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Guatemala Friendship School Foundation |
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Dear friends, In Guatemala, this is usually not the case. If students can
afford the fees of the "free" government elementary schools, they
can often make it to 6th grade. After that, though, expensive private schools
are the only option and this excludes the vast majority of poor Guatemalan
children. The Guatemala Friendship School Foundation has been working hard
for over 10 years to change this. It is our goal to provide free education to
our students, and we are truly unique. In one state, we operate the ONLY free
junior high and the ONLY 100% free elementary school. And we do this with no
restrictions based on religion, age, gender, or ethnicity. And our students
achieve- in 2006 we were honored as having the highest test scores of the 35
junior highs in that state. In the village of La Vega, we are also changing
students' lives, and those of their families. We sponsor 25 students to
attend nearby private schools- schools they would never be able to afford
otherwise. In all, over 110 students are receiving an education because of
your help. So as you pass a local school or help your child with your
homework, consider the amazing gift of education that we too often take for
granted. Also consider the fact that 110 students in Guatemala today are
feeding their hunger to learn and helping build a foundation that is the key
to overcoming poverty- they are receiving the gift of education thanks to
caring donors like you. As we approach the New Year, you will see some exciting changes
with the foundation. The 7th class of the Guatemala Friendship School is
graduating in November, and the Foundation is also moving forward. We've been
working hard to get more people like you involved in the dream. With a new
web site, an expanded Student Sponsorship program, and a strong presence in
social networking sites like Facebook, My Space, and Twitter, we look forward
to bringing more people like you together to help end poverty through
educational opportunities. People like you who know that the privilege of
education should be something that we ALL share. Thank you for your continued support,
Friendship
Week was,once again, held in May this year. What an event it was! At Rosa
Parks Elementary, students wrote letters to students in Guatemala, telling
them about their school and themselves. Letters have been delivered to the
students at the school and they are currently writing return letters to the
students here in the U.S. Students and famlies participated in a school-wide coin and
dollar drive, raising over $1500 in coins, dollars and checks. During their
lunch hour, they also purchased hand-made friendship bracelets, woven in
Guatemala. Many students joined in on our Dinner Out event at Ruby's Diner,
donating a portion of their dinner bill to our efforts. These students know
they are making a difference! To end the week, students went all out to make their hair the
silliest possible on crazy hair day Friday. That night was the 9th annual
Friendship Fiesta Dance and Silent Auction, held in the Rosa Parks gym. Students
from Rosa Parks as well as Emily Dickinson Elementary and Explorer Community
School in Redmond came together and boogied down to Mr. J.'s hip tunes,
bought small hand-made Guatemalan items, made worry dolls, and participated
in some paper weaving! Adults bid on some beautiful Guatemalan items
including woven tapestries and masks. Also up for auction were various local
items and experiences. Some amazing items were up for grabs and the parents
couldn't get enough of the fantastic selection.
We are
lucky to have a great team of fabulous people working hard to globally expand
our small organization. We are currently working on reconstructing our
website, putting focus on our Student Sponsorship program. The goal will be
to have a website where friends of the foundation can visit and sponsor a
student directly, having the opportunity to read various student profiles and
choose a student to sponsor for the year.
Last
August I made my third trip to Guatemala in three years. This time I had the
delightful pleasure of taking my 22-year-old daughter as my companion. Kelly
is a Spanish major at WWU and had just returned from 9 months in southwest
Spain in June. I wanted her to experience what I felt when I traveled to
Guatemala, and get to know some of the people I had met. In 2008, I went to The Guatemala Friendship School and had an
amazing time getting to know Abraham's family and talking with the students.
I knew Kelly would love to experience The Friendship School with me. We
traveled for two and a half weeks throughout the country, then went shopping
for auction items in the huge market of Chichicastenango. We stored all of
our bags and then hopped on a "Chicken Bus" to travel to see the
school. I don't remember how many hours it took to get there, but as I began
to recognize landmarks I was so happy and excited. We arrived in the tiny town and hailed a "tuk tuk" to
take us up to the school. Last year a road was being paved, and now there is
a road leading right to the school. We pulled over to the side of the road at
the school staircase, and it was being swept by Mayra, the last student I
hugged goodbye last year! She smiled her beautiful dimpled smile and I was
overjoyed to see her again. Kelly and I spent the night with Abraham and his family. There
were improvements to the school, including a very welcome flushing toilet! In
the morning we were able to greet all the students, and visit in each class.
Kelly interviewed many of the students about their dedication to their
studies and the hard work and sacrifice that they put into their education. I recognized so many of the students who had been there last
year, and as I talked with Mayra and some of the other girls that I had spent
time with last year, I discovered that this would be their last year at
Instituo K'amawanik'. I felt so sad to think that they wouldn't be there when
I returned again, but their drive to better themselves and advance in careers
is so laudable that I am grateful that I had the opportunity to meet them and
know them, if only for a brief time. Kelly was just delighted with the whole experience. She made
tortillas with Abraham's wife, and although they weren't quite as round as
Feliciana's, there was much shared laughter over her efforts. The students
were as taken with Kelly as she was with them. There was a flurry of email
address exchanges at the end of our time at the school, and Kelly plans on
returning soon. I don't know when I will be able to go back again, but I knew
that if I let Kelly see The Friendship School and meet the students and teachers,
she would have them in her heart just as I do. As I look over my pictures
from the trip, I am taken right back to the amazing people doing amazing work
in one tiny place in the world. What a privilege to have experienced meeting
the people of The Guatemala Friendship School.
Thank you for your support of education, the key to ending
poverty!
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contact us at: news@gfsf.org |
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