Safe Passage | Camino Seguro

I spent 4 months in the project in early 2000. And never stopped supporting after I have been there. I started a friendship group in Germany and we are supporting Camino Seguro ever since. We visit the project every few years to keep track of the changes. We are proud tobe part of the supporting community as Camino Seguro is doing great work for the children at the city dump of Guatemala.

Took my daughter to Safe Passage in Guatemala in 2010--she had a passion for the organization and made donations as a high school student. The programs we toured were inspiring and impactful in an environment that otherwise offered little hope.

After bringing our second child home from Guatemala in 2007, we were looking for an impactful way to stay connected to the country and the children who grow up there in destitute poverty. We found Safe Passage and have supported their work ever since. They bring not just nutrition and education for children, but support for the entire family unit and dignity, to the community in which they work.

Safe Passage is creating a compassionate path, an ever-challenging path, to justice and peace and togetherness. I'm very happy to walk with them and provide what little help I can.

I visited Safe Passage's program in Guatemala in 2014, and was so impressed not only with the care shown for the families they work with, but also with the professionalism and thoughtfulness with which the staff and volunteers approach the work. In my ongoing interactions with the program since then, I continue to be impressed. This is a high-quality organization that is motivated to do good, and which does good - and, important to me, carries out its work with a high degree of intention and strategic thinking. Safe Passage is a wonderful example of how a great, simple idea that starts with one person committed to making a difference, can grow into a mature organization with a sustainable vision for the future.

One of my favorite places in the world :) you walk in and you leave it all behind, in there it's all about having fun with the kids and the volunteers and staff as well. You can have a great time and make friends from all over the world while you help this kids build a better future from themselves!

This is the best organizarion I have ever been. The kids are amazing and the expirience of working with them makes you learn to enjoy every minute of your life.

Safe passage is an extraordinary program in Guatemala City, Guatemala. They deserve this award for their hardwork with families working and living in the municipal dump. Go safe passage!

Safe Passage is one of the best established and most effective non-profits that I know of in Guatemala and I have witnessed and worked with dozens there.

Had the amazing opportunity to work with safe passage last spring. Absolutely fantastic program. You can see the impact Safe Passage has on the community from the minute you get there. Invaluable.

I had the privilege to volunteer at Safe Passage in Guatemla City with an alumni group from my college this past spring.

It truly was an amazing experience to see the fantastic work that is done on a daily basis by the dedciated staff and volunteers. They do a phenomenal job making a difference in hundreds of young people's lives and those of their families every day.

A ray of hope in a very challenging environment.

I had the opportunity to volunteer as an Office Assistant at Safe Passage this summer. It was an amazing experience and I really learned a lot. The work environment is amazing, and it is extremely fulfilling to work there and know you are helping to improve the lives of thousands of people in Guatemala City. I would love to do it again next summer!

I went down on as a volunteer with a group from my school. Being down there was life changing and Safe Passage is an amazing program. I am now minoring in spanish so I can be as fluent as possible next time I go down!

I had the great opportunity to work with the Health Department and Psychology Department at both the main campus and the guardaria. The colleagues I worked with, and friends I made, were very passionate about helping the children and their families increase their well being, their health knowledge and involvement in education. Camino Seguro's presence in the community helps create a positive environment and serves as a positive instigator of change.

I had the opportunity to provide medical care @ Safe Passage in 2004. After observing the quality of the program offered to the children of the surrounding barrio by Safe Passage I became a child sponsor and a general sponsor and continue today, 10 years later. The volunteers that serve here are all top quality people and the services that they provide to the children is invaluable. I visit the facility every few years and continue to be amazed at the great care provided.

I started working with Safe Passage during my gap year between high school and college as a volunteer classroom assistant in the early childhood center at Safe Passage in Guatemala. After originally volunteering for three months, I couldn't get enough of the amazing atmosphere, passionate teachers, and the amazing faculty that make up an organization that changes the lives of the children and families that they service that make a living working in the Guatemala City garbage dump. I went back to Guatemala for an additional two months to continue volunteering, and in between my time there was able to do a fundraiser and reach out to my friends and family to make donations so I could become a sponsor for two of my students that lacked sponsors. My new role as a sponsor parent allowed me to take the students out on fun trips to the zoo, chuck e. cheese, and out to lunch as well as form close relationships with their families. My time at Safe Passage for five months inspired me to work with children and families, and I look back on my experience with the organization as one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I was able to directly work with children in my classroom ages 4-6 doing classroom activities, singing songs, doing art projects, and assisting the teacher with everyday routines. It's safe to say the students taught me more than I taught them. They were the most inspiring group of preschool-aged children I had ever met, and walked into the classroom every morning so eager to learn. In order to give back to an organization that gave and taught me so much, I became an ambassador for Safe Passage to reach out to future volunteers and members who'd like to become involved with the amazing work they do.

I first became involved with Safe Passage in 2010 when a close friend encouraged me to make the trip to Guatemala. After meeting the kids and teenagers, my idea of a month-long volunteer stay went out the window. Now, after four years in Guatemala City, I feel very confident in recommending Safe Passage. The organization has a clear organizational and budgetary structure with clear goals for community development through education. As a volunteer, I encountered an open and enthusiastic environment where I felt that my ideas were welcomed and my professional achievements were recognized. As a child sponsor, I have had a great experience with the Sponsorship Department staff who are always proactive in their communication about my sponsor child (now a teenager!). I would encourage anyone to consider visiting, volunteering with, or financially supporting this organization.

I joined Safe Passage over eight years ago and have been involved with the organization ever since. I had the privilege of meeting Hanley and became her friend. Through the years I have seen the impact Safe Passage has on the kids, their families and the community. Being from Guatemala, I feel very proud of the work Safe Passage does and will keep on supporting this effort with all my capacities.

My wife and I originally became involved because of he story of Hanley Denning and the work she did to help the poorest of the poor in Guatemala City. IN March of 2013 we made a trip to Guatemala to see and volunteer at the school. Out trip an extraordinary and life changing experience. The quality of the program was more than we had expected and the joy and love within the school and the work they do for the children was remarkable. Since returning home we are both working to help Safe Pasage and are even taking Spanish Lessons so we can return.

I first became aware of Safe Passage 7 years ago when I had coffee with its charismatic founder Hanley Denning. In one short hour I was hooked. In part it was Hanley's deep commitment to the children and families living and working at the Guatemala City dump that motivated me to be come a volunteer and donor. In part it was the intriguing approach she was using. Weeks later, I was on my way to Guatemala to see this project first hand. I was deeply shocked at the appalling poverty at the dump. It was far more brutal than anything I had ever seen or imagined. I was deeply moved as I learned about Guatemala's tragic history. But more than anything else, I was impressed by the vibrancy of the Safe Passage program. Using education as the central focus, this very smart approach addresses the whole child and the whole family, enabling the children the opportunity to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Safe Passage offers these children hope for a better future and the tools to attain it.

My husband and I joined a Bowdoin Alumni Support Team in March of 2013 and were blown away by the experience. We had known about the organization as a "local" effort since we live in Freeport, Maine, between Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine and Yarmouth, Maine, the home office of Safe Passage. Listening to the goals, objectives, outcomes and achievements of an organization is one thing; seeing is believing!!
Safe Passage has conceived, organized and built an incredible program that offers education programs to children and their families through teaching, love and support. Children are growing in healthy ways through improved nutrition, medical care, physical activity and enhanced self-image. Parenting classes and skill building programs offered to family members provide opportunities for alternative employment rather than mere subsistence living. The culture is changing through hope. I can't think of a better way to role model for future generations.
During our stay, my husband and I were deeply touched by the opportunity we had to help classroom teachers, if only for one week. The kids touched our hearts, the student volunteers impressed us and we found the dedication local staff truly amazing. And that includes people working in the cafeteria, sorting donated goods, on through and up through administration. Each person as dedicated as the next.
As a pediatric nurse, I have worked with numerous programs serving children and families. Safe Passage is second to none. Congratulations, thank you and my very best wishes for your continued success and prosperity.

Dean Paterson

I visited Safe Passage on a support team in March of 2010 and fell in love with the organization. Having studied comparative politics and Spanish in college, I knew I wanted to find a job in international development, however visiting in 2010 sealed the deal. The volunteers were such a large and supportive community that it made me feel like I could do it! I moved to Guatemala in September 2010 and stayed through August 2012. The complexity and holistic approach of the program never ceases to amaze me - from school uniforms, to nutrition, to social workers, to Saturday clubs, to entrepreneurship, Safe Passage truly makes an impact in many areas of these children's and families' lives.

The first time I visited Safe Passage was in the spring of 2009. It was right after high school and it was a life changing experience. I was a teacher's assistant for three months and those three months led to me deciding to earn a degree in Global Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill. After 2009 I was hooked, I told everyone I knew about Safe Passage and the wonderful work going on at the project. I returned in the summer of 2011 for three months to teach English and Guitar at the project. It was an amazing experience to combine my passions for Guitar and Safe Passage together. I was able to combine passions again when I led a support team to Safe Passage in June 2013 to teach Ultimate Frisbee to the children at Safe Passage. Each time I go back to Safe Passage, even if I see different faces, the power of the work that the project does is amazing.

Safe Passage's work is incredible. I volunteered there for 3 months, working in a classroom with children of different ages, helping out the activities and with the setting up of a health programme. Their impact on the local community is evident - the children seem to really want to go there, they get a great deal out of it, and their parents are very grateful.

Safe Passage has been like a second home for me for the past 3 years. Every month that passes, I have a new appreciation for Hanley's dream and am even more convinced that providing education to the children and young adults in Zone 3 and Zone 7 in Guatemala City is the only way to empower the community around the garbage dump. The graduates of our program, 39 in total, are reminders that dreams can come true with hard work and the support of incredible volunteers, staff, donors, and sponsors!

I volunteered at Safe Passage for three months in 2011 as a classroom assistant, and I loved the experience. I have volunteered with quite a few other organizations, and Safe Passage was one of the best for sure. Everyone was welcoming in the beginning, hard working throughout, and hard to leave when it was time for me to go. I only wish my Spanish language skills were more developed so I could have enjoyed everything even more!

I was a teachers assistant in a classroom of 15 three year olds for 6 weeks. It was one of the BEST experiences of my life! My parents had been heavily involved in the program for year and I'm studying international business, so I thought it be cool to see what this program was all about! I'm so happy I did, they were some of the nicest people to work with. The teachers were welcoming and the staff was amazingly helpful with anything and everything! The kids themselves were just incredible, being with the three year olds, they were too cute! It was incredible to see the resilience and joy that Safe Passage brought these children! I graduate this May and Safe Passage is in my top 5 choices of where I'd like to end up!

I was a classroom volunteer with 4,5 and 6 year olds at Safe Passage. The non profit is so wonderful,they help these children escape from severe poverty through education. Once they receive atleast a 6th grade education they can get a real job. A lot of them end up graduating from Safe Passage and attending the university. Safe Passage also has an adult education program now that helps these children's parents escape poverty also. This helps them get a real job and out of the garbage dump. Many of the children that attend have parents or family that work in the dump. It's a very sad situation but Safe Passage helps a lot and has made a huge impact in Guatemala City and the communities it serves.I definitely recommend this organization to anyone. I love it, it has a huge part of my heart. Go to Safepassage.org and read the story on how it came about and either donate, sponsor a child or take a trip to see it for yourself. I promise you won't regret it and certainly won't be the same afterwards.

I began working at Safe Passage/Camino Seguro 6 months ago in the Donations/PR department. After working in several NGOs/non-profits in Latin America, I can honestly say the Safe Passage is extremely effective and efficient at addressing and meeting the need of some of the poorest communities in Guatemala City. Not only is everyone at the project like family, but they are whole-heartedly invested in seeing that every student in the project (children and adults) have all the tools they need to open a wide array of possibilities in their future that they wouldn't have if not for the amazing work of Safe Passage!

Safe Passage is an incredible organization. I first volunteered there in 2005 for a week at the age of 15 and ended up returning seven times since with plans to return many times more. The longest stint was for a year in 2008-2009 at the age of 18. I took a year off between high school and college and had the best year of my life. The organization is supportive and well run. The staff and other volunteers are extremely warm and welcoming and the children will capture your heart and make you return again. I can say that Safe Passage truly changed my life forever. I realized how important it was to me to help others, therefore started to study social work at college. If i had never gotten involved with Safe Passage i don't know who I would be today. Hanley Denning will forever be in my thoughts.

I've been a donor and child sponsor for years. GREAT organization doing FANTASTIC work everyday. 1000 thanks to ALL involved including those who are considering contributing. Full speed ahead!

My daughter and I participated in the mother-daughter week at Safe Passage in the summer of 2011. It's a terrific organization that is making a huge difference in the lives of children surrounding the Guatemala City garbage dump. They are helping to educate the poorest of children living in dire circumstances. It was a terrific experience and we made many new friends. We now sponsor one of the girls that we met while we were there. It's an amazing place and most worthy of your support!

I volunteered for Safe Passage from 2004-2006 and have watched it grow over the years. It does a fabulous job education the poorest of the poor in Guatemala City, integrating locals and volunteers in its efforts. Its holistic approach to combatting poverty is incredibly effective. It is the best run non-profit I have ever encountered in my 12 years of living and volunteering abroad in 4 different foreign countries. If you want to make a difference in a child's life and actually see results, get involved with Safe Passage, Camino Seguro.

We sponsor through Safe Passage, and are continually amazed at the real, practical difference made in the lives of kids and families who otherwise live in poverty in the city dump in Guatemala City.

Safe Passage changes lives. For the three children I sponsor with my brother and sisters, it takes them off the streets and out of the Guatemala City garbage dump by providing them a safe place to study, eat, play, and grow. For the volunteers like my siblings, it shows them a world so different and so much more precarious than their own while empowering them to make real and invaluable changes in the lives of these children. For the mothers involved in the program, it provides a them with the skills and self confidence to create small businesses and better provide for their families. For me it has proven that a small group of people can make a big change if they put their minds to it and that even a small improvement in the life of a child is worth just about anything. In sum, Safe Passage gives people one of the most powerful gifts imaginable: hope.

I became familiar with Safe Passage in the summer of 2010 when my 21 year old son became a long-term volunteer for this group. I heard much about what SafePassage was accomplishing from him during his first 6 months, and was so impressed with what the oganization accomplishes that I, under their support team program, recruited 4 others to put together a support team and we went to Guatemala in June of 2011 for a week of volunteering. There, we saw first hand the incredible success and magic of this organization. Let me take a step back in my story - in 1989 I went to Guatemala (one of many, many visits over the years) and adopted my son Nicholas. He is the the son volunteering at Safe Passage now. I returned in 1991 for my son Steven, and in 1995 for my daughter Rosie. My daughter Rosie went with us on our SafePassage support team trip. Safe Passage has wrapped its collective arms aroung the families living around and working in the Guatemala city dump - families that for generations have been at the bottom of Guatemala's poor. Its mission is to bring hope, education, and opportunity to the children and families living in extreme poverty around the City's garbage dump." Today, Safe Passage has over 100 children in its 'estrilta' preschool (where my son has been a teachers aid in the 2 year old classroom for 2 years), and over 500 children in the educational reinforcement program. The children in the estrelita are there all day, receives all of their meals, engage in a outstanding pre-school curriculum 'planting seeds' , get bathed, brush their teeth, see a dentist twice a year, get medical care, etc. etc. THe children in the educ reinforcement program are provided with books, uniforms, backpacks and tuition to attend the guatemala public schools(which are half day) and spend the other half of the day at safepassage where they have meals, brush their teeth! learn english, get homework help, take music and art, do sports, , and on top of this, these 600 + plus children, representing over 300 families in the dump, often have an active mother or father in the adult literacy program , a mother who no longer works at the dump because she is successful in the jewelry cooperative, a family that is lifting itself out of poverty. Safe Passage is providing these 300 + families a way out of the grinding poverty through education, and Caring - and not a lot of money. THe program has a guatemalan staff of teachers and social workers, at any time over 40 volunteers from all over the world who commit a minimum of 2 months of the life to the program, and dozens of volunteer support teams from around the world that go to guatemala for a week at the program - Rotary clubs, high school and college groups,medical teams, teachers, etc. etc. Never have I seen such an amazing impact on such a large number of families - it truly is astounding. Go to their site, www.safepassage.org and see some of the wonderful things these kids and families are doing. And finally, for my personal perspective, adopting children who are in need of a family because of poverty in a country comes with its own share of sadness, for the family that was but could not continue. I am incredibly proud of the work of SafePassage in that they truly are providing what is needed for Families to stay together and thrive together.

I had the privilege of volunteering with Safe Passage in Guatemala two summers ago. Since then, I have visited the project once more and continue to support them. While I was there it was incredible to witness the life-changing work they are doing in the Guatemala City Garbage Dump Community. Safe Passage offers these families a way out of the dump, where many literally sift through trash for recyclables that they can survive on. The organization does this by offering children educational, recreational, social, and health services, and offering parents adult literacy classes, health classes, parenting classes, and entrepreneurship guidance. What is also admirable about Safe Passage is that it is truly preparing these families for self-sufficiency. By offering children and parents the tools necessary to succeed, their futures will be filled with many more opportunities as a result. The faculty and volunteers have such heart for the kids, and enthusiasm for the work they do. Safe Passage is a very special place, and I feel strongly that it should be placed on your 2012 Top-Rated Nonprofits List.

My husband and I volunteered for about 6 weeks at Safe Passage just a year ago. I worked in the kindergarten class as a teacher assistant, and my husband worked primarily on a data collection project. We felt that the program was exceptionally well run. Despite having volunteers arriving at any time and staying for a length of time determined by the volunteer, the organization is able to put people to work, using their talents and experiences to best advantage to serve the children and families of the Guatemala City dump neighborhood. This program offers a level of enthusiasm, encouragement, and practical skill development that is life-changing for the children. A new program helps the parents with literacy so that they may get out of the dump business, too. In addition, there is recognition of the importance of good nutrition for these children, so that nourishing meals are offered, as well as a monthly distribution of basic food ingredients for the families. It is heart-warming to see so many idealistic young people from many countries giving their time and devotion to better the lives of these children.

Safe Passage (Camino Seguro) does exceptional work in the slums surrounding Guatemala City's garbage dump. For a little under a year I served as an English teacher at this organization and was impressed on a daily basis by the impact of its educational programs on the lives of children. Further, Safe Passage seems to recognize that education alone is not enough to change lives and empower individuals, ensuring that participants -- both children and adults -- also receive support in the form of social, health and nutrition services. Safe Passage -- both in mission and execution -- far exceeds the efficacy of much larger organizations. I highly recommend Safe Passage as a valuable organization with which to share either time or money.

Safe Passage not only changes lives in Guatamala, they are instrumental in touching and changing lives here in our own communities. My daughter participated as part of a service team from her high school, spending 10 days at Camino Seguro working with the children. It has influenced her dramatically. This summer, she started a project with her high school soccer team to help sponsor two fifth graders. She has grown, and in the process she has changed lives in our community.

I went to Guatemala to volunteer for two weeks when I was in high school, and few experiences have been more rewarding. Safe Passage does incredible things, from helping the kids do their homework and learn beyond the booklets, to providing food and supplies for entire families. As volunteers, we brought them to playgrounds, set up lunch time and even helped them learn a little English. Safe Passage has helped make the dream of secondary school and even university a reality for kids who previously would have been stuck scavenging the city dump like their parents, and has improved the lives of many struggling families in the process.

I volunteered with Safe Passage in the spring of 2003. Although it has been a long time since I was in Guatemala I continue to share stories about how impressed I was with this organization. It is an excellent model of a non-profit that supports and empowers its local community.

I volunteered for Safe Passage (Camino Seguro) as part of a service learning project the summer before my senior year in high school, and I still cherish the memories and friendships I made there. The city dump in the heart of the city was filled with workers desperate to provide for their families; the children of these workers were not allowed to be in the dump until a certain age, so they were allowed to go to school - Safe Passage. I worked with 4th graders and their problem-solving skills, helping them make Rubes-Goldberg machines and encouraging them as much as possible. This was truly a phenomenal experience that cannot be relayed through words. If you have the opportunity, please volunteer with this organization. You will not be sorry.

Safe Passage is an amazing non profit that empowers at risk children of the Guatemala City Dump. Today Safe Passage provides approximately 550 children with education, social services, and the chance to move beyond the poverty their families have faced for generations. Safe Passage is a refuge for children contending with situations marked by extreme poverty, neglect and abuse.

I worked as a long-term volunteer with 2nd / 3rd grade children at Safe Passage from July 2005 till July 2006. Since then, I have visited the project several times for shorter periods in 2007, 2008 and 2010 and each time was amazed by the rapid progress of the organization and the children that it takes care of.

Main tasks of the volunteers include assisting the Guatemalan teachers in their respective classrooms (helping children with their homework, organizing art lessons, workshops, games, etc.), teaching a particular age group in the highly interactive English program, organizing sport lessons in the Sports program or taking over long-term roles such as IT teacher or responsible of the project’s library. Volunteers receive a formalized training at the beginning of their stay and are placed to make best use of their capabilities.

The personal impact volunteers have obviously depends on the length of stay – long-term volunteers are able to develop a much more personal relationship with their colleagues, the children and their families, meaning that their guidance and help – especially in difficult periods – becomes extremely valuable. At the same time, short-term volunteers introduce fresh ideas, offer new perspectives and are absolutely necessary to “keep the project going”. In any case, the volunteering experience at Safe Passage is extremely rewarding – teachers, children and families are very welcoming and open, the working atmosphere (with extremely motivated volunteers and staff from all over the world) is great and realizing how little it takes to contribute to making a huge difference in so many lives is a great lesson by itself.

During my various visits, I have witnessed constant improvements of the program: It nowadays not only targets children, but also their families and the entire community – parents can join the literacy program and community events are organized throughout the year. Furthermore, normal school education is complemented with sports, art and health programs; violence / drug prevention programs and professional psychological support for some of the children are other very important components that have been added in recent years. Even more impressive is the personal progress of many of the kids enrolled in the program – it is great to see how some of them develop into real personalities and young leaders in their community and finish school with ambitious plans for life.

From a donor’s perspective, it would be nice if the impact of the program (number of students graduating, etc.) could be measured on a regular basis. While personal accounts and stories are certainly inspiring and important, impact metrics would help to make the work even more transparent.

I worked in the Guarderia at Safe Passage - working with 3 year olds as a classroom aid. I did a lot of cleaning, reading, singing, pushing children on swings, and working with the kids on different art and learning projects. While I didn't feel that my personal being there didn't "impact" any one student or classroom specifically, I was always amazed at the program. Safe Passage has grown so wonderfully in the past 10 years. I visited as a high school group in 2006, returned as a graduate in 2007 to volunteer, and then came back to do some interviews in the summer of 2010. Every time I've been back they've added a new, crucial component for the community. When I visited in 2010 I was in the Women's Literacy building and I was BLOWN AWAY by the rapport between the volunteer running the women's literacy program and the women that came there daily. These women are of a huge age group but are all there to learn and it is, I'm sure, quite a challenge but so empowering (I imagine) at the same time. Safe Passage volunteers when I was there were super welcoming and great people, they are from all over the world.

Charity Navigator's rating of Safe Passage indicates the organization has not had a audit by an independent auditing firm. This is not the case. For several years the firm of Mcdonald Page, Maine's largest accounting firm has performed a full and complete audit of Safe Passage. They send a teams of auditors to both our USA location in Maine and to Guatemala annually. We recently changed fiscal years and had both a six month audit of the extended fiscal year and and 18 month audit of the total fiscal year. Apparently, this caused Charity Navigator rating system some confusion. Safe Passage takes the audit process seriously, and the reports of our auditor are reviewed both by our Finance Commmittee and full board.

John Gundersdorf, Treasurer