“On a cloudless morning in a quiet village, Samuel returned home with his mother, siblings, uncles and grandmother. Jenifer displayed a big smile at the sight of his family reunion,” said Dr. Albert Reyes, as he recounted the story of Margarita and baby Samuel to a room full of Guatemalan church leaders, government officials and employees of Buckner Guatemala.
 
The president and CEO of Buckner International came to Guatemala City to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Buckner Guatemala’s registration as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) in the country.
 
Rather than list off the hundreds of thousands of children protected or families served since 2004, Reyes decided to talk about one story: A story that made national headlines in Guatemala. The story of a baby stolen from his mother before she could ever hold him.
 
“Margarita Gomez slowly stirred in a dark room with aches and pains, a day after childbirth,” Reyes started. “Her hands glided up and down the bed around her, but she could not sense the body of her newborn."
 
“Sitting up, she called to those who had been taking care of her and asked for her newborn child. ‘You have no child, they responded.’ Margarita knew that was a lie, but her life was threatened if she ever professed otherwise. Her baby was gone.”
 
The audience of more than 100 people listened closely as Reyes detailed the police investigation into the missing child, the discovery of baby Samuel and the arrest of those responsible for his abduction. But the story did not end there. It was just the beginning of Margarita’s six-month ordeal to get her baby back – a journey supported by Buckner.
 
Reyes explained how Jenifer Montes, a Buckner caseworker with the Semillas de Esperanza project was notified of Margarita’s situation by Guatemala’s national judicial court. Montes performed the investigation and legal casework necessary to determine Margarita was the mother and reunite her with her baby.
 
The story illustrates the impact of Buckner over its 20 years in Guatemala, as well as the way its team collaborates with government agencies and nonprofits throughout the country to serve more children and families.
 
The constant emphasis on collaboration is why the Buckner Guatemala team chose “Juntos es mejor” as the theme to represent its anniversary celebrations. It translates to “Better together.”
 
After Reyes reminded the audience of the strength in working together, Rocío López, senior director of international operations for Buckner International, spoke about the shared vision Buckner has across all six NGOs from Latin America to Kenya.
 
“We are an international organization of people with servant hearts," Rocío López said. "And just by being here today, everyone in this room is part of our mission."

Her point was reinforced when video messages from each of the Buckner Latin America national directors played to congratulate the Guatemala team and emphasize their commitment to a shared mission.

 
When asked about the event, Buckner Guatemala director Víctor López said it filled him with pride to see so many people join to celebrate 20 years of protecting children and strengthening families in the country. You can watch the impact made in many children and families' lives over the past two decades in this video.
 
“This was more than a celebration of a milestone,” said Victor López. “It was a celebration of the opportunities we can create and the lives we can change when we work together to meet the needs of the people.”
 
More than 30 people are employed by Buckner Guatemala. Together they operate two Buckner Family Hope Center® locations, foster and kinship care, family permanency services and humanitarian aid.

And together, they bring hope to the people of Guatemala.

Learn more about Buckner Guatemala.