Sunday 10th August, 2025
The heat was still clinging to the concrete pavement as the sun dipped behind the tower blocks that now surround La Terminal, Guatemala City. I walked a few steps behind Juan Carlos, his wife Heydy, and their little girl, Camila, three people I deeply admire.
It was prevention night. This is when we come before the darkness settles in, before the gangs, the drugs, and the dangers take over, and we sit with children and families, offering a listening ear, a safe presence, and a glimpse of another way forward.
Juan Carlos and Heydy have chosen to serve here in one of Guatemala City’s most dangerous neighbourhoods. They even bring Camila, not to expose her to danger, but to let her see the truth: that children are growing up in a completely different world from her own.
We wandered through “La Quinta” as shop shutters rattled closed, stopping to greet business owners and check in with families we support. Then my eyes caught a familiar face, a large man in a plastic chair, smiling warmly. We shook hands and talked for a while. He runs the “Happiness Hotel,” a brothel with a name that hides its sadness.
That place carries memories for me. It was there, six years ago, that a contract killer tried to end my life. It was there that many children first met us and began coming to our mentoring centre. It was there that I saw so much conflict and so much suffering, but also the first sparks of hope.
Two little children ran up to me, smiling, and wrapped themselves around my legs in greeting. Together, we headed to the alleyway where the children gather each week for games and activities with the SKDGuatemala team. Camila joined the games, her bright smile drawing younger children like a magnet. Later, when Juan Carlos shared a Bible story, she chimed in with a verse she’d memorised that week, her own little ministry in the making.
The truth is, this work isn’t easy. It’s not glamorous. Few volunteers are willing to come here, and even fewer stay. But Juan Carlos and Heydy have been faithful for years, quietly transforming lives, not only children, but also young adults who have found their way off the streets because someone believed in them and invested time to make them see they are loved.
On our way back, I heard devastating news: a young man had been shot dead just behind the mentoring centre days earlier. Then, at his funeral, seven members of his family were gunned down by the gang.
The violence has risen fast this year. Yet, in the middle of it all, there are still those who choose to walk into danger to reach children before the streets claim them.
And they can only do that because people like you pray, give, and stand with us. Without your support, I know many more names would be added to the list of lives cut short.
Thank you for helping us hold back the darkness…until the last child is safe.
Duncan Dyason is the founder and Director of Street Kids Direct and founder of Toybox Charity. He first started working with street children in 1992 when he moved to Guatemala City and founded The Toybox Charity. His work has been honoured by Her Majesty the Queen and he was awarded an MBE the year he celebrated working over 25 years to reduce the large population of children on the streets from 5,000 to zero. Duncan continues to live and work in Guatemala City.