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Guatemala
Friendship School Foundation |
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Because
of the generosity of a single couple--Foy and Betty McCullough of Redmond,
Washington--we will be offering educational programs in the rural area
surrounding the village of La Vega near Patzun, Guatemala. Like our
original school in Momostenango, these villages all share a need for
educational opportunities for their Mayan people. Our
program in La Vega will focus on junior high education, much like our
program at the Friendship School in Momostenango. However, instead of
constructing our own school, we will provide scholarships for about 40
students to attend existing private schools, as well as providing
transportation, cost for uniforms, and other expenses. We will also
provide educational programs in La Vega that will include music education
for local elementary students, homework help for our junior high students,
and adult vocational classes for women. Many of these programs were
already in process when we visited this summer, and I am so excited to
continue and expand these programs in the coming year under the leadership
of our foundation. This
past summer marked the 10th anniversary of my first fateful trip to
Guatemala when I met a man a named Abraham in Momostenango who had big
dreams for the people of his village. Since then we have built and run a
fine school there with the highest test scores in its state and with
graduates who have gone on to medical school and careers as teachers,
among other things. Today, through your generosity as well as the help of
a family that wants to make a difference in the world, we will be
providing education to approximately 130 Guatemalan people in the coming
year. That is a lot of dreams coming true! It's
incredible how we've been able to change so many lives in Guatemala.
Together, we really are making dreams come true. Thank you for continuing
to support the dreams of those that are less fortunate.
Gracias
and thank you,
Education
has always been a very big and important part of my life, and, as a
student hoping to become a veterinarian, it will always continue to be.
Staying with rural families during my study abroad experience in Peru
showed me how extraordinarily lucky I am to grow up in a country where
quality education is a privilege for the majority of its citizens, and to
never take it for granted. Ever since my return I have wanted get involved
in programs dedicated to the education of the people of Latin and South
America and in July of 2008, I had the fantastic opportunity to be a part
of the Guatemalan Friendship School Foundation (GFSF) to help the people
of La Vega and Momostenango bring better education to their children. Our
trip included visits with principals from both the schools in La Vega and
Momostenango to go over needed funding and supplies, and to also add the
Friendship School in La Vega to the list of beneficiaries helped by the
GFSF to implement El Básico, the junior-high-school equivalent in
Guatemala. The
differences in La Vega and Momostenango, even though they have the same
educational dream for their villages, were very apparent. Along with the
differences between rural and urban poverty, there were subtle differences
in the educational values of the people. In La Vega, a rural farming
village located on the banks of an isolated river, it was very important
to the people running the school that the families of the students be
partly responsible for the funding of their child's education, making the
education an important priority to the entire family. In this village,
most of the children have parents who farm their land to earn a meager
living, making this a feasible option and a way to keep the families
involved in their child's education. In Momostenango, a larger town with
many poor and orphaned children, it was vital to the principal of the
school that the education provided be completely free of charge to the
students, with no obligation to their families, if they had one.
This
trip was, to say the least, an extremely eye- opening experience for me,
and a great lesson in the vastness of human generosity and dedication. We
all came together to make an amazing difference in the lives of the
children in these villages and to the future of these places themselves.
The dedication of the principals of these two Guatemalan schools, despite
their own struggles and poverty, is awe-inspiring; the generosity of
people in the GFSF and my grandparents and aunt (original founders of the
school in La Vega), to donate so much of themselves and their time and
money to the well-being of these people, makes them true heroes. I hope,
with everything I have seen and learned during this trip, I can continue
to be a part of the Guatemala Friendship School Foundation and their
admirable cause to bring education to those who would never have it. I am
so grateful to have been able to be a part of this wonderful organization
and to see, in action, real people making a real difference in the world.
Have
you ever wished that you or your family could get to know another child
from a different culture or country? Have you ever wanted to make a
difference in a child's life, on a very personal basis?
We
are now accepting applications for Student Sponsorships for the 2009
school year.
For the small amount of $200 you can pay for a Guatemalan student's entire
education for the 2009 school year. As
a sponsor, you will receive a special packet with a picture and a letter
of introduction from your student. You will have the ability to write
letters to your student and they will write back. We will do all the
translation work for you! Please
consider sponsoring a child from Guatemala for 2009. You can also sponsor
for a family member as a gift for the holidays. What better gift to give
then the gift of giving to those less fortunate. To
sign up to be a sponsor, please fill out the bottom section of this form
and mail it to us:
Annual
Meeting:
Annual
Report mailing: Friendship
Week:
Here's
a solution to your problem: Make a donation to GFSF in honor of that
special person and the special event. Include the name, address, and the
occasion you're honoring with your donation, and we'll send an attractive
Guatemalan card informing the designated person of your thoughtfulness.
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contact
us at: news@gfsf.org
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