Friends of San Lucas

Thousands of families in Guatemala depend on your donations for access to healthcare.

Quality healthcare is a basic human right. But in the low-resource rural communities surrounding San Lucas, access to healthcare is scarce. Even in the city, many residents cannot afford treatment for disease. 

But thanks to donors like you, the Mission Healthcare Program operates a hospital on a pay-what-you-can basis and runs a Health Promoter Program, which trains residents of rural communities to prevent and identify common illnesses among their population. 

One of the illnesses that Health Promoters are trained to identify is child malnutrition. Since the onset of the program, Health Promoters have reduced childhood deaths due to malnutrition by 80%.

The Healthcare Program treats over 20,000 patients per year. Patients travel from across Guatemala and even come from other countries in Central America to access the pay-what-you-can services at the Mission Hospital, including x-rays, dentistry, podiatry, and surgeries. 

The leadership of the Healthcare Program will designate your donation to the area where it is needed most. Some donations will be used to pay salaries for physicians, nurses and techs. Some donations will be used for protective gear, nebulizers, and respiratory medication as Covid continues to spread in Guatemala. Other donations may be used to provide stipends for rural health promoters or equip them with nutritional supplements for children suffering from malnutrition.

Your gift will do transformative, life-saving work in San Lucas. Thank you for your generosity.

More About Friends of San Lucas

Friends of San Lucas supports development in San Lucas Tolimán and the surrounding communities in Guatemala. We work through a locally-based organization: the San Lucas Mission. The Mission runs seven programs, including:

• Education: The Mission School provides quality, Montessori-style instruction for over 600 students. All students receive scholarships.
• Coffee: Café Juan Ana supports small growers and compensates them at above-market rates. This Direct Trade Program supports families and strengthens communities by providing a dependable income for their best coffee.
• Construction: The Mission builds block, wood, and hybrid (a combination of block and wood) homes that impact families for generations. Each year the Mission builds 80 or more units of housing and over 400 fuel-efficient stoves.
• Charity: This program provides monthly assistance for those identified as having the greatest need, including the elderly, disabled, and widows. During Covid, the Charity Program is providing emergency food support to families in need.
• Women’s Center: This program promotes women’s advancement through classes and workshops. At the Women's Center, participants have a place to sell crafts and earn their own income. It also provides a safe space for women to gather and find community.
• Healthcare: The Mission Hospital and Health Promoter Program serves more than 20,000 people per year on a pay-what-you can basis.
• Visitors: In 2019, more than 1,200 people visited San Lucas to learn, build relationships, and experience the culture. 

Our services touch the lives of 75% of people living in the greater San Lucas area. Almost all of the support for the Mission comes from contributions from donors like you. Our work is made possible by more than 100 employees in Guatemala, working tirelessly for the common good. 

On behalf of the people of San Lucas Toliman, thank you for your life-changing generosity.