Filled with the desire to serve those with less, in 2002 the Whites ventured out on their own to see what gifts they could offer to the poor of Guatemala. The economic conditions in Guatemala are quite different from the United States and other first world nations. 70% of Guatemalans  live below the poverty line. 98% of these people are Maya.

The average income for a Mayan family is about $786 per year or $2 per day. This amount of money purchases little for the family. Parents and children work, if they can find it. The majority of the money goes to food and clothing. Homes are sparse, one to two rooms with leaky roofs, mud or concrete floors, and open windows and doors. Most cook over a fire outside. Furnishings include a table and chairs and a couple of beds. 50% of the homes have some plumbing and the other 50%  use pit latrines behind their home. Laundry is done in the stream, lake, or public laundry area (concrete above ground pool with shared water). Men are farmers or laborers, women are weavers, crafters or help on the farm with children by their side helping. Children can attend school but many drop out by the third grade to help earn money for the family. One of the worst parts of the trip was the fact that there was no clean water to drink. The majority of the water collected at streams and lakes is polluted with e coli, fecal coli form, girardia, and other water-borne diseases. On the average a person has diarrhea about 12 times per year with children under 5 contracting the illness the most. As a result, child mortality is very high, about 45-50 deaths per every 1000 live births.

The trip was life changing for the Whites. Once home they decided to do something about the water.  They learned about a simple water filter called the ecofilter which could purify water to be 99.98% free of the bacteria. The filter only cost $35 and it would last a family for two to five years.  The Whites decided that this would be their mission to the poor . . . to give them a cup of clean water.

HEART for the Nations became incorporated as a not-for-profit ministry in 2002 to help the poor in Central and South America with clean water and education on water purification and basic hygiene principals. HEART raises funds for water filter distribution and education programs to the Maya  children by supplying educational materials and books. In 2008 HEART began an education program to teach students in the USA about the need for water and methods to purify water.  Currently HEART for the Nations works in two school districts, located in eastern Pennsylvania.  The organization hopes to expand to new public and private schools.. Currently HEART works in Guatemala, Nicaragua, the home base of Potters for Peace, Haiti, and Myanmar.

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