New blog

I have decided to start this new blog to post about Guatemala and the organization we volunteer for, Mayan Families. I am copying the posts I had in different blogs to this one.

Originally posted on May 2, 2007.
Our trip to Guatemala is only 6 weeks away and I need to get organized with our project.

Don and I will visit the elementary school in Tierra Linda, Guatemala in June. We know this school through Mayan Families (www.mayanfamilies.org), a wonderful small organization that works within the Indigenous Mayan Communities on projects ranging from enrolling and keeping kids, especially girls, in school, helping single parent families deal with HIV/AIDS, Malnutrition, Basic Health Care, Organizing Medical and Dental Clinics, Animal Rescue and so much more. We will be working with them to improve the conditions of this school.

This rural school is located in a small town up in the mountains, near Panajachel and the Lake Atitlan. It is an agricultural town at the end of the road where most of the population speak a Mayan dialect and do not know how to read or write. The school has 250 students and Spanish is their second language. The majority of the students suffer from malnutrition.

We are collecting donations of pencils, pens, paper, crayons, pencil sharpeners, erasers, chalk, three-ring binders, glue, scissors, paint sets, pocket charts, shoes, children's clothing, puzzles and raincoats to bring to the school.

Don and I hope to paint a classroom or two and we have funded the repairs of the roof in one of the classrooms. Another member of Mayan Families Connection (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MayanFamiliesConnection/) might be able to join us there. I also hope to do some tutoring. I am making and buying Spanish educational materials.

We will also investigate the possibility of opening a library in the town of Tierra Linda. Mayan Families has bought a piece of land that will be used to build a junior high school and they will have room to build a small community center. It would be a very simple library, just a room with some bookcases, tables, chairs and books, puzzles, board games and crafts. Hopefully we would be able to hire somebody to help the children with school homework and when the school is on vacation. The school year in Guatemala runs from the end of January to the end of October.

Don and I are hoping to receive some monetary donations so we can buy needed materials while in Guatemala.