About Us

History:
Born in Guatemala City, Jose Armas grew up watching his parents give food and other assistance to families in need. Even as a child, Jose felt burdened to help people less fortunate.

 At the age of 14, Jose began to travel extensively as a missionary while God continued confirming to him a specific call to help children and families who did not know Christ and were living in economic distress. At the age of 23, Jose felt called to leave his life in the United States and minister to his own people in Zone 18 of Guatemala City. The ministry started with Jose and his family serving about 25 children a snack 3 days a week. Using borrowed pots and pans from his parents and holding on to the vision God had placed in his heart many years before, Jose launched Esperanza para Guatemala (Hope for Guatemala) in 2004.

Today:
God has blessed the ministry greatly over the years. We are an established non-profit association in Guatemala with an active Board of Directors. We currently serve approximately 190 children who represent about 112 families, and as a result positively impact the lives of more than 1100 people. Monday through Friday we have four distinct groups at 7am, 11am, 1pm, and 2pm. Each child receives a hot, nutritious meal daily and those who come at 7am receive both lunch and breakfast. In addition, everyone receives biblical instruction and values education as well as LOTS of love!
Every Tuesday, guatemalan farmers and vendors bless Hope with hundreds of pounds of fruits and vegetables from on of the larges markets in Guatemala City, CENMA. After taking what is needed for the 1000 plates we serve weekly, Hope donates what remains to the families and children of Hope as well as other ministry who realize similar work in surrounding areas. Each family receives between 15 and 30 pounds of fresh food 2 to 4 times a month based on what has been donated.

Every Friday is “game day”. Each group of children is given the opportunity to relax and enjoy themselves. We have ping-pong, foosball, air hockey, dodgeball, bicycles, and much more. It is a special time for the children because they can spend quality time with adults and staff of Hope.

Only 1% of Guatemalan students graduated with a professionl degree according to statistics provided by USAC, the national university of Guatemala. As a result, every day, we offer tutoring and school reinforcement and assistance. Children are permitted the use of computers, the Internet, as well as books and
reference materials from our Library. We provide the children with school supplies to do their homework and projects as well as adult supervision to assist and teach the children. In this way, we motivate the children to continue their studies and even dream of going to college.
We also offer special and extracurricular activities such as soccer, field trips, and our recent vocational initiative. Click on our PROGRAMS tab for more detailed information.