This year, I am a member of the HOPE’S INterns program. Through the program, I am learning about social advocacy and developing my leadership skills to change the world! One of our main projects is organizing an annual fashion show fundraiser called Hope’s in Style. This is an important event that brings together our community and rallies for hope!
I hope to raise money for the 501(c)(3) organization, HOPE’S IN, as I believe that they positively change the lives of the people living in Guatemala. HOPE’S IN has been working to empower families in Guatemala for the past 8 years. Their programs focus on community development projects like building homes, special education, empowering teen mothers, medical care and raising up the next generation of humanitarian leaders.
My fundraising goal is to raise $1,000 to fully sponsor the participation of a woman in HOPE’S IN’s Fortaleza program. Fortaleza is a community support group for teen mothers and at-risk girls in Zone 3 of Guatemala City. Fortaleza is the Spanish word that means both strong refuge and strength. It is important to appreciate that the communities are plagued with a multigenerational cycle of young pregnancies, single mothers, broken families, violence, and a severe lack of health care. However, we hope to be a place of refuge for the strong women we work alongside by providing access to counseling, healthcare, mentorship, and educational scholarships.
I want to support Fortaleza because after traveling to Guatemala, I felt a strong connection with many of the young women there. They were around my age, but some were pregnant or even married, and the fact that this forced them to drop out of school impacted me greatly because I cannot imagine being forced to stop my education at this point in my life. Meeting these young girls made me realize that while our circumstances were different, we were the same age. We enjoyed the same things, and the same experiences and I want to raise money for these girls so that they can have the chance to change the world too.
Will you help me to achieve my goal to make an impact this April?
Thank you for helping me empower these young women!
Sincerely,
Sanjana S.