Reflecting on a Year of Impact

Reflecting on a Year of Impact – Our 2024 Annual Report

We are pleased to share our impact in health and education in our 2024 report, highlighting the tangible difference your support has made in the Maya Highlands of Guatemala.

In education, we empowered 56 students to advance their learning. In addition to providing academic support we also offered specialized psychological and therapeutic interventions for those facing challenges and integrated essential health services such as nutrition classes and medical screenings for enrolled students.

Our healthcare initiatives saw remarkable reach, serving 4,143 medical and dental patients. Crucially, we focused on chronic illness management, providing 1,866 consults for diabetes and hypertension. A new electronic medical records system was instrumental in improving continuity of care across rural Mayan communities. Furthermore, Salud y Paz invested in local capacity, transforming interpreters into vital health promoters. Through extensive health promotion workshops for patients, families, and schoolchildren, we’re fostering resilient, community-focused solutions in the face of increasing challenges.

Thank you for doing this important work with us!

Restarting Work in Camanchaj with Violet Crown City Church

This summer, Pastor Jay Cooper of Violet Crown City Church in Austin, Texas, returned once again to lead a dedicated team in service with Salud y Paz. Splitting the group between medical and construction work, Jay joined the construction crew himself.

In his video, Jay reflects on the progress being made, from upgrading the school playground to preparing the worksite for restarting the construction of our new medical and dental clinic.

As construction advances, so does the opportunity. Now more than ever, we need teams willing to pick up tools and help bring this vision to life.

Watch Jay’s message below and find out how you can be part of the story.

Building Health Through Education

At Salud y Paz, health education is at the heart of our commitment to preventative care and long-term community well-being. This year, our nurse Ofelia, carried out several health workshops designed to inform, teach and empower students, parents and patients.

These workshops reflect our holistic approach to health, one that integrates mind, body and spirit.

For Parents

Six workshops were conducted for parents of Colegio Susanna Wesley students. Topics ranged from healthy eating to family mental health. Each session gave parents the tools to support their children’s development and well-being at home.

For Students

It is important to reach the young minds early, therefore, Ofelia also met with our 45 students for a workshop on disease prevention.

“The students were active and curious” said Ofelia.

For Patients

Our clinical team provides patients with the tools to take more control over and improve their health. In daily workshops, Ofelia talked about diabetes, hypertension, obesity and personal hygiene. These sessions are more than just workshops; they are conversations with patients where they can share their stories and experiences, ask questions and practice techniques like exercises or how to prepare herbal remedies.

These workshops demonstrate how health education multiplies impact: through parents supporting their children, students carrying lessons home and patients gaining the confidence to take charge of their well-being, we are empowering thriving, healthy Mayan communities.

Who We Become Through This Work: Reflections from our Service Teams 

When Pastor Jerry first traveled to Guatemala in 2016, he thought he was just joining a short-term mission trip. What he didn’t realize was that it would become a long-term relationship — not only with Salud y Paz, but with a vision of service that deeply shaped his faith and leadership.

At the time, Jerry joined a church team from Amarillo, Texas on a medical mission to Chichicastenango. The connection came through his praise leader, who knew Dr. Phil Plunk—a well-known and respected dentist. Jerry had briefly met Dr. Plunk once while he was home in Texas, but it was during that first trip to Guatemala that their connection deepened. “He had a heart for the Guatemalan people. He was a good convincer—he shared the mission with everyone and inspired us to come.”

Years later, after transitioning to a new congregation in Altus, Oklahoma and emerging from the challenges of COVID, his new church expressed a desire to go on an international mission. Jerry knew exactly where to go. “I had a team of doctors and nurses who were eager to serve,” he recalls. “But I also knew they needed to feel useful, that their skills would matter — and that there would be follow-up after we left.”

“I had doctors and nurses asking me about mission opportunities,” he explains. “So I reached out to Salud y Paz again, because I knew this wasn’t just a one-time trip. There’s real follow-up here, real continuity. That’s what makes the difference.”

For Jerry, missions aren’t just about what you bring—they’re about what you build. With his 20+ member team—a surgeon, general practitioners, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and volunteers—he saw how Salud y Paz not only utilized their skills meaningfully, but gave them space to grow spiritually and personally.

“One of our doctors prayed with a patient after surgery,” he recalls. “Then the patient took his hand and prayed for him in K’iche’. It moved him to tears. He thought he came to provide care, but he became the one receiving it.”

Jerry sees Salud y Paz as a partner—organized, rooted and committed to community. From the translators who become community leaders to the local families dressed in their finest to receive care, there’s a spirit of respect and reciprocity.

“This is my third time in Guatemala, my second with Salud y Paz,” Jerry says. “Every time I leave I feel encouraged. Not just because of what we’ve done—but because of who we’ve become through this work.”