August 20, 2023
Dear friends,
Last month, students, parents, teachers and friends gathered at the school we are supporting in the community of El Triunfo in Guatemala to celebrate a remarkable achievement – the 15th anniversary of the school. Since its founding in 2008, hundreds of students from El Triunfo and the neighbouring communities of La Fey, El Mirador, El Progresso, and El Adelantro have come to the school to study, to learn, and to have fun. Many of these students would not have pursued formal education beyond grade six without the school. Graduates have gone to high school and been able to pursue “professional” careers, which don’t involve working in the fields or staying at home.
Over the past fifteen years your financial support have paid the salaries for the director and the teachers, bought computers for the lab on three different occasions, built a second floor with three classrooms and a new computer lab, as well as countless other items such as desks, blackboards, laptops, school supplies, and more. There was more than one “interesting” shopping trips with community members including the time when I had to convince the credit card security team of a Canadian bank that I was buying a photocopier in person in Guatemala.
While your financial support has kept the school doors open, your moral support has kept me going. I want to thank you for both.
This year the anniversary returned to its usual in-person three-day festival. On day one the “Senoritas” of the school were elected followed by cultural activities including traditional dance performances on day two. The anniversary wrapped up with soccer tournament on the last day with both the girls and boys teams taking home the first place trophies over teams from two other schools.
On my visits to the school, I was pleased to notice that the building was back in a good state of repair. Broken windows in the classrooms were fixed and a new bright blue paint job was in the process of being finished. In addition to taking part in the festivities, I was also able to meet with the school and community leaders and get caught up on the paperwork. I’m not sure if I will be able to make a return visit to the school before the academic year ends in October but I enjoyed the handful of times I was able to see the students this year.
As I mentioned, the running of the school is not possible without your support. We need to still pay the teachers for August through October. In addition, there are expenses in November to cover. If you would like to make a donation to the school, here’s the link to donate online: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/casa-pueblito/.
(If you are donating online, please indicate the amount, then under “Apply your donation to a specific fund set up by this charity” select the second option which is “El Triunfo School.” It’s important to indicate this. You may also wish to indicate that your donation is for Ken’s School in the note.)
For those who prefer to send in a cheque payable to Casa-Pueblito, please note that they have a new address
.
Casa-Pueblito
2356 Bloor St. W, Toronto, ON
M6S 1P3
ATTN: El Triunfo School Project
Thanks for your continued support.
Ken
PS – Looking for a scarf or wallet from Asociacion Maya? There will be special sale dates in September. Details to come.
I am also looking for financial support for a young man from the community who wishes to pursue studies so that he can give basic eye exams. He needs funding for both his courses and equipment. Please contact me directly if you are interested in helping.
El Triunfo School Project 