2023 Annual Report

“Institutionalism at FUNDAP”

FUNDAP, like any social organization, is governed by rules that come from experience and knowledge acquired over time; In the case of the Foundation, more than four decades of service in the country.

The Foundation, as a responsible entity that respects the legal framework of the Nation, has established institutionality in its work; This is how it has survived and persevered over time, based on that indisputable guide that is its values and its “institutional” purpose.

In general, there are internal institutions for entities such as FUNDAP, as there are also for a country like Guatemala.

The important thing to consider is that, just as it is the institutions that make the rule of law viable in a country, in the same way it is the institutional framework, based on its values and vision, that makes the permanence of FUNDAP possible.

And institutions are the patterns of behavior so that people live together in a humane and respectful way. Therefore, these must function in a stable manner, remaining over time and being respected by all citizens. These are the same concepts that apply to the institutionality of FUNDAP.

To better understand the meaning of “institution”, we can compare it with the rules of the game that govern a sports contest; We could not imagine a soccer game, for example, without preconditions accepted by all players. To do this, it is established that the ball must be round, that there must be a goal of such measurements, that there are eleven players per team and that there is a referee who orders the game.

The risk is that if there is no institutionality, it can lead to arbitrariness, something that usually happens when decisions do not adhere to the rules. When people are not governed by the norms and rules stipulated by the institution.

Four thousand years ago Aristotle, in his teaching on Politics, made it clear: “He who cannot live in community, or does not need anything due to his own self-sufficiency, is a beast”; and with this sentence he bequeathed us an enormous contribution to humanity by defining that justice, respect for the law, security, education and values, are the goods that constitute the end of social life; all this so that the person can achieve happiness, the ultimate goal.

In such a way that man organizes the society in which everyone assumes their tasks, and in this way a system of coexistence is structured through the institutions that establish the principles for life together, in community.

It is on these principles that FUNDAP bases its institutionality, the basis for its service and its internal order. Any entity, like life itself in society, requires authority to achieve its efficiency; and this authority in turn is based on the values that guide the spirit.

Therefore, the institutionality of FUNDAP is of fundamental importance and must be appreciated as a shared heritage. It is not ephemeral, since it has had and continues to have a significant impact on the behavior of the people who collaborate in it as well as the beneficiaries, who for more than four decades have been served in the different programs it offers.

An institution is stronger the more means it has to achieve its goals and defend its values, for which it is required that both the entity’s collaborators and its beneficiaries obey and share the reasons and purposes of the common task. This is institutional.

It has always been recognized that the basic institution of society is the family, constituting the home as a place where the person grows and relates. Another institution is the economy, which through work and its instruments allows the person to achieve the means to satisfy their needs. Another important institution is the educational system, which enables the person to function in society in a humane manner, providing them with a profession. Another is health, fundamental for life. And it is in all of these that FUNDAP collaborates, serving society and promoting community life.

It is advisable, therefore, to strengthen the Foundation as an institution, which is achieved to the extent that the values that support it are strengthened and fulfilled, and that are rooted in the experience and knowledge acquired and validated by many people who in She participates and has participated for many years.

“Human action begins with an intention”

Referring to a few years ago (returning to childhood), almost all of us remember the story of Aladdin, that character who finds a wonderful lamp from which, when rubbed vigorously, a genie emerges who has the ability to fulfill any wish. As time goes by, the real thing is that we realize that there are no magic lamps, nor such genies, that leaves us with desire locked inside each one of us. Interesting questions arise from this imaginative exercise: What would happen if wishes could become a reality? What do I wish for myself? What do I wish for others?, among many other questions.

Everyone has their personal desires that can be as uplifting or destructive as you think. It is very significant when from this introspection the desire is projected towards others, that involves an awareness of life in which we carry out an interaction with others, it is a recognition that everything we do will have an impact on others, in some cases for the worse and what is desired is for it to be for the better.

Understanding this outward projection is important, since each form of life has a function to perform, it is beautiful to observe the exuberance of a flower or the important height of a tree; We are part of a complex network that makes life possible. In that solid but intricate fabric that does so much for everyone, it is extraordinary to think that there are common thoughts and feelings and that with these you can be part of a team of people with common desires for the good of others, let’s think about how to organize with common desires It is a very specific function of the human being.

It is at this moment where you become an active part of the magic that makes possible what for many can be called miracles, because from that desire arises what we call “personal commitment.” Human action begins with an intention, embracing all the necessary elements so that each person can perform their function within that intention towards others, creating a structure that organizes and orders it. We call that structure an institution and we give it a name that in many cases can express a desire.

FUNDAP is a name that expresses many desires and within it there are many genies who are part of that magic lamp that, with their intentions turned into work, day by day transform the lives of many people, starting with ourselves. All the activities carried out day by day at FUNDAP can be reflected in new opportunities for our beneficiaries; with which, we too are becoming better people every day.

Continuing with the “Aladdin” analogy, the magic and power of intention arises from a dreamed desire with a few simple questions that come from within. What do I wish for others? How can I help you? What do they need to feel loved, cherished, valued? Who cares about these people, who in our case are the vulnerable in society? And those questions can only be so powerful when, in simple words, I wish for the other what I wish for myself, and only at that point can the intention be generated to do what is necessary to make things happen.

It is evident that it is a path of commitment and responsibility, “a personal life project”, the ability to respond is not always accompanied by the original intention, it is simply an ability that consists of responding with concrete actions; The commitment goes further, because it always carries with it the transcendent intention.

For us, alliances are those valuable friends who support us to materialize the work done. We have a deep feeling of gratitude to our donors and institutions that in many ways become pillars to sustain our actions. All of us who form and make FUNDAP possible know the importance of reinventing ourselves in many aspects of life, because it is an effective way to improve ourselves as people, because that achieves the best version of each of us, which together add up and make from FUNDAP a magic lamp with a genie motivated and committed enough so that his actions make the wishes fly high that, every day, our beneficiaries have the opportunities to which every human being is entitled.

We thank God for another year of work, for our collaborators, our beneficiaries, for all the institutions that support us to be able to generate opportunities for the people who need us, for whom we work every day. We are FUNDAP and our commitment is to our Mission and our intention is to our Vision.