Alumna's Dream to Support Guatemalan Children Resonates in Maine 25 Years Later

Each year, the organization needs to raise between $2.7 million and $3 million to fund its programs, relying primarily on individual donations.

With the helps of these gifts, Safe Passage is opening a new middle school this winter. "In January, 2026, we'll move the middle schoolers into a new, incredible facility for 120 students," Meyn Ugarte said. It'll include a gym, music center, and art center.

The school is located within a community of about 60,000 people, many of them Indigenous and many who have migrated to the city from the countryside. The majority of these families pursue "some kind of work that is connected to the landfill," Meyn Ugarte said, typically sorting and recycling debris from the dump.