By Janet Bourque | Project Leader
VIDEO SKYPE WITH DONORS IN North Carolina, Texas and Arizona!
Laughter, excitement, a bit nervous when it was your turn to sit in the chair facing the computer screen and the faces of smiling strangers a world away, and yet talking to you right here in this room in Chajul, Guatemala.
Spanish/Ixil/English interpreters in the US and sitting in a chair beside the students, kept the conversation going.
“What is your name? How old are you? How many in your family? What do you want to learn at Ak Tenamit? “ Many answered “Spanish”, or “English”.
“What are your favorite activities?” Weaving was the universal answer of the girls. They showed their beautiful back strap woven blouses and bracelets.
Gaspar has been out of school for 2 years working cutting wood and is being tutored now in Spanish. He tells us that he wants to learn mathematics at Ak Tenamit.
Video Skypes with students can be arranged with any donor who is interested. It is a tremendous opportunity for the students to practice their conversational Spanish and feel connected with the donors for whom they are so grateful. If you want to be included in a Video Skype please contact:
Janet Bourque brightstargrants2@yahoo.com
Family kitchen gardens are a scholarship benefit and have been planted by every Maya Ixil Scholars’ family. Seeds and supplies are provided by ASO-Ixil partner Seed Programs International seedprograms.org/
The kitchen garden provides good nutrition for the scholars' families, and provides enough produce to eat and to sell to help pay for the family and scholar’s expenses. Many families planted cabbage. Beef broth and cabbage soup is a traditional meal during the Christmas holidays, and cabbages will bring a good price in the Chajul market, just when the scholarship cabbages are ready for harvest.
PLEASE CONSIDER INCLUDING GLOBALGIVING GIFT CARDS WITH YOUR HOLDAY CARDS TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY
The three ASO-Ixil projects on Global Giving will provide a life changing gift for only $10. You can print off or send digitally a personalized card AND get a tax deduction!
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THERE IS A BETTER FUTURE…MAKE SURE TO PLANT THE SEEDS
Ak Tenamit requires that students do 3000 hours of internships and work study in order to graduate. They are required to do economic development projects in their home communities. The problem for the Maya Ixil Scholars is that there are NO internship opportunities in their region, as there is only subsistence farming. So part of the Maya Ixil Scholarships program is to CREATE the economic infrastructure that will support the opportunity for internships and work study.
THEWEB SITE LINK TO THE AK TENAMIT Vocational Secondary School
Links:
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