News from La Alianza, Guatemala
La Alianza, Guatemala (ALA)
Several of the girls at La Alianza have taken an interest in art, supported by one of the programme managers at La Alianza, Luis Alberto, who is a resident artist. The girls have produced some amazing paintings which have been exhibited in Guatemala, with the funds raised going towards the continuation of the art programme. We have examples of their art work which we would like to make available to you in exchange for a donation for the Arts programme. We will have gallery of numbered pictures on our website in the near future where you can select a picture, make a donation and the picture would then be sent to you as a link to download. They would make a great present framed, for that person you never know what to buy for while also contributing to a great cause.
Similar to Casa Alianza Mexico, La Alianza also use animals to support the traumatic recovery of trafficking survivors. La Alianza uses Dog Assisted Therapy as well Horse Assisted therapy, currently benefitting 11 girls who are using their connection with animals to build nurturing relationships, which enables the road to recovery where girls are able to build strong healthy relationships based on trust. Both therapies are proving to have enormous benefit to the girls.
At La Alianza, sport is a huge enabler for young girls. It’s provides a powerful opportunity for girls to build their self-esteem, courage and become physically stronger and healthier. Their participation in sports enables the development of critical life skills transferable to other spheres of life such as teamwork, goal setting, resilience and communication through constant practice. This year, the girls at La Alianza have taken part in marathons, 5K races and other sports, supporting their physical and emotional health.
La Alianza continues to provide a huge range of vocational training and in-house courses where this year, 13 girls, received diplomas for completion of tailoring and bakery and are planning to use these skills acquired to seek work within the industry or to establish their own microenterprises.
Advocacy and Psychological discussion forum, the topics covered were:
- Human Rights for Women, Ethnic Groups, Children and Youth
- Sex/Gender and how it is viewed/perceived nationally & globally
The Girls are encouraged to get involved & contribute their knowledge, experiences & reflections on the topics discussed, which is of huge benefit to them & a prime objective of this process. A process built for them and strengthened by them.
Mr. Jorge De Leon Duque, Human Rights Ombudsman for Guatemala, has recently visited ALA. The Girls took part in a Q&A session with Mr. De León., who said he would ensure the compliance of Human Rights advanced focusing on Children and adolescents rights in Guatemala.
