Have you wondered about the impact that the pandemic is having on the mental and emotional health of CarePoint children and their families?
This month, we’re thrilled to introduce you to Andrea Mazariegos and Jose Carlos Ramos, two HopeChest Guatemala Program Coordinators who each have backgrounds in psychology. It has certainly been a year full of challenges. CarePoint leaders had to rethink how to continue to provide services to children during this difficult time of quarantine and lockdowns. Discipleship was one of the important aspects of CarePoint programming that was disrupted by not being able to meet in person.
“‘I am a being that creates, that thinks, and that feels,’ because that is how my Creator is and we share the same DNA. During the pandemic, a lot of the families had boiled up emotions, you know? Unemployment. Violence within the home. There were a lot of emotions. From that point, we thought, this is something that is very necessary to talk about.” Jose Carlos Ramos
Unable to visit CarePoints, Andrea and Jose framed this situation as an opportunity to use their backgrounds in counseling to equip CarePoint leaders to share God’s love and restore hope for children and their families through an innovative and creative program — TEC Moment. This program, which stands for “Teach, Empower, and Connect,” helps children cope with the many emotions that COVID-19 and the resulting lockdowns have brought up.
“That is what we want to see with discipleship — the transformation of life.” Andrea Mazariegos
Through this 13-week discipleship video series, they are tackling big topics like emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and resilience. Hear host, Rachel Andrews, ask important questions about their vision for TEC, how they have seen children’s lives become radically transformed through discipleship, and the challenges that children living in poverty have been facing during the coronavirus pandemic. Don’t miss Jose’s mindfulness exercise at the end of this episode that he shares to help us all feel present and calm!
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ABOUT THE HOST
Sitting in the interviewer’s seat is Rachel Andrews, who has been working with HopeChest for 20 years. As Vice President of International Operations, Rachel has strategic and operational responsibility for management, engagement, development, and implementation of HopeChest’s Community-to-Community model within the countries HopeChest partners with.
ABOUT THE GUESTS
Andrea Mazariegos has been working with Children’s HopeChest for nearly five years. As Program Coordinator, she walks with CarePoint leaders through the planning process for programs, projects, and partners visits. He also oversees program and project development at the CarePoints and builds friendships with the children and families who attend CarePoints. Before working with HopeChest, she worked as a school counselor for three or four years, providing therapy for children who struggled with learning disabilities.
Jose Carlos Ramos has been working with Children’s HopeChest as a Program Coordinator for over a year. In his position, he walks with CarePoint leaders through the planning process for programs, projects, and partners visits. He also oversees program and project development at the CarePoints and builds friendships with the children and families who attend CarePoints. Jose is a psychologist and provided therapy for individuals before working with HopeChest.
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“Build Relationships. Break Poverty.” is a podcast that challenges the Western perception of international poverty by elevating the voices of local leaders and processing how we can help to alleviate poverty without harming those living in vulnerable communities.
You can download and subscribe to “Build Relationships. Break Poverty.” here:
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