A Seed of Well-being 

Ruby, now 18, loves to play the marimba. She was never interested in it until she arrived at Covenant House Guatemala. But during her stay with us, she leaned into the resonant tones and calming influence of Guatemala’s national musical instrument. It became part of her path to healing. 

“Before I came here, I thought the marimba was boring, and I really didn’t like it,” Ruby recalls. “But now, when I play it, it makes me feel so much better. Music is so expressive.” 

Like so many of our girls and boys at Covenant House Guatemala, who are just 12 to 18 years old, Ruby came to us from a situation of violence. Nearly 90% of our residents are survivors of abuse or neglect, and more than 60% have survived sexual abuse.  

Growing the Seed 

“I came with so much trauma,” Ruby says. “I thought I’d never get past it.” 

At Covenant House Guatemala, she says, she came to feel safe. She could see our program staff were there to help her and that they understood what she was going through. “They helped me a lot, including with the panic attacks I would get sometimes, and with my sense of self-esteem.”  

Ruby was among the more than 200 youth who engaged in our on-site mental health services at Covenant House Guatemala last year, services that range from individual and group therapy to art and music therapy. 

She also participated in baking and manicure classes and found that living and sharing with other girls her age also supported her healing process. “Many of them had gone through experiences similar to or harder than mine,” she says, “and we really got a lot of help here.” 

Sharing the Harvest 

Ruby’s self-confidence got another boost when she became a representative in a national girls’ empowerment group. She learned she that she can lift her voice and make a difference acting with others for the good of all girls in Guatemala. “It helped me become a better person,” she says.  

Covenant House has since helped Ruby return home through our family reintegration program, in which our staff worked not only with Ruby but with her family to ensure her return to an environment free of violence. 

At Covenant House Guatemala, Ruby says, “I became a happier person. I could share my ideas and learned to express myself more clearly. And I made a lot of friends, who I love like family.” 

Covenant House has worked in Guatemala for nearly 45 years. Besides Guatemala, we also work in Honduras and Mexico. Across all three countries, we reached more than 11,200 children and adolescents last year. Learn more about how we support children and teens in Latin America.