Guatemala, a Central American country south of Mexico, is distinguished by its steep volcanoes, vast rainforests and ancient Mayan sites.More than 200,000 people were killed over the course of the 36-year-long civil war that began in 1960 and ended with peace accords in 1996. About 83 percent of those killed were Mayan, according to a 1999 report written by the U.N.-backed Commission for Historical Clarification titled “Guatemala: Memory of Silence.” The report also concluded that the vast majority, 93 percent, of human rights violations perpetrated during the conflict were carried out by state forces and military groups.Guatemala is a predominantly poor country that struggles in several areas of health, education and development. Approximately 30% of all Guatemalan adults over the age of 15 are illiterate.53.5% of indigenous Mayan students do not complete primary education.Almost half of all Guatemalan children are chronically malnourished. 40% of the county lacks access to water and sanitation systems. Half of the Guatemalan population lives on incomes below the poverty line and 17% are considered extremely poor by the United Nations.Our reason for choosing two different programs is that each one serves and assists women and children in different parts of Guatemala, and also each program is smaller in size. We live, and go to University (Cabrillo College, and UCSC), here in the Silicon Valley, which is one of the most progressive and socially aware areas of California. The mutual connection our group of friends has is our love, and passion for Guatemala. We worked for various programs/NGOs in the country including one which we are campaigning for now. We all lived together in a house we rented in La Antigua, located about 45min from the Guatemala City airport. Two of us spending 3 years abroad. La Antigua is an old Spanish colony that is a major hub for backpackers, expats and volunteers. Through our experiences we fell in love with the People and culture of Guatemala. As a project for school our group of friends decided to put together a fund raising presentation and sent out emails to tons of organizations in the area and each of our high school alma maters. The response we received was a little disappointing as most of the organizations we contacted did not currently have means for a big project as ours due to the holiday season. This is why we decided to move our project online and not only work towards one goal but two, as both organizations are smaller in size. We also plan to focus more on spreading the word in our local communities and have contacted several local cafes/shops to set up events. We will run our campaign until our goal is met, and once our campaign is over we will be traveling to Guatemala to visit both the programs. During our campaign we will be collecting various types of donations for the children, as well as the school, especially as we enter full swing into the holiday season. We are going to continue to branch out to different local organizations, local businesses, and schools. We have many holiday related events in coming up in our communities and on campus and these provide perfect opportunities to spread the word of our campaign as well as collect donations. We will include a list of these items below after a brief description of both programs. Please feel free to email us at [email redacted] if you have any questions or would like to help with items on the donation list. LAS MANOS DE CHRISTINE www.lasmanosdc.org El Hato is a tiny community nestled in the mountains seven kilometers north of Antigua. The village is home to around 1,000 people, most of which are under the age of eighteen. The public school in El Hato houses about 280 students, ranging from "prepas" (kindergarten) to sixth grade. Families must volunteer their time, as well as acquire about $30 dollars worth of school supplies per child to send their kids to school. While this seems minuscule to most Westerners, the costs of a public education actually prevents many El Hato children from attending classes. In lieu of school, parents often keep their children at home to assist in caring for their younger siblings while the adults go to Antigua to work. Other children help with the cooking and gather firewood. Fortunate children are sent to school long enough to learn to read, write, and perform basic mathematics to help them with future employment.Through contact with the El Hato school, and communication with the director, Salina Duncan, we have put together some important priority projects as the program often lacks funding for on-going maintenance, and basic services.Septic system ($3000)Main Septic Tank- For the past 2 years the village school bathrooms, which serve over 400 students daily, have been in need of service and repair. The bathrooms were built ten years and have never been checked or serviced. Because we are such a small nonprofit and our focus is education, we were hoping to no be involved with this project. The Director of the public school tried to seek assistance from the Ministry of Education, but this was unsuccessful.There are several local companies available to complete the work once the funding is available. Most likely the old tank is full and cracked and will need to be sealed and a new one built. From start to completion this project will take approximately 3 weeks. Materials will be transported from Antigua or Guatemala City. The bathroom consists of 3 stall in the girls room and two in the boys room. One toilet in each bathroom has had ongoing problems flushing for years. Latrines are the typical bathroom style in the village. Local fathers have attempted to fix western style bathrooms at the school, which were built by a traveling nonprofit organizations, but without success. We would like to hire an experienced plumber from the city to diagnose the issue.Kitchen and Oven ($1000)There is a very rustic kitchen on the school property, which is used daily to prepare a healthy snack for the elementary school students. If the kitchen was updated and included an oven, it could be used for cooking courses and for small business opportunities for women, such as bread baking.Garden/Wall/Playground/Uniforms ($6,000)We are grouping these together because they are parts of a large project. Because large chunks of funding are unavailable, we generally break projects down into sub projects and work little by little over the years.The usable space at the school is very small in comparison to the number of children who attend. Part of the school property goes unused because it is undeveloped and unsafe for the children. It is on a steep incline. Parts of it have old cement chunks and rebar from an ancient drainage system. The land surrounding the classrooms is crumbling from erosion. By terracing, reinforcing the earth, and finally planting and building a playground, this unused property can be transformed into a beautiful usable space for the children.Last month we received several donations towards the reinforcing wall, so we used those funds to begin construction.The students at the El Hato school are supposed to wear uniforms, as all Guatemalan schools are meant too. The schools do not provide the uniforms as it is meant to be an expense for the family of the student. The uniform does not need to be complex, all that is required is all the students wear a matching shirt and sweatshirt with the logo of the school. Material ($1000)As part of our project we included a portion for creating material. The organization is still very small and we would like to create a few items in order to spread the word of the organization. The first item we want to create are business cards with the link to this page on one side and a brief description of our campaign on the other. We will pass these out in local cafes/restaurants/shops and around campus. Our other intent is to create a calendar for the year 2017 using photos taken and submitted by former and current volunteers of both organizations. Each photo/month will include a brief story about the volunteers personal experience. We want and will give each donor this as a gift of thanks for their contribution to our campaign. MAYAN FAMILIES www.mayanfamilies.org The second organization we chose to campaign for is Mayan families. We choose this program because the founders and volunteers share the same passion we have for the Guatemalan people, as well as the Mayan culture. We want to raise and donate $10,000 to this program as they provide a variety of services to Guatemalan families. We will also be visiting the organization when we visit Guatemala at the end of our campaign, bringing with us donations that we have collected. Mayan families is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that works to empower impoverished indigenous Guatemalans through sustainable community development programs and emergency aid. We are motivated by the courage and perseverance we see in the families we work with and are dedicated to ensuring they have access to the basic necessities of life.The organization was established in 2005 as a support network yet we have since grown considerably and now provide comprehensive, sustainable programs for indigenous populations throughout the highlands of Lake Atitlan. EDUCATE We give students the resources they need to attend and stay in school. We currently facilitate the sponsorship of over 3000 students between preschool and university!FEED Guatemala has one of the highest rates of chronic malnutrition in the world and it is most severe within the indigenous Mayan population. We address this through our various nutrition and feeding programs, including regular food donations and comprehensive nutritional education. HEALWe work alongside families through diagnosis, treatment, recovery and education. From General check ups to emergency assistance, we are dedicated to providing impoverished families with quality health resources and care. Our programs also benefit the many stray animals in the region. We carry out sterilization clinics, facilitate adoption, and work to prevent animals mistreatment. SHELTER Natural disasters, homelessness, and choosing between rent and food often leave families without adequate shelter. We help provide a safe and secure home for those living in extreme poverty. Thank you so much for your time, and for reading about our campaign. We would greatly appreciate it if you would share our campaign on social media with your friends and family. We will provide constant updates here on our campaign so please check in when you have the time. HAVE A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON AND HAPPY NEW YEARITEMS WE ARE COLLECTING FOR DONATION: Children's books English/Spanish- lightly used Children's clothing for ages 2-10- lightly used, please no offensive or crude saying or imagesNEW toothbrushes/mini tooth pastesSchool materials: pencils, notebooks, erasers, folders, pens, and printer paper.New/Lightly used infant and toddler shoes. Infant and toddler socks and warm underclothing.Diapers and baby wipes - these items are incredibly expensive and taxed in Guatemala. If you have any other ideas, questions or items you would like to donate please feel free to contact us at [email redacted]
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