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STAFF AT CASA GUATEMALA Angie
Angie is the General Director of Casa Guatemala. She runs the entire operation of Casa Guatemala, and unfortunately has gradually been able to spend less and less time with the children as the orphanage and the duties of running have grown and grown. You can read a brief biography and the story of how she started the Rio Dulce orphanage here.
Heather Graham
Heather has been involved with Casa Guatemala since 2001 when she first arrived as a volunteer. During her three years at the orphanage, Heather was involved with all aspects of the administration of the Hotel, the Granja De los Niño’s store, the farm and the Children’s Village. When she left, it was with the intention to return to Canada to pursue a degree that would allow her to better support the growing needs of Casa Guatemala. Since then, she has returned to Casa Guatemala during and after her studies on a regular basis and has continued to raise funds and awareness through her work. She now holds a Bachelor of Applied Nonprofit Studies Degree from Mount Royal University in Calgary Alberta. Since graduating, Heather spent two years working at the Utila Centre for Marine Ecology (UCME) as the Operations Manager, handling the daily operations, program logistics and coordinating the volunteer program. Additionally, she worked within the local community to promote sustainable fishing practices. Heather has now returned to Casa Guatemala to work as part of the management team. In her new role as the Director of Communications and Fund Development, she hopes improve the financial sustainability of the organization so that the quality of life for the children can continue to improve without the fear of crisis due to a lack of consistent funding. Heather plans to increase the funding available to Casa Guatemala by applying for various grants, working with development organizations in Guatemala, and increasing fund raising efforts in Canada and the USA. She aims to increase the amount of up to date information available about the work Casa Guatemala does by making the organization more accessible via social media and the Casa Guatemala website for donors, friends and volunteers past and present. She intends to be with Casa Guatemala on a long term basis and will be working as a representative of Support Casa Guatemalan Children Inc, our Canadian registered Charity. Please feel free to contact her at any time. Email: heather_graham78@hotmail.com Skype: heathergraham78
Armando Milla
Armando takes care of maintenance in the children's village and the Backpackers Hotel. This includes maintenance of: the boats & engines, pipelines, generators, buildings and water filters. He coordinates construction projects and the logistics of transporting materials and hiring workers. Armando is an ex-soldier and has worked here for 20 years. Lillian Lillian is the director of the Casa Guatemala school. She is responsible for the legal aspects of running the school, and liaises with the minister of education to make sure that the school meets the requirements of the government teaching standards. She is in charge of 17 teachers who are both Guatemalan and volunteers (mostly from Spain). She runs the agricultural education program in conjunction with the school sub director who is always a volunteer. Additionally, she designs the sports program, the arts and crafts program and develops different activities to keep the children stimulated and engaged. Many of the kids at the school have suffered trauma and have psychological problems, due to their backgrounds. Lillian holds a seminar at the beginning of each new school year to deal with the problems that the children have and devise strategies for handling them. It is often much more difficult for the children to form a strong bond with the volunteer teachers compared to the Guatemalans.
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