tina Breshears, Hubert Bendfeldt Vásquez and I explained our new roles, …
Read the rest of this entry →

FAC is the microfinance arm of Lemonade International that provides small loans, matched savings accounts, entrepreneurial education, and relational support to the people of La Limonada. One of the things that make FAC unique is that it was started internationally and is operated domestically by students from UNC-Chapel Hill. Stateside, students work with on-the-ground Guatemalan staff to facilitate operations, while simultaneously supporting the organization by realizing back end work such as fundraising. On November 19th, we had our first annual fundraiser in Charlotte, NC.

Hosted by the parents of one of the student, Armando and Aida Perdomo, we held a …
Read the rest of this entry →