Hi!

Thank you so much to all of you for helping us continue the great legacy of radio Nawal Estereo. Here's an update and clarification on how our big fundraising drive ended, and why we need your continued support.

First of all, we will receive all the money donated during the challenge (minus a small service fee the site charges). (That's true for all groups who participated in the challenge, but there was some confusion about that, so I figured I'd clarify.) Secondly, Nawal Estereo earned a spot (at least until December 31st) on the GlobalGiving website! Thanks so much for all your help in donating and spreading the word! During the month of November, GlobalGiving is running a promotion where they will match 30% of all donations made through the site, so that will be a perfect time to continue giving! (Now that the challenge has ended, checks are fine, as are multiple donations from the same credit card or account.)

But the really important thing is that there is ongoing need here. The radio gets some local support in the form of paid remote broadcasts and commercials for local businesses and performing groups, but it's not enough. In the past year we've already had to cut all paid news correspondents, and currently are relying on a few who decided to continue as volunteers, and mostly on the radio staff, whose workload has been increased, and whose salaries have remained the same the last several years, despite rising prices.

Here's a little history so you understand how the radio was maintained in the past and why that strategy doesn't work anymore. From the time the station was founded in the early '60s up until around 5 years ago, they received quite a bit of international aid, including generous grants from organizations in Germany and Holland. However, since the peace accords in the mid '90s, many organizations have slowly been withdrawing financial help from Guatemala in favor of other worse-off countries. But even though Guatemala is developing quicker than many countries, indigenous communities are not getting their fair share of the developing economy. So even though there is improvement in the national economy of Guatemala, indigenous communities, such as Nahualá and the other towns we reach, really still need the support of others, so they do not lose their language and culture, and so they can be kept up to date on news, health, etc.. Currently Nawal Estereo is getting some support from the Guatemalan Federation of Educational Radios (FGER) and CAFOD, a Catholic organization in England, but it is mostly for training sessions (in news gathering, script-writing, editing, etc.), and doesn't address salaries or ongoing needs like electric bills and equipment maintenance.

As far as local fundraising, we are planning to start a "Friends Club" where people commit to a monthly donation to the radio station, and in return we will announce their birthdays and have periodical drawings for prizes (probably donated). We are also considering the possibility of fundraising with a bucket in the center of town during market days. While these strategies make our local listeners feel responsible for the radio and allow them to contribute, the reality is that many of the people we serve are fairly poor and local fundraising cannot support the radio by itself.

For this reason, we are trying our hand at international online fundraising, and continue to ask for your help both in donating and spreading the word.

Thanks so much!

Tim Slattery
Peace Corps Volunteer
Nahualá, Sololá, Guatemala