Team Joy 2026

Every International Esperanza Project team leaves a lasting impact, and Team Joy was no exception. Throughout the week, volunteers partnered with local communities across Guatemala to improve health, strengthen homes, and bring hope to hundreds of families.

Serving in Giralda, Aldea Patoquer (Poaquil), Caserío La Loma (Tecpán), Monte Llano (Itzapa), and the communities of Santa Clara and San Juan La Laguna, Team Joy worked alongside local leaders and families to meet immediate needs while creating lasting change.

Impacting Health

Access to quality healthcare can transform lives, and Team Joy helped make that possible for hundreds of individuals.

Our medical clinic served 647 patients, providing consultations, medications, health education, and compassionate care. For many, this was an opportunity to receive medical attention that would otherwise be difficult to access.

In addition to the clinic, our surgical team performed life-changing procedures for 54 patients. Each surgery represented far more than a medical intervention—it restored mobility, relieved pain, corrected long-standing conditions, and opened the door to new opportunities.

Impacting Homes

Healthy homes are the foundation of healthy communities.

Throughout the week, Team Joy partnered with 64 families to install smoke-free stoves and water filters, creating safer and healthier living environments.

Traditional open-fire cooking exposes families to dangerous indoor smoke every day. By replacing these fires with efficient smoke-free stoves and providing clean water solutions, families now benefit from cleaner air, safer kitchens, reduced firewood consumption, and access to cleaner drinking water.

Creating Lasting Impact

While the numbers tell an important story, they represent something even greater: parents able to care for their children, families breathing cleaner air, patients finding relief after years of pain, and communities strengthened through partnership.

None of this would have been possible without the incredible dedication of Team Joy, whose compassion and commitment made a lasting difference in the lives of those they served.

Thank you, Team Joy, for helping strengthen communities from the inside, out. Your service has created an impact that will continue to be felt for years to come.