Two thousand miles south of Fauquier County, VA, a $2,000 Bishop’s Appeal grant is providing critical interventions for Guatemalan toddlers who live in poverty near El Basurero, the country’s biggest landfill.
Aprendiendo Con Amor (Learning with Love) is the latest outreach effort by Leeds Episcopal Church in Markham in a longtime partnership with Iniciativa Guatemala (Guatemala Youth Initiative, or GYI), founded and directed by cradle Leeds member Greg Lowden.
“Leeds Church is a small country parish but made up of a congregation that believes in meaningful mission work both locally and globally,” he said.
Bishop’s Appeal grants are a competitive grant program of the Diocese of Virginia funded each year from generous gifts. These grants strengthen, encourage, and uplift ministries of congregations through program expansion, leadership development, facility improvement/expansion, or technology enhancement. Grants can be used to support special projects, develop new programs, or expand existing ones.
“We are so grateful for the Diocese’s support towards this work!” Lowden said in an email from Guatemala City. “Expanding the toddler program allowed Leeds Church to close the gap in early childhood development for another marginalized community in Guatemala City.”
Interrupting the Cycle of Poverty
Guatemala City is home to 3.2 million people. The country has one of the poorest health ratings in Latin America with among the highest malnutrition and infant mortality rates and one of the lowest life expectancy rates.
Lowden first saw these needs up close in 2011 during a fellowship year at International Justice Mission, and that experience led to forming GYI with diocesan support and local aid workers.
Leeds parishioners visited Guatemala’s marginalized urban communities in 2017 and witnessed the magnitude of challenges for families. Over time, both Leeds and GYI realized that focusing on teen pregnancy and early childhood was a way to make a difference at a critical point in the complex cycle of poverty. They also wanted to foster love and connection in young families from the very beginning.
“While many struggle with poverty, they have been more afflicted by discrimination, social exclusion, lack of access to affordable education, and live in communities with high rates of community violence (gangs) and domestic violence (intergenerational cycles that continue until broken),” Lowden said. “There are millions of people in Guatemala struggling with poverty, but these other key issues are why we focus on the communities where we work. The poverty they experience tends to be a consequence of these complex problems, often times worse than poverty itself.”
Often overlooked in Guatemala, the early childhood window is a critical period that can shape the life trajectory of children. GYI’s program focused on adolescent parents in the community of Verbena, an area with high levels of poverty, violence, and teen pregnancy.
The grant provided supplies for early childhood classes focused on cognitive and motor development as well as social-emotional skills for children aged 2 to 3.
The plan was to reach 60 toddlers and their parents, but GYI’s local mission partner managed to enroll and support 73 toddlers throughout the year.
“While this led to challenges with space at certain moments, the team was excited to see not only strong participation from parents in the classes but also positive changes at home with parent engagement,” Lowden said.
Among the toddlers, GYI observed that many were behind on their cognitive and emotional development when the program began and were either ahead of their age or caught up by year-end.
“Today, we see young children and their families thriving,” said Lowden, who has two young daughters with his wife Jesica Zirion, who he met in Guatemala.
Bishop’s Appeal grants are small sparks that create outsized results and invite others to make a difference. This grant paid for reusable items that will continue serving future toddlers and parents near the landfill. Meanwhile in the Diocese of Virginia, Leeds Church has helped connect other parishes to GYI, which is a mission partner of the diocese.
Loving Jesus. Embodying justice. Being disciples.
When asked how this project, through the Bishop’s Appeal grant, manifested the diocesan mission (“Love Jesus. Embody justice. Be disciples.”), Lowden replied:
“This project lives out that call by supporting young children and their parents during the earliest and most vulnerable stages of life; the program reflects Jesus’ own care for those on the margins and His deep love for children. The daily work of nurturing toddlers, accompanying young mothers, and bridging gaps in early childhood development is an act of love that honors His example.
“At the same time, the program embodies justice by addressing a root cause of inequality in Guatemala City: the limited opportunities available to young parents in communities marked by poverty and violence. Offering high-quality early childhood support — at no cost — affirms the dignity of every family and helps level the playing field for children who might otherwise be left behind.
“Through its long-term commitment, Leeds Church lives out discipleship not only in word but in sustained action. By walking alongside its mission partner and investing in families year after year, the Church practices a discipleship rooted in accompaniment, compassion, and a willingness to show up consistently where the need is greatest. In doing so, this project becomes a real-life expression of what it means to love Jesus, embody justice, and follow Him in service.”
For 2026, GYI is adding more teachers to continue providing quality support to the growing population of young children served by the program and celebrating that the toddlers from the 2025 classes will be enrolling in local preschools.
