Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro, Natalia Pinal de Cuevas.
By then, he also became a volunteer of the hospice dedicated
to San José, established in Guatemala to provide assistance
to the poor and terminal ill people who had neither relatives
nor economical means to have a decent death. In addition to
social service, he met people like Luz María de Perera, Vice
President of the Board of Hospicio San José and with whom
he has a close friendship.
As time passed, many ill people with HIV/AIDS started to approach
Hospicio San José, so it became the home that provided shelter,
food, treatment, and follow-up to those affected by this syndrome.
Doctors without Borders and other international entities joined
this cause. Health professionals, private local enterprises, the
State of Guatemala -through the Ministry of Public Health-,
United Way - i.e. Fondo Unido de Guatemala-, and generous
volunteers strengthened the work of the institution. However, the
numbers of ill people were increasing. Elena Clavijo and Patricia
Santis, director and administrator of the hospice, respectively,
were working to their limits. The need for appropriate premises
and qualified staff was more evident everyday.
ROZAS-BOTRÁN GALLERY
Simultaneously to volunteering in social service, in 1985, Jose
Rozas-Botrán opened the first site of the gallery of the family in
Zona 9, next to another renowned gallery ‘Sol del Río’. We must
bear in mind that his passion for art “is in his genes”. During
this stage he contacted highly renowned artists at national
and international level, as well as others who were profiled
as the promises of tomorrow. He also started to know about
the opinion of collectors and strengthened his friendship with
people in this ambit, namely Ingrid Klussmann, Víctor Martínez,
Guillermo Monsanto, and Luis Escobar, among others.
An entrepreneurship based on solidarity
and associativeness arises
With great altruistic spirit, the Rozas-Botrán family decided
to support the work that Jose had started on what we call
an entrepreneurship based on solidarity and associativeness.
Thus, what started as a gallery linked to a responsibility towards
social investment gives birth to Fundación Rozas-Botrán, an
institution with legal capacity that would look for sensitized
partners for venturing a crusade to find solutions for health
24

issues affecting the needy. The work started with a reduced
team including Mariana Solórzano among its members, who
years later became Executive Director of the Foundation.
The volunteering years at Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano
Pedro and Hospicio San José instilled in Jose a vocation of
service that inspired his relatives and closest friends. Silently
and smoothly, that famous quote of popular local wisdom
became a reality: “las palabras convencen, pero el ejemplo
arrastra” [i.e. words may convince people, but the example
moves them]. And this have witnessed watching Jose assisting
the children of Hospicio San José with respect and love, since
it began its operations in a little country house in San Lucas
Sacatepéquez, where a dream was conceived and a few years
later became a reality.
The ‘arte de ayudar’ starts its journey
“Social entrepreneurs are not content with just giving a fish or
teaching how to fish. They will not stop until they have revolutionized
the fishing industry.” This phrase belongs to the North American
William Drayton, Chairman of Ashoka Foundation, whose work
was awarded the prize Principe de Asturias de Cooperación.
The expression above describes the attitude towards
commitment that Jose adopted from year 2002 onwards, when
he inaugurated the first art event named Festival Internacional
de Arte Contemporáneo aiming to raise funds for projects on
social and health care for children and adults implemented by
Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro, Guardería Virgen
del Camino, Hospicio San José for children with HIV/AIDS,
Guardería San Judas Tadeo, Centro Nutricional Sor Lucía Roge,
Fundaorto, and Hogar Marina Guirola.
Artists, collectors, people interested in art, relatives, and
friends, generously attended the call in such a way that
the event was a success and became an annual activity.
José Mario Maza, Architect, who in year 2000 undertook
the directorship of Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno Carlos
Mérida, made a very important proposal to Fundación. When
he knew about the objectives of the art festival, José Mario
offered the premises of the museum to host the annual
activity during the month of May, thus the event is known
as ‘Arte en Mayo’.