Clara Fantasia is an orphange in Guatemala that was opened in 2007 by a young college student from Guatemala named, Guillermo. Guillermo was working at an orphanage to help pay his way through college, and witnessed corruption and abuse, which is rampant in the Guatemalan adoption system. Human trafficking, embezzlement, and neglect are common practices. Orphanges are out to make a profit by selling the children to adopters or into horrible situations. When he confronted the orphanage officials with the abuses he had observed he was fired. So through a series of "coincidences" he was able to open his own orphanage which accomadates 20 children. Many of the children have been abandoned and one of his priorities is to reunite children with their families through counseling and education. He provides a loving environment and the children, some of whom have been through terrible ordeals thrive in the nurturing environment. With the help of volunteers from BYU he has been implementing a counseling program to help the children work through some of their issues that have arisen from neglect and abandonment. He runs the orphanage like a family, holding family prayers, playing, educating, and providing stability. His umber one goal is helping the children reunite with their families, by helping the parents learn how to be good parents and help them find stability in their lives so they can properly care for their own children. He is also fighting hard to change and reform the system and hopes his orphanage will be a model for change. Our goal is to help provide money for the day to day cost of running the house and to help provide the basic needs of the children.
Following are a few things Guillermo has written about the orphanage:
"Mayeley Maria Perez is a 6 year old Guatemalan. She likes to study, memorize. and loves doing puzzles. She was abandoned in the street by her family, who told her to forget about them. She is now trying to forget about them."
"Last month Clara Fatasia was moved into a beautiful home that Guillermo and the children are enjoying. The orphanage has seven children and the goal is to eventually accomodate for more children and fortify their families. However, in order to be able to accomodate for twenty children and eventually return them to their families, we need a fund of $2,200 a month."
"Mayerly and her 9 year old sister Scarleth, were abandoned by her parents. Her sister cared for her until they arrived at the orphanage. She came without any documentation of her birth."
"Anita (5) was abandoned and uncared for by parents who failed to legally document her birth. When Anita arrived, she was shy and would not trust anyone, however, she has made great progress. Now, she loves to play, have piggy back rides and is very outgoing."
"After two months of being in the Homeward Bound, 4-year old Marcos is now reunited with his mother. He shows hope for a better life," (other updates say he and his mother are doing really well, she has made a lot of progress, and is able to provide him with love, stability, and his basic needs. He is very happy).
"Giovanni (10 years) and his little sister Anita (4 years) have progressed by leaps and bounds over the past six months. When they arrived at Clara Fantasia, Giovanni suffered from extreme emotional seizures and Anita refused to talk to anyone. She was particularly afraid of males. After being in the loving environment for several months, Giovanni’s seizure attacks have almost completely disappeared and Anita has blossomed into a happy, affectionate little girl. Guillermo has been providing family therapy to the children’s mother for quite a while, who is also meeting with the sister missionaries. Because of the progress the mother and children have made, last week the children were reunited with their mother."
