Dear friends,
Over the past 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside some of
the most resilient people I know — foster and adoptive families, teens aging
out of children’s homes, and community leaders working to transform their
communities from within. My heart has always been to strengthen families,
create opportunities, and help people thrive in their own communities so that
violence, family separation, and irregular migration no longer feel like the
only options.
One of the greatest joys of this journey has been seeing long-term impact in
the lives of teens I met years ago. Fifteen years ago,
while serving at a children’s home, I met three teens. I didn’t
know much back then, but I knew I wanted them to gain the life skills they
needed to thrive and live dignified lives. Sometimes I would take them with me
on simple errands — grocery shopping, doctor visits, or helping present their
home to the volunteer teams I hosted.
All these years later, I am still in contact with them. Today, one is a lawyer
and the other two are social workers. Recently,
I saw them at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit here in Guatemala City
— and now they are caring for children who are in the same situation they once
lived. When we reunited, the joy on their faces, the hugs, the laughter, and
their stories of the work they are doing filled me with gratitude. They even
invited me to visit their community soon.
To see teens I once cared for thriving as professionals is already an honor.
But for them to know that I truly care, and to want me to continue being part
of their lives, is the greatest reward of all.
In the past three years, I’ve also focused much of my time on consulting
with smaller nonprofits and working alongside incredible
young community leaders who are building sustainable solutions
right where they live. These leaders are teaching us all what it means to stay
rooted in your community, to create local wealth, and to pass on hope to the
next generation.
This journey has not gone unnoticed. In 2022, I was honored to participate
in the Professional Fellowship Program
in the United States, and this year, I was awarded the 2025
Alumni Impact Award for the work I’ve done with families and
communities here in Guatemala. In addition, a grant from CTEN
allowed me to train teens in both soft and hard skills — equipping them with
tools to face adulthood with dignity and confidence.
But as many of you know, this year has been particularly difficult. Due to policy changes in the North, many organizations lost funding, and several projects were canceled. I have stretched every resource I have, taken on side jobs, and made small fundraising efforts, but the truth is this: I cannot continue this work alone.
For 2026, I need to raise $15,000.
Thankfully, a partnering nonprofit has already committed to cover half of what
I usually need — which is why this number is both realistic and essential.
Here’s what that looks like broken down:
·
25 people giving $50/month,
or
·
50 people giving $25/month,
or
·
A mix of monthly and one-time gifts to reach
$15,000.
This support will allow me to:
·
Continue mentoring and training teens.
·
Support foster and adoptive
families who are opening their homes to children who need love
and stability.
·
Walk alongside young community
leaders who are preventing violence, family separation, and
irregular migration in their own communities.
Would you consider becoming a monthly partner or making a one-time gift?
👉
www.cten.org/juliaarreaga
Your support makes a direct impact — not just on me, but on families and
communities who are choosing hope over despair, and who, with the right
support, are building futures where children can grow up safe, loved, and
thriving.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for believing in this mission, for
standing with me, and for investing in lives that will ripple hope far beyond
what we can see.
With gratitude,
Julia Arreaga
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