Hope Academy

Tree 4 Hope operates Hope Academy—a STEAM-based, Spanish and English bilingual school for girls with support for Kaqchikal, the indigenous Mayan language of the region, and hands-on internships at local businesses—in Santa Lucia Milpas Altas. The school grew from one kindergarten classroom in 2019 at the Miguel Magone orphanage to a new, modern school building with 67 girls in pre-K through Grade 6.  

  • Why is this important? “We meet our girls where they are. Through Spanish we prepare them for life and work in their community; through English we connect them to a global world; through Kaqchikal we ground them in the traditions of their culture.”

Food Security

Every day, Tree 4 Hope delivers fruit, vegetables, and meat to 215 children at the Miguel Magone orphanage and the village of El Aguacate.

  • Why is this important? “Daily deliveries of food ensure that every child has access to the nutrition they need to grow into the people they were meant to be.”

Music Education

Each year, Tree 4 Hope funds a full-time music instructor, twice weekly music lessons, and performance opportunities for 100+ children at the Miguel Magone orphanage and the village of El Aguacate.

  • Why is this important? “Learning and creating music gives children the opportunity to do the work of change, to empower the whole person, to be themselves in a world that often demands elsewise.”

Psychological Care

Tree 4 Hope supports the costs for two full-time psychologists who conduct initial evaluations, hold counseling sessions, and attend court hearings for children at the Miguel Magone orphanage.

  • Why is this important? “The importance of psychological care can’t be overstated. All of the children here have experienced trauma. We work to untie the knots in their hearts that keep them locked down and affect their everyday relationships.”

Community Outreach

Once a month, Tree 4 Hope provides funding for an “ancianos” luncheon where the elders of El Aguacate share a meal, play bingo, and dance with the children at the Miguel Magone orphanage.

  • Why is this important? “When the orphanage can also act as a community center, a hub, it creates an opportunity for the children to form intergenerational relationships and a sense of connection and hope not just for the elders, but for the children as well.”