Guatemala Literacy Project

I am happy to announce that I will be traveling back to Guatemala next February and am looking forward to seeing some of the friends from last year while visiting with more of the wonderful people of Guatemala. I have my plan tickets and am getting things in order for the trip.

On a more local note, if you wanted to learn more about this project, I will be giving a presentation to the Cary-McGregor Rotary Club next month. Ed Cody and I are going to be visiting with them and giving them a personal account of our experiences there. It has been a life-changing experience for me and I enjoy talking about it. Please contact me if you want to attend this meeting or wish to have me speak to your club. I am more than happy to share my experiences.

As we get closer to our trip, I will continue to update this blog, so please keep reading. If you are interested in traveling to Guatemala, please contact Guatemala Literacy Project to learn more about it and future tours. They typically organize 4 tours a year with one being Rotarians and spouses only. The available slots fill up quickly, so I would encourage you to check it out today.

Guatamala Literacy Project

On Tuesday, I had the honor and privilege to speak to the Wendell Rotary Club concerning the Guatemala Literacy Project and my trip to Guatemala in February of this year. The members were very welcoming and warm as they opened up their meeting to my presentation.

There was several great questions about the program to include the tours. I want to thank Johnny Whitfield personally for having scheduling me to speak to his club. I think they are doing a great service to Wendell and hope they find it important to reach out to the Guatemala Literacy Project and support it in any way they can.

Thanks again and I look forward to having Johnny speak to our club in September about the Youth Exchange Program.

Fall Fiesta 2011 “Sunset Over Lake Atitlan”

If you are a fan of the Guatemala Literacy Project, then this is a great opportunity for you to support the program while having a wonderful evening.

I decided to upload the PowerPoint presentation to this blog, so if you could not see it, you will have an opportunity to view it. The trip was amazing to say the least and one that I would definitely wish to do again in the near future. Please click the link to view the presentation.

Guatemala Literacy Project Tour

A Face of Guatemala's Future

Some have expressed an interest in hearing President Boyd Bennett and myself speak about our trip last month to Guatemala. Well, the time is near as we will be speaking next week to the Rotary Club of North Raleigh. We are getting excited as we have both found a passion for the people of Guatemala and their education. We saw some amazing things in Guatemala and the results of many years of effort by the Cooperative for Education staff, both in the U.S and Guatemala.

Come next Wednesday, March 30th at 12:30 to hear us speak on the project and our experiences. I hope we can display in words the true experience that we felt, saw and heard while there.

We meet at the Sertoma Arts Center at 1400 Millbrook Road in Raleigh. For directions and a map, please follow the link to the club’s website at North Raleigh Rotary Club.

We hope to see you there!

A Baroque Style Cathedral in Antigua. This is the main church in this city and is called 'the Wedding Cake Church"!

Due to it being Saturday, we did not have any schools to visit today and it was pretty much a free day in Antigua. Antigua is a very fascinating city that is kind of stuck in time in terms of the buildings. Joe and Howard gave us a little tour of some aspects of the city to include the main cathedral in the city. Antigua used to be the Capital of the city until the late 1700s when the King of Spain refused to rebuild the city again due to an earthquake. Then it moved to Guatemala City, where it stands today.

One of the main statues on the facade of this great Baroque style Cathedral!

The church has a Baroque exterior that has been coined the “wedding cake church” as its exterior façade resembles a wedding cake. The yellowish walls and the statues are very prominent for this church. Inside the church, several statues embellish the walls with the crowning jewel being the wooden statue of Jesus as he is carrying his cross. During holy week, the statue is carried throughout the city on a wooden platform. Men pay a substantial amount of money to be chosen to carry it for a block. This church also has an outside overlook area where you are able to see much of the city and two of the main three volcanoes in this part of Guatemala.

Boyd and I pose with the two scholarship students we spent the day getting to know! They were a couple of lovely and polite young ladies!

After the church, we walked down their main pedestrian only street to the main square. We were given some free time until we were to meet in the square around 11 am. At eleven, many of the scholarship students were there to spend time with the Rotarians. Boyd and I were happy to take two young ladies who were very pleasant and very appreciative for the opportunity they were given for a quality education. When asked what they wanted for lunch, they both quickly spoke up that they would like pizza. So, pizza it was. During lunch, the young ladies shared about their lives and their families. With the translation help of Peggy, one of the CoEd staff members, we were able to carry on a very nice conversation with these young ladies. After lunch, we went for some frozen yogurt and headed back towards the square. At the square, the young ladies gave us some gifts and “Thank you” cards which they had made by hand. It is very rewarding to help those who not only take ownership of the program, but are very appreciative of the assistance.

After the rest of the afternoon spent in Antigua, we returned to the hotel for a bottle of wine with our neighbors on the balcony as we prepared for the final dinner with the group. The group dinner would involve testimonies from the week as people would share their experiences. Meanwhile, the wine was lovely and having an opportunity to speak with Stan and Gretchen from Washington was a real pleasure.

Several Rotarian volunteers spend the afternoon with their scholarship students!

At the ending festivities, they presented several awards and your writer, won an award. I was awarded the Rotarian ‘Least Likely to be Without His I-Pad’. My reward was a Canadian tie which I proceeded to wear for the remainder of the dinner. There were awards given for the most recognizable laugh and the one-liner award. It was a great way to kick off this final evening with a group of people that Boyd and I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know. As the proceedings progressed, it became a little more serious as future plans of CoEd were discussed.

Finally, the Rotarians were allowed to say a few words about their experiences if they liked. Thanks to Boyd, I was forced to come forward and give a few words. All of the speakers spoke of this experience in a very positive and life-changing way. Many vowed to support the project in the future with scholarships and more. It was truly a wonderful evening. To top off the evening, the Rotarians from the Grand Cayman Islands made Howard Lobb a Paul Harris Fellow for his work with the Guatemala Literacy Project. Following that, we heard from Alan, another Cayman Rotarian as he sang a song written by Giselle, a Rotarian from Canada who wrote a song about the trip. As we ended the festivities, many hugs and exchanges of club banners and emails were done before those wishing to go to a downtown club exited to leave for the club.

Boyd and I were among those who went to the club along with the Cayman Island guys. It had been a long time since I have been in a loud “disco” dance club and even much, MUCH longer since Boyd had. Nonetheless, we lasted nearly 2 hours before we retired to the hotel and our last night in Guatemala.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and one that I would strongly encourage all Rotarians to experience. The short tours are for everyone, whether a Rotarian or not, but this one, designed for Rotarians and spouses only is the one that is the most moving as you know this project would not have been as successful if not for the help of all Rotary Clubs in North America and the Caribbean. The reason Rotary works as effectively as it does is the pooling of the resources of Rotarians the world over to make a difference. With over 1 million Rotarians worldwide, there are plenty of resources to accomplish nearly anything we set our collective minds to accomplish. This trip made me even more proud to be a Rotarian and even more proud to be a member of the Rotary Club of North Raleigh as we were the first club to support this project. Thanks to people like Matthew Kane who was introduced to this new project more than 13 years ago; there is no telling if Rotary would be involved today. Thanks to the vision of Joe and Jeff Berninger, who as twenty-something adults, saw the need, quite their jobs and started this great organization to make a difference in the education of the people of Guatemala.

I hope to return in the future and hopefully, I will be able to encourage my wife to come with me to experience the same life changing and life affirming experiences that I have this past week.

Thanks to all who read this blog throughout the week and I hope you were able to see a glimpse of what we have experienced this past week. I hope it moved you and will move you to action. You can learn more about CoEd at www.coeduc.org and you can learn more about the Guatemala Literacy Project at www.GuatemalaLiteracy.org.

We met the young ladies in the Square at Zela. The square has a very classical feel!

Due to forces beyond my control, I was not able to update you on my trip yesterday. It was a two-fold reason. First and foremost, I could not get internet connection at the hotel we stayed in last night in Xela. The secondary reason is I would not have had time as I had a very enjoyable dinner at a Xela Rotarian’s home and did not return to the hotel until after 10:30.

Thursday started with a very warm meeting with a couple of young Guatemalan ladies who actually have become quite popular in this country. Last year, CoEd was selected as one of five finalist for the Juan Bautista Gutierrez Prize competition and as a result, the public relations of the foundation wanted to learn about a CoEd school firsthand. CoEd selected a school in Xela and while the Gutierrez people were touring the school, they noticed Brenda Caj and announced on the spot that they wanted her to be the national spokesperson for the program. Briseyda Hernandez was selected as her “understudy” in the event Brenda could not make all of the PR appointments. As a result, both ladies were videoed and photographed. Brenda’s photo was on billboards and newspapers throughout the country as the winner of the prize was selected from votes from the population for the PR campaign. While the video was on the national television, Briseyda announced that she would like to study to be a doctor. Soon after it aired, a local doctor called CoEd to announce that he wanted to pay for her education.

Brenda and Briseyda talk about their experience as spokespersons for CoEd.

Yesterday morning, we had the opportunity to meet both of these young ladies as due to their efforts, CoEd came in 3rd place and were awarded around $35,000. The amazing thing is that Brenda comes from a single mother household with 2 other siblings. Her mother sacrificed to pay for her to get her education as she knew that the only way to better her daughter’s life was through a good education. On the way to the square where we met these young ladies, a wonderful couple from Canada volunteered to be her sponsor, giving her a scholarship for her primary education.

Brenda was a very pleasant young lady and she announced to the group that her goal is to become a doctor as well. I have a strong feeling that she will be successful in whatever field she decides to do. After our meeting with her, we had a couple of hours of free time in Xela (pronounced Shay-la). Boyd and I had an opportunity to spend some great time with one of the local staff members named Emy. Emy is a delight to be around and is a very warm and pleasant person. We were both pleased we had an opportunity to spend time with her.

A Rotarian and a parent symbolically give the book to the young student. It is important to remember that the parents actually paid for the new books!

In the afternoon, we departed for San Carlos Sija to experience a re-inauguration of the Parroquial School. A re-inauguration occurs when a school has been in the textbook program for 7 years and are now going to get new textbooks. This is important as these books are not purchased by CoEd and Rotarians, but rather by the parents and their community. As you know, each student pays a small fee to rent the books for the school year. Well, after about 7 years, there is enough money saved to purchase new  textbooks. This is what makes this program effective. Each parent and community invests in their schools through the rental fees and thus, it is not a hand out, but a hand up. I personally have a difficult time to donate money to projects that give things away for nothing. This is not that kind of program as the communities, parents and students are invested in the success of their school and it’s textbook program.There was pride in the parent’s face as they handed the symbolic textbook to the student as it is a personal accomplishment to make the sacrifices for their children and community. I cannot stress the importance of this aspect of the program.

Saying a few words while presenting the North Raleigh Rotary flag to the school

That evening, we had dinner at the home of a Xela Rotarian. My host Rotarian, Israel, has been a Rotarian since 1989 and he has a lovely family. We were a little disadvantaged as neither of the parents spoke English and none of the other Xela Rotarians and spouses who came to dinner spoke English. However, they daughter, who will be graduating soon from law school spoke wonderful English and was willing to be the interpreter. Later, the rest of the children, a boy and girl, came home and added an additional English interpreter. Dinner was wonderful as the served a typical Guatemalan dinner and served local Guatemalan beers. One that is brewed in Guatemala and one in Xela.

On Friday, we attended an inauguration of a computer lab and had an opportunity to tour it. This was an amazing experience as the local radio and television were in attendance to capture this momentous occasion. During the ceremony, we were asked to dance with the young ladies who had performed a traditional dance for us as a sign of appreciation for the new computers.The dance was not as taxing as some have been this week and the principal of the school even got involved in the dancing. On hand for this occasion was the national Director of Education who has been a huge supporter of CoEd. Additionally, the school and community gave out a traditional doll that they make as another sign of appreciation.

After the ceremonies, we were allowed to tour the computer lab and sit at a computer with one of the students for a demonstration. These students have had only 3 weeks of lessons and the demonstration consisted of a PowerPoint demonstration. I was both very impressed and jealous as the ones I saw were much better than the Powerpoint presentations that I have created for my business. I told my young lady that she may have to go to work for me when she finishes school.

After the computer demonstration, I was bombarded by several students who really liked my I-Pad. I played several games of table hockey with different students. They especially liked the Talking Tom application that I have on my I-Pad. We were all saddened when it was time to leave. On the way out, I was asked by a teacher if I would be willing to pose for a picture with several ladies. I could hardly pull myself away from that school and was the last one to get on my bus.

It was also a sad occasion as it was the last school on our itinerary for this trip. We then began the long bus ride back towards Guatemala City. We are currently staying in Antigua for the remainder of our trip. Once we got to our beautiful hotel, we had a little social hour before dinner. At dinner, Boyd and I sat with Joe and Howard, two of the staff members. Joe is a co-founder of CoEd and we had a very interesting conversation from real estate to the economy and the future of Rotary giving to International projects. My take is that Rotary will continue to give to International projects that show they are making a substantive difference. It is easy to give things away, but much harder to build a sustaining program where the recipients invest in the program. It is my wish that this program continues to grow and reach more schools in Guatemala.

Joe has said several times that their program is geared more toward quality than quantity. As he said, there has been a goal set that all of Guatemala children are enrolled in school, but to get them in school will not mean they will get an education.

The students loved my I-Pad as we played games and I showed them the Talking Tom application.

Some of the things I have learned about the Guatemala education system is appalling. Legislation was passed a few years ago that stated that primary education will be free and that no child/parent will have to pay for it. However, in practice, this means that lights and teachers will be paid by the government, but it does not include any materials such as textbooks or computers. How can you actually learn to read and write without a textbook as an example of what writing is? Furthermore, we were told that many times, the teachers will go several months without a paycheck as the government had not paid them.

Sheila, a Rotarian from Ontario, told me about a school she visited few years ago where there were no lights. When she asked the principal about it, he said that the power company cut off the electricity as it had not paid the bill. When speaking with John Dhiel, a local Rotarian, he said that it would be easy to pay the electric bill, but the electric company still would not turn ont he power until the government was caught up on all of the schools electricity bills.

This is a sad state as Guatemala has such great potential as it has a beautiful country with many natural resources that could be highly beneficial to the economy here. With the political power stationed in Guatemala City, the rest of this amazing country suffering. It is hard to explain it, but to experience it is life changing. These people are not lazy and want to change their country and lives, but many times, do not have the knowledge to change.

Israel’s daughter told me on Thursday evening that she would love to live in the states because she loves how the cities are more organized, but her ultimate goal after college is to stay in Guatemala and try to bring attention to the many problems that exist here and try to make a difference in her community. In the end, shouldn’t that be the goal of anyone…to make the world, or their world, a better place than they were given.

Awaiting the ceremony, a young girl reflects on the events of the day!

many children with freckles, which the indigenous Mayan people do not have. The first community took much time and the worst dirt roads of the trip to arrive where the other had very smooth paved roads. Again, both consisted of dangerous curves and mountain highs and lows.

The first school was a textbook inauguration at La Felicidad School in Las Delicias. It was a bumpy ride there, but well worth it once we arrived. We arrived a little early for the ceremony, so we had an opportunity to interact with the children prior to the beginning of the festivities. Some of the participants pulled out their Polaroid cameras and others brought out their stickers. The children were engrossed with both and it became a challenge to pull away and settle down for the program.

The father gave a moving speech where he revealed a 90% illiteracy rate in the community.

This young girl was so adorable I could not resist a photo.

The road to the second school was tough as we cut through rough terrain to arrive at the next school. However, a very interesting thing occurred on the way. We stopped at the park in San Lorenzo. It was a very nice park considering the area, but it was locked and we were forced to eat outside the park. As we were finishing up with our boxed lunch, the Public Relations representative from the town of San Lorenzo approached us and thanked us for having lunch in their town and wanted to interview the group. Joe, one of the founding members of CoEd gave the interview on our behalf as he is fluent in Spanish, and told us afterwards that this has never happened on one of their tours. They were so appreciative and we did not buy anything in their town. I must watch for San Lorenzo and see if I am a part of their next promotional video.

A wonderful view of the tallest volcanic mountain in Guatemala from the Serchil Cooperative School!

During the ceremony, the principle gave a moving speech about the opportunity that the students have been given and even the superintendent of Schools for this District was present and gave a few words of thanks for this new program for this school. This community, as with all so far, was very welcoming and one lady was very concerned about one of the participants from Canada as she thought she was too cold. We almost had to pull her away from this kind older lady. Nonetheless, it was heart-warming to see them exchange hugs as they left.

I was invited to dance with the young lady on the far left. She was very patient with me!

My job at this school was to receive the Thank You notes from the students. The logistics did not completely work out, but I did accept the letter written by one of the students who read her letter. It was a very moving letter about the great opportunity they were given and how appreciative they were that people from another part of the world cared about their education. I must admit, I don’t think this could ever get old.

Upon departing the school and heading back to the hotel, we later went for a group dinner. It was a unique dinner as I was sitting with 2 Guatemalan staff members and 2 U.S. staff members. The two Guatemalan men could not speak much English, but we were able to carry out a very entertaining conversation fraught with much humor. I showed them many photos from home and my various vacations. It was a wonderful dinner and a great example that this trip is not just about helping the students, which that is the main goal, but it is also about reaching out to other Rotarians and residents of other countries to build friendships. In my business, I hear all the time from trainers that the key to building your business is to build strong relationships. This goes beyond business as the key to enjoying life and making a difference in the world is to build strong relationships. We may never see each other again, but that chance encounter over dinner has made a lasting impression on me and I would hope the same would be said for them. I do plan to come again so hopefully, they will still be with CoEd and I can continue this budding friendship, but even if I never came back, that dinner was impactful for me.

The students at Potrerillos School eagerly await for the begining of the inaugration ceremony.

I keep thinking, mistakenly, that each new day here visiting these schools, will at some point become ordinary and nothing unusual. However, the second day has seen even better experiences than the day before it. Today, we visited two schools that could not be more different. One was a very rural town in the mountains and the other was an urban area. One had very poor facilities and the other had very nice facilities, at least to the standards here. We, back in the states, would have considered both schools to be simply varying degrees of poor conditions.

The morning started with a re-orgainzation of the buses as the bus we were on yesterday that broke down was being attended to today. Hopefully, it is back in service tomorrow. However, we started off early in the morning. The interesting thing this morning was getting out of the parking lot for the hotel. As we began our procession, as we always travel with multiple vehicles for safety, we were met with a different procession of 3 dump trucks that forced us to back up and let the larger vehicles pass. Then, we began down the hill to the road just to have a Coke truck block us. It was worked out and we were able to get on the road without loosing too much time. CoEd does such a great job with the planning and the schedule is attempted to be followed. Of course, there are always unforeseen circumstances, i.e.traffic, that impacts our planned schedule.

Arriving at the first school was a challenge in itself. To understand how isolated these communities are, you have to visit one of these schools. We drove up steep hills and mountains, while the next moment, we were bounced around the bus as the dirt road we were traveled for good portion of the trip was very hectic with roads that met the edge of the mountain in some points and inclines and curves that could make your stomach do cartwheels. It really is something you have to experience. The rural areas in many third world nations maybe similar. But to experience it first hand and to see the way they live, breaks your heart in one way and makes you really appreciate what you have. It is easier to say it, but until you actually experience it, you can not truly understand their way of life. And the amazing thing is that they are happy. They are not depressed, angry, but happy with life.

The first school that we visited on Tuesday was Potrerillos School. One of the staff members warned us that we most likely would not see many fathers at the school as many of the men in this town have found their way to the U.S. for jobs and are sending money back home. It cannot be a great way to live, but the money that is sent back allows their families to live in nicer homes than they would have without this money from the U.S. as the money goes much farther here.

I am presenting a textbook to a lovely 9th grader. Isn't she adorable?

The students and family were very excited to have us there and even more excited to have the new textbooks. A proud and happy father spoke about how pleased he and his community were that we were there to help with their children’s education. The Vice-Mayor stated that this was the first time any organization came to their town to help them.  During the ceremony, the students honored us with a ceremonial dance that depicts their heritage. Later, one of the Guatemalan staff members told our bus that she has never seen that dance before as it is only brought out for honored guest and special occasions.

After the ceremonies, we went outside and enjoyed a very enthusiastic frisbee game. I just had to show them all of my many styles of throws, and many of them tried to emulate with varying degrees of success. Fitting for a round of Frisbee, a young boy managed to throw it onto the roof of one of the buildings just as it was time for us to load up and leave for the next school.

At the next school in Almolonga, which is just outside of Xela, it has a more urban feel. According to a staff member, this community has recently came upon good times through farming and exporting many of their crops abroad. Due to this new market they have developed, the community was better off than most that we had visited. What I found impressive was the way they treated us and the fact that the auditorium was full of parents, there to take part in their child’s education. As you already know, this program is not free, but to see so many parents come out made me reflect on how many parents in the U.S. take that much interest in their child’s education. As well as reminded me that the children who perform the best and typically go to college are those who have parental involvement throughout their education. It makes me think that these young children have a chance at a bright future.

Students perform a ceremonial dance in our honor.

Once again, the students honored us with a few performances and each one made a point to bow to us before exiting. We were seated on the stage and treated very well. It just shows how appreciative they are for our involvement. It seems that I cannot say it enough.

After the ceremony, Boyd was virtually attacked again with his stickers. The boys wanted the dog and construction equipment stickers while the girls wanted the cats and stars. I got involved in a rousing soccer match that saw me out of breath in no time. I must admit, I still had a strong kick, but my accuracy and technic left much to be desired.

From there, we returned to San Marco and our hotel without incident. It was a wonderful day and I can only imagine how tomorrow will be. I can hardly wait.

Young children at the Paquisis Primary School. They were excited to see us!

A wonderful day was had by all as we visited our first school today. In the morning, we visited the Paquisis Primary School for the inauguration of their Culture of Reading Program (CORP). This school, who has been a part of the textbook project for some time, had just gotten several of their teachers certified for the CORP and did some demonstrations for us. Following an amazing ceremony where a plaque was presented as the Evanston, WY Rotary club sponsored their new CORP program. After a wonderful ceremony, we separated into the many classes where we were given a first hand experience as to how the CORP program works to increase reading and comprehension by the students.

Demonstrating the book that was read by their teacher. The chicks are cold and the mother is warming them.

In the classes, we watched the demonstration, then went to the yard to see the dramatization of the story. The CORP program is designed for the teacher to read the book with interaction from the students, The book is turned so the children can see it and the pictures. After reading it, some or all of the students are asked to dramatize the book to better understand. Afterward, they work to recreate the book with their own interpretations. It is an amazing way to learn and comprehend.

The children really enjoyed receiving their new school supplies. They have so little that they appreciate everything they get.

After the class demonstration, Boyd and I were assigned to hand out school supplies to the class. Then we went back to the main school yard where we had a few moments to interact with the children. Boyd became very popular with his stickers and barely made it our alive. Just kidding, the children were very respectful, but very excited to receive a sticker.

Instead of just shipping these books, CoEd hand delivers them with the assistance of Rotarians fron North America and the Grand Cayman Islands.

The day with this school was very special as the clubs representatives from the Grand Cayman Islands were honored for their donation of restrooms. Yes, this school did not have any facilities prior to the clubs in the Cayman Islands donation. Additionally, Glenn and Carol Chamberlain were honored for sponsoring this new school. Their dedication to this program over the years has been very beneficial to this overall project. Glenn has previously been on 19 Guatemalan tours for Rotary and CoEd. His committment to this program is amazing.

After leaving this school, we began the long trek through the mountainous roads to San Marcos and the Hotel Miralvalle. Unfortunately, the challenge in the title happened as the brakes on our bus began to fail and the driver pulled over as he was not confident in his ability to navigate the curves with the current brake systems. This is a testament to this organization and their focus on safety first as we pulled over, and waited, along with our security team, until one of the other buses could unload and then return for us.

This blog is going out later than I would have liked since we arrived at the hotel much later than expected. However, I have pushed forward to share and have started to upload new photos to Facebook, but may not finish as we have an early day tomorrow.