Our Mission, Our Story
On a mission to deliver life-changing care in rural Guatemala.
How It Started
Late 1960’s
While working to serve the local community, Padre Bertoldo and Ms. Archimbaud identified a significant need for both education and medical care in the small, rural village of Nuevo Progreso. They established a makeshift clinic, a dispensary pharmacy, and a sewing school for women and girls.
Making it Happen
Early 1970’s
Padre Bertoldo and Ms. Archimbaud met Jack Younger, who also recognized that the needs of the people in this area, primarily indigenous Maya, were much greater and required a larger effort. Mr. Younger, who was a member of the San Francisco-based private club called The Family Club of San Francisco, raised the initial $100,000 from club members to fund the construction of the hospital. The project began in 1972, with local Guatemalans helping to build the initial structure. Upon completion it was named Hospital de la Familia.
The Hospital de la Familia is Born
Feb 8th, 1976
Four days after Guatemala’s deadliest earthquake, 25,000 thousand lives lost, the Hospital de la Familia, located in the town of Nuevo Progreso, Guatemala, was formally opened. It exists due to the vision and commitment of three extraordinary individuals: Padre Cayetano Bertoldo, a local priest from Italy; Jack Younger, a San Francisco Bay Area contractor; and Jeanine Archimbaud, a Canadian dedicated to working in poor communities in Latin America.
