How We Create Sparks

“Our hearts burn to share the gospel with our students’ families, with children and teenagers from orphanages, with friends, with the young street vendors, with teenagers during soccer practice, and with potential students for next year.”

— Estuardo López, Co-Founder

Academic Education

Public education in Guatemala is compulsory—on paper. However, this law is rarely enforced, leaving many indigenous children and teenagers with little more than basic reading and writing skills—if they’re fortunate. According to the CIA World Factbook, nearly 20% of Guatemalans over the age of 15 are illiterate. Literacy is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty.

While living and working in and around Antigua, Estuardo and Callie López saw firsthand the immense need for educational opportunities among children and teenagers who had to give up their studies to work and provide for their families. Traditional academic education alone wouldn’t be enough. The Gospel of Jesus Christ and Christian values needed to be taught to truly transform these children’s futures.

In January 2018, we opened a small alternative school in the center of Antigua. We started with just five students, and today, we serve 30 students with a diverse range of learning abilities. We provide daily Bible classes alongside all core subjects. Our curriculum is accredited by the Guatemalan Ministry of Education, allowing us to offer schooling from elementary grades through high school. We have an incredible team of teachers who provide one-on-one instruction and mentorship to our students. But our teachers aren’t just educators—they are true disciple-makers.

At Chispas of Change, we believe in a holistic approach to development, which includes daily nutrition support. We provide our students with a nutritious breakfast and lunch each school day, ensuring they can learn and grow without the distraction and discomfort of a hungry belly. In addition to meals, each student receives a daily vitamin to help supplement any nutritional deficiencies.

Athletic Activities

Chispas of Change began through discipleship relationships formed within a soccer team created in 2016 specifically for teenage street vendors from Antigua’s Central Park. The team was designed as a healthy outlet where teenage boys could learn teamwork, perseverance, and good sportsmanship. These young men became the inspiration for what is now a multi-program Christian ministry!

Today, the soccer team continues with weekly practices on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, along with seasonal games and tournaments throughout the year. Estuardo López, a former professional soccer player in Guatemala, serves as the team’s coach. Additionally, we welcome occasional volunteers who lead day-long soccer clinics, an exciting change of pace for the players.

Orphanage Outreach

Guatemala is home to thousands of social orphans—children and teenagers who have living relatives but whose families are unwilling or unable to care for them. Many of these children live in orphanages or group homes. At Chispas of Change, we are committed to living out the biblical mandate to care for orphans. Psalm 82:3 reminds us: “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”

We serve as mentors in two government-run children’s homes. Eddy Con, a full-time Chispas staff member, is dedicated to caring for and discipling teenage boys in crisis. For the safety and privacy of the children we serve, we cannot share specific details about these homes.

See below for a very special moment—one of the teens choosing to be baptized, right there in the group home!