Anonymous donor makes big pledge to support Hospitalito Atitlán

Since the devastating mudslides of 2005, a small hospital in Santiago Atitlán has been struggling to serve the community. In the four years since Hospitalito Atitlán opened, it has filled a great need with a 24-hour emergency room, X-ray, lab and clinics.

The hospital board has been hard at work to build a new, permanent hospital, which is slowly taking shape thanks to support from donors around the world and the U.S. non-profit Pueblo a Pueblo.

Hospitalito Atitlán is no longer receiving grant support from Pueblo a Pueblo, Inc., but has been awarded grants from newly formed U.S. non-profit, Amigos Hospitalito Atitlán (www.amigosha.org).

Meanwhile, an anonymous donor has pledged to match, dollar-for-dollar, any gifts up to $750,000.

One of the first contributors was Posada de Santiago, with a donation of $100, which will generate another $100 from the matching gift.

Many visitors to Guatemala have volunteered as medical personnel, worked on construction or served in another vital way. Numerous locals and visitors alike have been treated at the hospital—the only one in a community of 43,000 people.

For information or to make a tax-exempt donation, visit www.HospitalitoAtitlan.org.  To see a slideshow of the construction go to www.tinyurl.com/ha-constructionpics.