Hola Amigos,

We hope that you and your loved ones are enjoying the Holiday Season. Santiago Atitlán is all dressed up. A huge Christmas tree (a metal frame covered in painted green fan palm leaves) stands in front of the Post Office. The streets in town are festively adorned and fruit stands line the streets selling imported apples, plums, pears and grapes.

The school year is over for Cristobal and Chonita They have completed their first year of Saturday University study in Guatemala City. Hospitalito Atitlán is happy to announce a 2010 recipient, Jacinto Chipir Garcia, funded by a past medical volunteer. Jacinto has worked at HA since the beginning, in Panabaj. He will study for a nursing degree starting in January. The donors for this scholarship have thoughtfully included a donation to cover a scrub nurse to replace Jacinto in the OR every Saturday. This is a tremendous help to the scholarship program and the Hospitalito. If you or your clinic might be interested in providing a scholarship to a HA employee in 2011, please contact HA administration.

Please, take a look at the blog… there is a lot happening… fotos of volunteers, construction and some great donations. Feel good about your next cup of Starbucks coffee!!! http://blog.hospitalitoatitlan.org/

We hope that you enjoyed the most recent Hospitalito newsletter. If you didn’t receive it, you can read it here, http://www.hospitalitoatitlan.org/newsletters/newsletter-2009-11.html Our goal is to save expenses by sending the newsletter online, so if you were missed, please take the time to subscribe for future newsletters on the home page of the website, www.hospitalitoatitlan.org

Thank you for your donations… we hope that 2010 will be a great year for you and for Hospitalito Atitlán.

ˇProspero Ańo Nuevo!

The Staff and Board of Directors of Hospitalito Atitlán