Hospicio San Jose

SI Crosby marked International Women’s Day 2009 by becoming the first organisation in the UK to sponsor one of the “forgotten children of Guatemala” cared for by the St Joseph’s Hospice Association (Jospice).

The club is supporting a young girl, Maria Luisa, who lives in the Jospice orphanage of Hospicio San Jose in Guatemala City. Like most of the other 67 children there, Maria Luisa has been abandoned because she is HIV positive; but in the home she will be cared for throughout her childhood. Crosby’s Soroptimists are funding her education andare able to follow her progress as she grows up. The most recent report indicates that Maria Luisa is thriving.

There is a very high incidence of HIV/Aids in Guatemala. Some of the children have been orphaned following the death of their parents at the main hospice; most have been abandoned because there is so much shame in the local society surrounding the condition. Hence the centre, described as a “haven of loving care”, has developed. Here the children are part of the St Joseph’s Hospice family: they receive full medical treatment and a comprehensive education, and will be supported into adulthood.

The home’s maxim is “I am thrilled to be alive!!” – and SI Crosby’s members are thrilled to help.