Giving the gift of EDUCATION

Old Dec 1st, 2009, 12:33 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,255
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Giving the gift of EDUCATION

Hi, all -
I posted this earlier but decided to repost without the Guatemala tag so others might read far enough to consider helping.

As most of your know, I travel to Latin America every summer to study Spanish and my favorite town south of the border is San Pedro La Laguna on Lake Atitlán in the mountains of Guatemala; I have some very dear friends there, locals who run a Spanish school and invest heavily in the community. Kids there get free education through 6th grade but can only attend the equivalent of middle school and high school if they pay, which many of the locals can't do. My husband and I looked into the cost ($400/year for the first 3 years and $600/year for the next 3 years for a total of about $3000) and decided to sponsor a student a year at a time, continuing through high school and possibly beyond if they continue to be successful.

I asked my friends in San Pedro to help find a bright, hard working, deserving student without the resources to continue in school without sponsorship. They were ecstatic to be asked and took the job very seriously, interviewing families and requesting school records and recommendations. They picked 4 finalists, interviewed them, and sent us the photos, interview notes, and school records and asked us to choose.

These are wonderful, deserving kids but Mike and I can only commit to sponsoring one at this time. It' s heart breaking to see photos and school records of students whose lives would be changed with the offer of continued schooling and say no to any of them. I know there are other individuals, families, or groups out there who would be interested if we can get the word out. If you - or someone you know - is willing to consider a long term commitment to educate a deserving student, please let me know. I have photos and information I can email anyone who has an interest. Happy trails!
hopefulist is offline  
Old Dec 1st, 2009, 04:21 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 909
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
You might eventually be able to start a 501 3c which will get you more bang for your bucks and really get something going. I work with a program in Mexico and we now have support for over 600 kids though school due to the generosity of people like you.
Dude is offline  
Old Dec 1st, 2009, 04:56 PM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,255
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
That's amazing - a little more than I'm willing to bite off right now, though.
hopefulist is offline  
Old Dec 5th, 2009, 01:04 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hello...you gave me some good advice on my post today re Belize and Guatemala travel. Your comment on Nebaj being an unusual choice ties in to this post of yours. My daughter is working for a Guatemalan NGO called Limitless Horizons Ixil She lives in Nebaj and takes a bus to LHI's offices in Chajul everyday...unless she sleeps over at the office when things are crazy-busy. LHI is a 401 C 3 organization whose main program is to provide scholarships to poor indigenous Mayan Ixil kids to go to middle school. They too look for individuals or groups to sponsor deserving students and are in the process of finding new sponsors now for the school year which resumes in Feb. My Book Club decided last night to be a sponsor. You might want to think of ways existing groups could do something like this. We also decided to stop brining each other hostess gifts and make a monetary contribution to LHI (a mere $5 a head) from each meeting. The sponsorships for the kids in Chajul range from $160 to $250 a year depending on the grade level....so little when you think about it. Anyone interested should check out limitlesshorizonsixil.org
I hope you're having a great experience with the student you are sponsoring in San Pedro
Janet179 is offline  
Old Dec 5th, 2009, 05:33 PM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 4,255
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Really interesting - thanks for sharing! It's surprising how much it takes (much less than many North Americans spend on coffee in a month!) to provide a change for a student to become educated and leave the cycle of marginalized living they've known. Have a wonderful trip and be sure to post a travelogue for us. And tell your daughter thanks for doing what she does!!
hopefulist is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
maryintwin
Europe
118
Dec 8th, 2011 01:24 PM
ttraveler
Mexico & Central America
13
Oct 14th, 2010 05:39 AM
nj_13
United States
23
Nov 27th, 2005 12:32 PM
juliejj
Africa & the Middle East
4
May 5th, 2004 01:22 PM
beeper
Europe
117
Aug 30th, 2002 07:32 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -