Faces of Hope Helps Children Living in Guatemala

Having begun her career working with families of low income, Rose Padilla Johnson now serves as chief executive officer of Davis Street Community Center in San Leandro, California. Rose Padilla Johnson also belongs to the San Leandro Rotary Club, through which she has worked with the Faces of Hope project in Guatemala.

Established in 2005, Faces of Hope helps Guatemalan children to receive medical care. The nonprofit program annually sends medical professionals and nonmedical volunteers to the country in order to perform surgeries on cleft lips and palates. Prior to the surgery, many of these children have not left their homes or attended school due to their conditions. In addition, they may not know how to speak clearly.

In 2018, Faces of Hope sent more than two dozen medical professionals and volunteers to fulfill its mission. The group worked in the hospital affiliated with Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro and collaborated closely with the Guatemalan nonprofit Asociación Compañero Para Cirugía (Partners for Surgery). Before the participants headed home, they completed 59 surgeries.