our story
In July of 1983, GOD’S CHILD Project Founder Patrick Atkinson was asked to go to Guatemala, Central America, to temporarily direct an orphanage who’s Executive Director needed a break from the stress and danger of those violent times. Atkinson’s appointment as orphanage director soon became permanent and he spent the next seven years pioneering health, educational, and child-care centers in Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and Panama, as well as directed and participated in human rights efforts in El Salvador, Colombia and Haiti.
Unfortunately, after Patrick Atkinson´s return to the United States, care for these children deteriorated to the point where many of the adolescents now found themselves homeless with no support. In 1989 letters began to arrive asking for help. One boy in particular wrote, “Patrick, you were like a father to us and we loved having you here before, but now is when we need you the most. If you come back, we promise not to steal from you anymore.”
Unfortunately, after Patrick Atkinson´s return to the United States, care for these children deteriorated to the point where many of the adolescents now found themselves homeless with no support. In 1989 letters began to arrive asking for help. One boy in particular wrote, “Patrick, you were like a father to us and we loved having you here before, but now is when we need you the most. If you come back, we promise not to steal from you anymore.”
The decision to return to Guatemala and begin what was believed to be a short-term, immediate-care program, was made in November of 1990. The name The GOD’S CHILD Project was chosen because Patrick was the godfather to so many of these initial children who were his godchildren through baptism, confirmation, or request. The new charity’s organizational plan was very simple; to care for 35 or so of the neediest children for three years while these children finished growing up. More and more children, however, kept coming.
On March 8th, 1996, a 21,000 square foot piece of property that had formerly been used as a public garbage dump was purchased in the San Felipe de Jesus district of Antigua, Guatemala. Development on this property began in 1997 and several adjoining pieces of property have |