by Lindsey Lucero
The Republic | azcentral.com
Supporters of a Phoenix-based non-profit know $50,000 will go a long way in helping improve living standards in Guatemala.
The organization, Advance Guatemala, raised awareness and money for its cause with an official launch party Saturday at the Montelucia Resort and Spa in Paradise Valley.
“We are impressed by your sharing and your caring. You could have gone anywhere, but you chose Guatemala,” Wendy de Berger, the country’s former first lady, told the crowd.
De Berger emphasized the importance of educating women to contribute to the development of the small Central American nation.
“How can we expect a country to develop if we can’t develop our social fabric?” she said. Her Guatemala-based project, Asociacin Puente, educates rural women about hygiene, health and farming skills so they can grow nutritious foods for their families.
“We make a point of teaching women because what a woman knows she teaches her kids,” said Beatriz Ruano, executive director of Asociacin Puente.
In the Valley, Advance Guatemala collaborates with other U.S.-based charities to provide aid to poverty-stricken Guatemalans through the “four pillars” of the organization: education, housing, entrepreneurship/economic development and health care.
Juan Pablo “J.P.” Dahdah, a Guatemalan-born Valley entrepreneur who founded Advance Guatemala, hosted the launch event and fundraiser to “let everyone know what we’re all about.” The “Guatemalan Experience”-theme party had Guatemalan food, drink and decor, a silent auction, and about 150 guests from across the Valley.
Dahdah, who is CEO of Vantage Self-Directed Retirement Plans in the Desert Ridge area, moved to the United States as a boy but has repeatedly visited Guatemala on personal and business trips since leaving.
Six years ago, Dahdah and his brother visited for a leadership and ethics conference in their native country. He was inspired to become part of the solution.
“I knew I couldn’t just cut checks; it’s about getting involved,” he said. “The sad reality is that people are going to the U.S. to work, illegally. If we could advance their world, maybe they would stay.”
Advance Guatemala does not have its own projects.
Instead, the organization collaborates with other charities that work in Guatemala. “We want to be a data center and make it more efficient for charity in Guatemala,” Dahdah said.
The non-profit’s partners — Project C.U.R.E., Namaste Direct and Hug it Forward — showcased their Guatemala-based projects at the launch. These organizations have a range of projects, including providing medical supplies, delivering wheelchairs to Guatemalans with disabilities and promoting educational services for women.