Guatemala Village Health

02/23/2026

Our dedicated team of volunteers and staff are working hard in Guatemala!
1. Nursing Student Aura gives a patient instructions to go to the lab after visiting her at triage
2. Lab Manager Vladimir takes an H. pylori sample from a kid in Chinabenque
3. Clinical Coordinator Lesbia takes a mother's blood pressure at the triage station
4. Doctor Valerie examines a toddler as part of a wellness check-up in Chinabenque
5. Doctor Raji helps a patient from Chinachabilchoch put on a wrist brace
6. Community Educator Julio gives a men's sexual health talk in Q'eqchi', both his and the men's native language
7. Auxiliary Nurse Alicia vaccinates a baby in Chinachabilchoch
8. Health Promoter Cristóbal leads an educational activity about nutritional food in his native language, Q'eqchi', during recess
9. High school volunteer Willow applies fluoride varnish to students in class in Chinachabilchoch
10. Patient Gerardo teaches some of our team members Q'eqchi' vocabulary while waiting to see the doctor

Like what you see? Unlike most rural health clinics in Guatemala, our patients receive our services completely free of charge! Thanks to your support, we can continue to provide all the care you see here.

P.S. Want to support us and meet other like-minded people? Join us at our annual fundraising gala and auction on Saturday, May 2nd at 5:30pm. More information coming soon!
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01/26/2026

We hope to see you there! 🥂🥳🎉
Mark your calendars for our annual spring Fundraising Gala on Saturday, May 2nd, 2026.
Stay tuned for more details and ticket information!
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If you are interested in volunteering with us, please email office@gvhealth.org

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12/02/2025

Meet Lesbia Xi — one of the hearts behind Guatemala Village Health. 💙🇬🇹

Lesbia has worked with GVH since 2015 and has been an auxiliary nurse for 12 years. Originally from Chinabenque, she speaks both Q’eqchi’ and Spanish and brings deep compassion, skill, and cultural understanding to every clinic she supports.

Her passion is caring for women — especially in family planning, chronic illness, and pregnancy. In her work, Lesbia has accompanied many women through vulnerable moments, including one mother who arrived at clinic with serious health concerns. Lesbia supported her through treatment and recovery — and today that mother is thriving with her family. Experiences like this remind her that this work is not only clinical, but deeply human.

We are profoundly grateful for the care, dignity, and strength that Lesbia brings to GVH and to the communities we serve.

This Giving Tuesday, give in honor of Lesbia and the dedicated Guatemalan staff who make this work possible.
Donate today at bit.ly/DonateToGVH or use the clickable link in our bio.
(And remember — many employers match their employees’ gifts!)

12/02/2025

Santy has worked with GVH for nearly 10 years (and has been helping out since he was a teenager!). As our Logistics Coordinator and pharmacy manager, he keeps GVH’s work running year-round — managing supplies, coordinating transportation, supporting pharmacy operations during jornadas, and stepping in wherever he’s needed as part of the medical team.

Recently, Santy has played a key role in one of our most transformative initiatives: bringing reliable internet access to remote aldeas. From searching for the perfect place to install a tower, to climbing alongside the team, to training community members, Santy has helped make communication possible where it once wasn’t.

Now, families can connect with loved ones, health workers can call CAIMI or the Red Cross in emergencies, and entire communities can communicate in ways that were never before possible. It’s real, lasting change — and Santy is proud to be part of it.

This Giving Tuesday, give in honor of Santy and the dedicated Guatemalan staff who make this work possible. Donate at bit.ly/DonateToGVH or use the clickable link in our bio. (And remember — many employers match their employees’ gifts!)

GivingTuesday

11/30/2025

Meet Julio Choc — one of the hearts behind Guatemala Village Health. 💙🇬🇹

Julio has been a Community Educator for over 10 years, and he now leads our Healthy Babies program, guiding families as their children grow healthy and strong. His work focuses on nutrition, early childhood growth, and supporting parents through some of the hardest moments they face.

In the video, Julio shares a story that has stayed with him — about a young girl who once struggled with severe malnutrition. Through steady follow-up, food support, and community education, she recovered, regained her strength, and returned to playing just like any child should.

Stories like hers remind Julio — and all of us — that this work is about more than numbers. It’s about children thriving, families finding hope, and communities building healthier futures.

This Giving Tuesday, give in honor of Julio and the entire Guatemalan team who make this work possible.
Donate at bit.ly/DonateToGVH or tap the link in our bio.
(And remember — many employers match their employees’ gifts!)

11/29/2025

Meet Vladimir Melgar, GVH’s Projects Manager — and one of the hearts behind our work. 💙🇬🇹

For 13 of GVH’s 15 years, Vlady has helped shape nearly everything we do:
• designing and building our clinic in Chinachabilchoch and our Training & Development Center in Santiago Sacatepéquez,
• leading public-health projects like permaculture, fruit forests, composting toilets, smokeless stoves, and water filters,
• training and supervising the projects team,
• working with youth and families to build sustainable home gardens, and
• running our lab and kitchen during jornadas — drawing on his certifications as a lab technician and his skills as a chef.

In his video, Vlady shares a story that changed him: a girl from Semanzana who became dangerously ill many years ago. Thanks to the persistence of the GVH team — and donors who made specialized care possible — she received lifesaving surgery. She carries the scars, but she is here. And for Vlady, that is everything.

“This is just one story,” he says. “There are many more.”

This Giving Tuesday, give in honor of Vlady and the Guatemalan staff who save lives, strengthen communities, and make this work possible every day.

Donate at bit.ly/DonateToGVH or use the link in our bio.
(And remember — many employers match Giving Tuesday gifts!)

11/27/2025

Meet Nineth Pop — one of the hearts behind Guatemala Village Health. 💙🇬🇹

Nineth serves as a Rural Health Technician and a member of our Projects Team, supporting families with home gardens, fruit forests, water filters, composting toilets, and smokeless stoves — practical tools that create lasting health in rural Q’eqchi’ communities.

In the video above, Nineth shares a story that has stayed with her: a young girl from Chabilchoch who was underweight until her family began harvesting from their permaculture garden. With access to nutritious food grown at home, she returned to a healthy weight — a small change with life-changing impact.

This Giving Tuesday, give in honor of Nineth and the dedicated Guatemalan staff who make this work possible every day.
Donate at bit.ly/DonateToGVH or find the clickable link in our bio.
(And remember — many employers match gifts!)

GivingTuesday

11/25/2025

Meet Charlie Morales — one of the hearts behind Guatemala Village Health. 💙🇬🇹

Charlie has been part of GVH since he was a teenager, growing into one of the most trusted leaders on our team. As our Project & Logistics Assistant, he supports everything from clinic coordination to transportation, translation, community outreach, and even helping rural communities get connected to the internet.

Whether he’s driving supplies through the mountains, interpreting for patients, organizing clinic flow, or ensuring our team gets where it needs to go safely, Charlie’s work is essential to everything we do.

This Giving Tuesday, give in honor of Charlie and the dedicated Guatemalan staff who make this work possible.
Donate at bit.ly/DonateToGVH or find our clickable link in bio.
(And remember — many employers match their employees’ gifts!)

GivingTuesday

Help support Guatemala Village Health by donating or sharing with your friends.

11/25/2025

Charlie has been part of GVH since he was a teenager, growing into one of the most trusted leaders on our team. As our Project & Logistics Assistant, he supports everything from clinic coordination to transportation, translation, community outreach, and even helping rural communities get connected to the internet.

Whether he’s driving supplies through the mountains, interpreting for patients, organizing clinic flow, or ensuring our team gets where it needs to go safely, Charlie’s work is essential to everything we do.

This Giving Tuesday, please consider donating in honor of Charlie and the dedicated Guatemalan staff who make this work possible.
Visit bit.ly/DonateToGVH or find our clickable link in bio.
(And remember — many employers match their employees’ gifts!)

GivingTuesday

11/22/2025

Meet Aníbal Coc — one of the hearts behind GVH. 💙🇬🇹

Aníbal is from Cobán, Alta Verapaz, and is a native Q’eqchi’ speaker — the same language spoken in the rural aldeas where he works. He has been part of Guatemala Village Health since 2018, supporting construction, permaculture, cooking, and community education.

What impacts him most is seeing how the communities develop — thanks to your support.
As he says in Q’eqchi’: B’antiox (thank you).

Give today to support GVH’s local staff, the people who make this work possible every day.
Donate at Bit.ly/DonateToGVH or find our clickable link in bio.
(And remember — many employers match Giving Tuesday gifts.)

11/21/2025

For 15 years, the heart of GVH has been its people. 💙🇬🇹
This Giving Tuesday, we’re celebrating the team that makes our work possible.

In October 2025, our Guatemalan team was joined by a small but mighty group of U.S. volunteers for our biannual jornada — a two-week rotation of mobile clinics, health trainings, and community outreach in rural villages (aldeas) in Izabal, Guatemala, where access to healthcare is limited.

Together, we hosted 7 clinics, serving more than 650 patients from 15 aldeas — including Semuc, a new village in a new territory for GVH.

Thank you to the communities who welcomed us with such generosity: San Marcos, Marcajam, Semuc, Chinachabilchoch, Chabilchoch, Chinabenque, and the Seacacar communities.

Our team supported maternal and infant health, strengthened chronic disease care, trained 45 health promoters and comadronas, and used our newly donated portable ultrasound machine — identifying twins on its very first day of use. 💙💙

Over the next 10 days, we’ll be spotlighting the Guatemalan staff members whose dedication makes this work possible every day.
Because behind every patient success story is a dedicated GVH employee.

Give today to support GVH!
(bit.ly/DonateToGVH)
Your donation funds local staff, training, supplies, transportation, and the essential programs that keep rural communities healthy.
(And don’t forget — many employers match Giving Tuesday gifts.)



Villages Served in October 2025:

09/16/2025

🇬🇹 Happy Guatemalan Independence Day!

Today, we send warm wishes and solidarity to our beloved Guatemalan community — both here in the U.S. and across Guatemala — as we celebrate the strength, beauty, and vibrant cultures of the Guatemalan people, who give this day its meaning. 💙🇬🇹💙

This past Friday, we gathered in Seattle for a small but meaningful celebration. Together, we shared delicious food, danced to music by DJ Johnny, and honored Guatemala’s rich heritage with:

🎶 A flag ceremony and the Guatemalan national anthem
👗 A fashion show of traditional dress from different departamentos
💃🏽 A baile folklórico lesson by Emcee Luis Amado of Amigos de Seattle Radio
🎉 Community, laughter, and love

Dinner included pollo guisado with cilantro rice, sopa de frijoles, tostadas de salsa roja, ensalada mixta, and frescos of tamarindo and rosa de Jamaica — with a dessert table full of treats like Gabi’s famous tres leches cake!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this celebration possible — and to all who carry Guatemala in their hearts today and every day.