Our trip is only one month away! I am very excited and I can't wait to be there.
We are going to Guatemala City for some days to see Carlos and Titi's birthfamilies and then we will go to Panajachel, in Lake Atitlan, to vacation and volunteer with Mayan Families (http://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 the school in a town called Tierra Linda. I am making a blog with information but I haven't finished it. http://www.mayanfamiliestierralinda.blogspot.com/
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 will paint a classroom or two and we have funded the repairs of the roof in some of the classrooms.
Another member of Mayan Families Connection (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MayanFamiliesConnection/) might be able to join us there. That would be great since I only know her through email. I also hope to do some tutoring so I am making and buying Spanish educational materials. Hopefully Carlos and Titi will learn some Spanish too.
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 and the kids don't have anything to do when there is no school.
Well, I have lots of ideas and want to do a lot but probably will do just a little. It doesn't matter because I hope to do this for a long time.
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