Friday, October 13, 2017

            YOU   really made a difference !!


7 years ago I started fundraising in Guatemala. Aim: to improve education in our school structurally and thus give 350 orphaned or abandoned children the chance of a better life. Thanks to your generous support these 350 children as well as 120 children from the surrounding community are having a good education. You really made a difference.
Thank you so much!

1. The Montessori preschool + primary school grade 1 and 2 

For the children in our homes Montessori education has proven 
to be the best method to start education. Each child can learn at 
its own speed. With your donations we helped 
finance the construction of the Montessori centre. (5 buildings) 




We were able to purchase didactic material for maths, language and furniture for the classrooms 

We built a Montessori playground. In 2012 teachers and students of St. Ignatius Gymnaium in Amsterdam, one of the mayor sponsors, visited the home to help, play with the children and see all the projects that had been realized with funds from Holland. 


2.      The preschool and secondary school grade 1-3

When we started in 2010 there was only a schoolboard in each classroom and some books on loan. 
The situation now: computers, beamers and screens in 7 classrooms so that teachers can work with powerpoint presentations and upload films from internet.

      Books for 8 subjects


  School desks for 2 classrooms. 
                        School supplies like pens, rubbers, exercise books etc. 

       Supplies for the carpentry workshop.



           Finally a dream came true: the science lab for biology and physics. 


                     
Furniture and equipment for the workshop "Cooking"

Time for a break: we have a table tennis now!

Thanks to your generous support education has improved a lot! In the surrounding villages of our home there are schools with 60 kids in 1 classroom. Often there is only 1 book for 2 students. The teachers and students of our home feel so blessed with all the didactic material they needed. You have no idea how grateful and happy they are. Herewith some photos of the annual graduation ceremonies. (school and university) 


                        preschool              

                                                primary school

                                     High School graduates 2014

Graduation 2017

3.      Study finance of High School students and university students


The secondary school  in our home stops after grade 3. Children who want to learn a craft can do this in our 5 vocational workshops. High School students have to move to bigger towns to finish secondary school there. This means extra costs for school fees, books, food, transport, housing etc. Over the years you helped with providing study finance for a big number of students. Students like:

Ulissa has obtained a university degree (communication sciences) and has just started working for NPH. Julissa is our new volunteer coordinator.  

Wilmer is a highly talented young man. He finished High School and started studying business administration. 
Due to health problems he had to stop his studies at a regular university. Now he is studying at an open university in the USA and has successfully accomplished the first modules.

Jacinto, Wilmer's brother, is studying business administration in his 4 th year. He has been selected to follow classes in a Leadership program in Seattle, USA. After 9 months in the USA he speaks English fluently. 
Dinora is studying business administration in her 3rd year. She was in Seattle, too.

Norma is studying social work in her 4 th year. 

Amilton is about to graduate in November (agronomics). 


Nancy Carolina studied business administration for 1 year. Then she decided to become a mother. 

Josue studied architecture and has his own business now. His first big project was the chapel of our home in Guatemala. 
Esduardo is in his final year  (maths and science to become a teacher). He decided to live on his own, working during the week and studying in the weekends. 
Gloria is in her final year at High School (hospitality and Tourism) and will graduate in November. 



Ottoniel ( on the left, back row) is in his 3 rd  year (industrial agronomics) 


In 2010 and 2011 you also helped raising funds for the study finance of  2 highly talented students in Honduras : Elsy and Osman.
Elsy – has obtained a university degree (social work) and is working as a social worker.
Osman graduated from electrical engineering. He is now working as an engineer and helped with realizing many technical projects in our 9 homes in Latin America.

Thank you all for your overwhelming confidence in my work and your continuous support. You helped a lot of kids who had a bad start in their lives to get a better future.

YOU    really made a difference !!

The home in Guatemala has very good education facilities now. In the future I will focus my fundraising efforts on our projects in Haiti: the Angels of Light School for 800 children and the St. Damien children's hospital, the only children's hospital in Haiti. Every year about 96.000 children get the medical treatment they need.  I will keep you informed.

Father Rick Frechette: medical doctor, director of the Children's hospital

In the meantime the roof of the hospital has been covered with solar panels to make use of solar energy which is abundant in Haiti and for free.