Support Peter & Marymc's Healthcare Mission in Guatemala

Dear Friends and Family,

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news! We have been invited to participate in a medical outreach program organized by the Global Healthworks Foundation (GHF), a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing integrative healthcare services to medically underserved communities, entirely free of charge to patients.

In March, we will join a volunteer team conducting mobile healthcare clinics in Santa Cruz del Quiché and Chichicastenango, located in the northwestern region of Guatemala. The mission of this outreach is to deliver acupuncture therapy and other complementary treatments to these communities. Our role will focus on logistics, supporting the medical practitioners with non-clinical aspects of the effort.

Being part of GHF’s volunteer team is an extraordinary opportunity, and we feel deeply privileged to contribute to their 12-year legacy of service to those in need.

Although we typically don’t request financial assistance, this endeavor resonates profoundly with us, and we’re reaching out for your support. Your tax-deductible donations to GHF will help cover our airfare, ground transportation, and accommodations in these rural areas. Any additional funds will be used to purchase essential supplies, including vitamins for children and adults.

GHF has been serving indigenous communities in Guatemala for over a decade, providing high-quality care to more than 66,000 patients. During these medical clinics, known as “jornadas,” the team will treat approximately 250 patients per day. Medical services will include acupuncture, therapeutic bodywork, natural herbal remedies, rehabilitative body movement exercises (such as qigong and yoga), nutritional counseling, Reiki energy healing, psychological support, and more. Additionally, the team will train local health promoters to sustain these practices within their communities.

To learn more about GHF’s impactful work, please watch this short video highlighting their Oct-2024 medical outreach effort: click to video link

We are immensely grateful for your unwavering love and support as we embark on this meaningful journey.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Peter and Marymc

P.S. More Information:

The indigenous populations of northwestern Guatemala face immense barriers to accessing modern healthcare. Many lead physically demanding lives, often working as manual laborers or subsistence farmers, with limited access to nutritious food and clean water. As a result, chronic pain, malnutrition (especially in children), and illnesses such as diabetes, dysentery, hepatitis, asthma, bronchitis, skin conditions, and parasitic infections are widespread.

This region also bears the scars of a civil war and genocide in the early 1980s, known as the “Scorched Earth Policy.” Many indigenous survivors remain displaced and continue to suffer from epidemic levels of post-traumatic stress and anxiety. Alarmingly, the area also has a high rate of abuse against indigenous Maya women, including domestic violence, incest, and rape. Acupuncture has proven effective in addressing these conditions, particularly through the use of NADA (auricular) and Battlefield Acupuncture techniques.