Schools in indigenous communities in Guatemala
Tax deductible
****April 27, 2019 update: We just lowered our goal from $10,000 to $6,000 because we recently raised $4,000 in other fundraisers. Please help us reach our goal, we are more than half way there!****
In February 2018 , children in the indigenous Mayan communities of Sibija and Xejbal Monte Blanco in Guatemala gained access to school for the first time when the Guatemala Solidarity Project and UPAVIM Community Development Foundation worked with them to open two new elementary schools.
Unfortunately these schools will be forced to close by February 2019 if donors do not take action (March 3, 2019 update: The schools have now been open for the first month of the 2019 school year. The teachers and community education counsels decided to open the schools even though there is not enough money for the school to remain open the entire year. Your support is urgently needed so the schools can stay open for the entire year!)
As the video explains, these communities have survived generations of violence and exploitation, and are currently facing government and corporate violence in attempts to steal natural resources from their lands. As a result the communities are struggling against abject poverty and hunger.
Nevertheless, the Department of Education signed a contract recognizing these schools for two years and if we can keep them open during this time the government will provide teachers beginning in 2020.
These communities are not asking for a luxurious school, in fact the communities themselves built the school buildings out of wood. These one-room schoolhouses with dirt floors represent the first time these children have had access to education, but the government is forcing them to pay the teachers' salaries for two years, which they are unable to do without your support.
The UPAVIM Community Development Foundation is a US 501c3 tax deductible charity. All funds received by UPAVIM go to our partners in Guatemala.
For more information view the attached video and/or visit www.GuatemalaSolidarityProject.org
In February 2018 , children in the indigenous Mayan communities of Sibija and Xejbal Monte Blanco in Guatemala gained access to school for the first time when the Guatemala Solidarity Project and UPAVIM Community Development Foundation worked with them to open two new elementary schools.
Unfortunately these schools will be forced to close by February 2019 if donors do not take action (March 3, 2019 update: The schools have now been open for the first month of the 2019 school year. The teachers and community education counsels decided to open the schools even though there is not enough money for the school to remain open the entire year. Your support is urgently needed so the schools can stay open for the entire year!)
As the video explains, these communities have survived generations of violence and exploitation, and are currently facing government and corporate violence in attempts to steal natural resources from their lands. As a result the communities are struggling against abject poverty and hunger.
Nevertheless, the Department of Education signed a contract recognizing these schools for two years and if we can keep them open during this time the government will provide teachers beginning in 2020.
These communities are not asking for a luxurious school, in fact the communities themselves built the school buildings out of wood. These one-room schoolhouses with dirt floors represent the first time these children have had access to education, but the government is forcing them to pay the teachers' salaries for two years, which they are unable to do without your support.
The UPAVIM Community Development Foundation is a US 501c3 tax deductible charity. All funds received by UPAVIM go to our partners in Guatemala.
For more information view the attached video and/or visit www.GuatemalaSolidarityProject.org
Organizer
Palmer Legare
Organizer
Temple, TX
UPAVIM Community Development Foundation
Beneficiary