Restoring Families, Strengthening Futures: Inside a Day With Padres Conectados

Restoring Families, Strengthening Futures: Inside a Day With Padres Conectados

When EduDeo’s International Programs Manager, Mikayla Weinberger, stepped into a Padres Conectados workshop on a site visit to Guatemala, she expected to observe a parenting program in action. What she found instead was a vibrant picture of restoration, empowerment, and hope. Padres Conectados currently operates in several AMG schools and after‑school centers. 

On this particular morning, 35 of the 47 parents in the room were participating for the very first time. Their hands busily worked pipe cleaners into colorful flowers as AMG staff member Dulce reminded them, “learning starts in the home and parents are the first teachers.”  The training the parents receive helps to compliment the work happening in Christ-centered classrooms.   

This simple craft held a profound message. Each parent created two flowers, one representing themselves and one representing their child’s teacher. The flowers were bound together in a small bouquet, symbolizing the shared responsibility of raising and educating children. It was a visual reclaiming of a cultural truth often forgotten: that parents play the first and most formative role in their child’s life. 

For many parents in this community, this truth is both revolutionary and healing. 

The day before, Mikayla sat down with two mothers who had completed the Padres Conectados program and now serve as volunteers. One mother (a mom of three) told her that the program transformed her family in three essential ways. 

“It taught me proper nutrition and how to feed my kids well. It taught me how to save money and support my family and teach my kids that too. And it taught me how to recognize signs of abuse and protect them.” 

In communities where daily survival often overshadows long‑term planning, these lessons are lifelines.  

A Story of Reunification 

Another mother shared a story that captures the heart of EduDeo’s work and God’s story. 

After giving birth, she fell into severe postpartum depression. Consumed by despair, she struggled to care for her child and lost custody. The separation devastated her further. But everything changed when she began the Padres Conectados program. 

There, surrounded by other mothers walking through their own pain, she found support, skills, guidance, and a renewed sense of worth. When she completed the program, she received a certificate recognized by local authorities but more importantly, they saw genuine transformation in her life. 

She got her child back. 
Her family was restored. 

According to Alejandra, an AMG staff member, this story is far from unique. Many parents in the program have experienced similar reunifications after healing, learning, and growing in community. 

At EduDeo, and in many of our partner schools through the Walking Together teacher trainings, we talk about God’s Story - simply described as creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, both in the future and in the here and now.

As Mikayla reflected, “This is the kind of gospel restoration that’s possible here and now; on Earth as it is in Heaven we pray.” 

Growing Skills, Confidence, and Opportunity 

Padres Conectados is more than a parenting class. It's a holistic program that weaves together emotional health, biblical values, practical skills, and vocational training. 

Parents learn: 

• healthy communication 

• emotional regulation 

• spiritual grounding 

• income‑generating skills they can replicate at home 

• leadership skills that allow them to lead workshops themselves 

The goal is to empower parents not only to stabilize their families but to lead flourishing families. In fact, long‑term plans aim to create formal academies where parents can earn certifications that open doors to stable, dignified jobs. 

Your support contributes towards this kind of restorative change.