Guatemala August 11th 2008. The President Alvaro Colom and the First Lady where in Alta Verapaz today. They where present to deliver the government subsidies to local families within the government program: "My Family With Progress" and to donate ambulances, wheelchairs, stoves and gas among other things to the local population.
The program "My Family With Progress" consists in the distribution of conditioned government subsidies in cash for poor families. The families that participate in the program have to send their children to school, keep them in school or comply with regular health check ups for the children.
One of the events took place in Santa María Cahabón, Alta Verapaz at the local school, Escuela Nacional Urbana Mixta Sacul Bolom.
Some women in Cahabón have the vision to use the money for small enterprises. One of the mothers, Doña Isabel, will use the money to buy ten chickens to form a mini-enterprise at home. She will feed the chickens' and after four weeks sell them at the market at 10 Quetzales (approximately 1.40 $) per pound. With the money she makes, she can then buy necessary items for her children. She says that now she will be able to send all five of her children to school, so they can learn and have better opportunities in their lives then she had. She speaks in the local language quekchí.
For four days this program will deliver 1, 356, 600 Quetzales, approximately 184,571.42 $, to 5,600 women. These women will either form their own micro- enterprises or use the money to buy school supplies and food for the children.
President Alvaro Colom explained that the main objective of the program "My Family With Progress" is to take poverty out of the houses. The First Lady Sandra Colom, delivered wheelchairs for some people with special needs and 3 ambulances for the transport of medical emergencies. The ambulances will serve at the governmental health clinics in Campur, Chaal and Cahabón. Later that day, The President and the First Lady went to Senahú, also in the department of Alta Verapaz, to deliver an ambulance to the local health center.
Also today, people from San José Purulhá came a very long distance to reach Fray Bartolomé, Alta Verapaz, where The President Alvaro Colom and The First Lady where delivering the conditioned government subsidies in cash for poor families within the program "My Family With Progress". 3,500 families received their subsidy today. The families each received 300 quetzales, (approximately 41 $). The total sum is 1,031,000 Quetzales, (approximately 140, 272 $). The First Lady also distributed gas stoves with their respective cylinders to some families and wheelchairs for people with special needs.
Photos:Press Secretary Office of the President Guatemala
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