In September 2009, I learned that a women in Bisan, a village in the Guatemalan highlands, had been murdered, leaving her 5 children without a mother. I had been to Bisan and, though I had never met “Rosa” I could imagine the terrible circumstances surrounding her death. Rosa’s 5 children were now orphans without a father or other family members to help take care of them.

I began to raise money to help support the children (here called “Roberto, Elena, Angel, Maria and Mario”). And in December, my friend Fernando and I traveled to Bisan to meet the children.

This bi-lingual book, Rosa’s Children, is the story of that visit. The book is a fundraising project; all money is donated to pay for food, medicine, clothes and school fees for these 5 orphans.

Rosa’s Children is illustrated by Carlos Chavez, a Maya Kaq’chikel painter from San Juan Sacatepequez who donated his art to help support the children. Carlos Chavez’s work can be seen on his website:

Here are some illustrations from Rosa’s Children:

Rosa’s Children can be purchased for $25.00 from the author, Laurie Levinger. Email: laurie@levinger.net for more information.

A bank account has been established to help pay for food, medicine, clothes and school fees for Rosa’s children. Tax-deductible contributions can be made out to:

UPAVIM Community Development Foundation

c/o Laurie Levinger

28 McKenna Road

Norwich, Vermont 05055

USA