Thanks to all of you who donated to the school in Chinique, Quiche, Guatemala. In January I visited the school bringing with me a huge suitcase full of spanish language book and a stack of money. I stayed with Betty the school principal and was warmly welcomed into her home. I wish you could meet Betty and that you could have been there to have tortillas and beans in her kitchen with her listening to her talk about her students and her work with a deep passion. She works so hard running the school and teaching older students in the evenings! She was so grateful for the donations and overwhelmed at the generousity.
The donations you all gave will in part be used to buy more books for the school and in part to pay some of the school fees for students who would otherwise not be able to attend school. A chance at education is the greatest gift we can ever give!
January is summer holidays in Guatemala and it's when the coffee harvest happens so many students were off working with their families to bring the coffee in. January is like September, the beginning of the school year in Guatemala. While school fees are very small in our world of money, the app. $50 yearly fee is prohibitive to most families who often have to choose which one of their children will attend since they can afford to send only one child to school. What a hard choice. Thanks to you and your generous support not only will the students at the school have some amazing books to read for pleasure, but some of them will be able to attend school who wouldn't have had the chance. I'll be back to visit the school in July again, and Betty will give me photos and progress reports for the students you helped to sponsor, i'll post more information then.
Thanks again for opening your hearts and responding to my little project. Your gifts have made a huge difference to individual children and to a simple country school in Guatemala. It's through these small person to person connections that real change can happen in our countries and in our hearts! Thanks for being a part of this kind of change.
I'd particularly like to thank the youth group at Shaughnessy Heights United Church who put on an amazing bottle auction and dessert evening fundraiser, raising over $1000 in one night for the project! You are amazing!
The School for Grades 6-8
Doris and Rinna (my travelling friend) at the entrance to town.
Happy Betty with books and donations.... 
