My Nonprofit Reviews

My wife and I have been volunteers with Children of the Americas since 2000. During that time we have seen the organization grow in number of volunteers from around 35 to well over 100 today. We have also seen it grow in the number of people served and in the effectiveness in serving them. But most of all, we have seen it grow in compassion for others and a determination to help as many children and mothers in Guatemala as possible. Each year when the medical/surgical team completes another successful trip, we are exhausted; but we are even more determined to do it again the next year. That determination comes from having watched a dedicated team of doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and support staff bring much needed and much deserved healing and help to the poorest and most needy people in one of the world’s most struggling countries. Having performed hundreds of surgeries and served thousands more in the clinic, the team begins immediately to plan for the next team trip.
We have established life long relationships with the staffs of the hospitals as well as many of the patients we have helped. It brings tears to our eyes when we remember patients who offer us an apple or a hand full of grapes to express their appreciation to us even though they hardly have enough to eat themselves.
The moments that remain in our memory include not just the children and women who were helped, but their families as well. When you see a father come into the clinic carrying a 12 year old child who has never walked and you know that the family has carried the child everywhere they have ever gone, and you watch them leave pushing the child in a new cp stroller or wheel chair with tears rolling down their cheeks, you know that life will be much improved for the entire family. We have always been so impressed with the families and how much they appreciate what COTA is able to do for them. We just can’t wait for another team to begin.

I have been a volunteer with COTA for several years and have had the opportunity to watch it grow from a small volunteer group to one of the largest medical/surgical teams that work in Guatemala. The teams that go now consists of approximately 125 volunteers (none of whom are paid). They do over 100 surgeries and treat thousands of women and children in the clinic. An effort such as this requires dedicated and skilled leadership, and COTA certainly has that. Many people devote hundreds of hours each year to gathering, organizing, and shipping medical supplies to Guatemala to make it possible for the doctors and surgeons to do their jobs. It is a joy to watch the Guatemalan patients receive much needed medical care, and to watch the volunteers who serve with humble hearts.