Updated

A grandmother from Maine has launched a 2,500-mile kayak trip from Portland to Guatemala.

Sixty-three-year old Deborah Walters of Troy pushed off from Portland's Eastern Promenade Beach on Sunday.

The journey is expected to take about a year and the goal is to raise money for the children of the Central American nation, especially those who scrounge out a living by scavenging at the dump instead of going to school.

Walters says her goal is to give the children an education so they can start small businesses and get jobs.

Walters first saw the extreme poverty in Guatemala on a trip nine years ago.

She's an experienced kayaker who has taken trips all over the world.