by International Samaritan | Jul 16, 2019 | Uncategorized
This story is from and written from the perspective of Selam Terefe, our program director in Ethiopia. The first thing we noticed when we walked into Ebo’s one room house are the drawings posted on the clay walls: Some were drawn with pencil, others with pen, but they...
by International Samaritan | Jul 2, 2019 | Letters from the President
One of my strengths is that I never see a glass as half full; I see it as mostly full almost all the time. My natural optimism helps me in my work, but I’ve learned that it can also hurt me. Sometimes the glass can actually be half empty—or even completely...
by International Samaritan | Jul 2, 2019 | Uncategorized
Hello, I am Emanuel. I am 20 years old. When I was in my mother’s womb, she did not want me to be born, so she hit her belly and took medication to cause a miscarriage, but I was born anyway. However, I was so badly damaged that when I was born I had to be...
by International Samaritan | Jul 2, 2019 | Uncategorized
My name is Selene. I was born and raised in the countryside by my mother and stepfather. I was sexually abused by my stepfather. I was sleeping in my bed and in the middle of the night I found my stepfather next to me in the bed. I was shouting when he tried to...
by International Samaritan | Jun 13, 2019 | Letters from the President
On Mother’s Day in Guatemala, 70 women from a village bordering a dumpsite on the outskirts of Guatemala City gathered to work with our team on the answer to that question. Figuring out a list of needs was the easy part. They need: A school A recreation center Access...
by International Samaritan | Jun 3, 2019 | Uncategorized
My name is Terry. I am 13 years old and an 8th grader at [REDACTED] School. When I grow up, I want to be an engineer and get a well-paying job. My mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer a couple of years ago. Before she got ill, she used to work as a washer, hand...
by International Samaritan | Jun 3, 2019 | Letters from the President
What I love about our work at International Samaritan is how often I see and feel the presence of God in what we do. Recently, I had the unique privilege of sitting in on the conversations that our scholarship students in Guatemala were having with a woman who has...
by International Samaritan | May 9, 2019 | Uncategorized
Note: Since this letter was written, Nora has graduated from high school and started studying at University. Everything started when my parents got together. They lived in Zone 18 [of Guatemala City] with my grandmother and my uncles, who lived lives full of luxury...
by International Samaritan | Apr 8, 2019 | Letters from the President
In retaliation for what he perceives to be a lack of support from the leaders of Central American nations, President Trump announced last week that he intends to cut $500 million from programs addressing the root causes of migration from those nations. This makes me...
by International Samaritan | Feb 28, 2019 | Letters from the President
It wasn’t until I became a father that I realized how important food is to one’s emotional well-being. Growing up, three square meals a day were just always there for me, not much different than having clean water to drink. I just took food for granted. But when my...
