Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Have a look at some of the recent photos we have received from Dee in Guatemala. and then read on to learn about  Proyecto Vida and its new venture, the reflexology room.

Strawberry Hill Overseas and Community Concern (SHOCC) has been supporting the work of Maryknoll SisterDee Smith for the past 30 years, first with her school building work with the Pokot in Kenya and more recently with her HIV/AIDS work in Guatemala.

Along with local parishes; students and staff at St Mary's University Twickenham we raised the £50,000 needed to construct a hospice for her HIV+ patients. This was opened in August 2005 and is fully operational with 18 beds and full time care. In nearby Coatepeque, Dee manages a staff of over 20, all HIV+, who provide counselling, medical services and advice from their centre.  

In 2012 SHOCC provided the £15,000 Proyecto Vida required to purchase 5 acres of land next to the hospice. This has been developed into a chicken, fruit and vegetable eco-farm helping to meet the food needs of the hospice and provide funds through the marketing of produce.  Dee has introduced honey production and now has over 25 hives producing delicious honey for use in the Hospice and for sale in local markets.  

The latest news (September 2015) is that Dee has been awarded funding by UNAIDS to establish family gardens with people with HIV living in SW Guatemala. The eco-farm will be used as a teaching centre and model organic farm.

Our latest way of helping Dee follows Betsy Keating's visit to Proyecto Vida in 2013. Betsy hails from Bury in Lancashire and is  a trained reflexologist and masseuse. She spent a month at the project training the nurses in the therapies and regular sessions are now being provided for all the HIV patients. Thanks to Betsy and the support of friends in the Bury area of Lancashire, we raised the £2500 to provide a fully equipped reflexology room with all the facilities such a room would have in the UK. Dee now needs help with the annual running costs estimated to be around £1000.

 Please be as generous as you can and help SHOCC to raise this money. Many thanks for your support and generosity.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.