The Aid and Education Project, Inc.
“ El Proyecto de Ayuda y Educación “
August, 2003
Dear Sponsors, Donors & Friends:
FIRST OF ALL…
First of all, thank you for
your support. The program in
MEDICAL, EYE, AND EAR CARE
As reported in our last newsletter, we are now offering basic medical, eye, and ear care to all students in the program. Basic exams have now been completed. Fortunately, we did not encounter any major problems. Prescriptions for eye medicine and glasses were routine. One young girl will need on-going eye care for about 6 months, but then her vision should be fine. We were worried about one boy who seemed to be deaf in one ear. His problem, however, was alleviated by a major cleaning.
So far this year, we’ve paid for a few prescriptions for normal childhood aliments, but otherwise everyone’s health has been fine.
The program included
classes, videos, hands-on workshops, and an excursion to
After the program concluded, a number of students and parents wrote letters expressing their appreciation for the opportunity to learn about this aspect of their culture and history. For many, it was a first.
Given this success, we want to continue the program. We believe it is important that these Maya kids know about the accomplishments and culture of their ancestors. And the program keeps the kids thinking and engaged in a subject that they find fascinating.
Thus, we are currently
holding a class on Saturday mornings to teach about the Maya calendar.
We will continue the classes during the major school vacation in November
and December. At that time, we hope
to teach about the Popol Vuh (the creation myth of the Maya), Maya glyphs, the
Maya calendar and mathematics, and about contemporary Maya crafts.
And, of course, we will teach Kachiquel, the local indigenous language of
the town of
In June we launched an experimental after-school program to expose the kids to English. At first we offered the classes from Monday through Thursday. Then, after the first two weeks, we continued the program only on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Since all the kids in the class were in primary school, we kept it pretty simple. We taught the English words for the colors, the numbers, a few body parts, the alphabet, and some common objects that the kids see every day. Throw in a few songs, contests, and games, and you get a pretty enthusiastic group of young English speakers.
These English classes were part of an initiative that will be continued. We expect to have much more to report on this project in the near future.
So who taught these English classes? Volunteers.
Two young volunteers from
the
They were joined by three
other more experienced American volunteers already in
Every English speaker has
something to offer as a volunteer in our program.
But other skills, such as arts, crafts, music, and a willingness to help
with basic math, can all help further our cause in
Fun, Games, and Education in
COMPUTERS & OTHER EDUCATIONAL EQUIPMENT
Like kids everywhere, kids
in
We also plan to buy a number of “tickets” at a local internet café. These tickets will be given to the children to allow them to get on the internet at the café. Also, as appropriate, they can receive basic training on the computer.
We also now have a color
printer/copier, an overhead projector, and a slide projector, all donated to the
project. Such equipment, while
common in our own communities, is not at all common in
We are often asked about
our “school in
As mentioned above, we do offer classes. These classes keep the kids mentally engaged, and hopefully teach them things they would not learn in their regular school. These classes are completely voluntary, but so far interest has been strong.
Thus, we do offer aid for
education and we do offer classes, but we do not have a “school” per se in
WEB SITE
Please visit our website at www.aidanded.org where you can read more about the program, and see photos and read a brief description of each student. Also, newsletters are on the website. If you know someone who may have an interest in our work, please refer them to the website, or have them call or write to me directly. I am always glad to talk to people about the project.
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome, so please stay in touch.
Thanks again for your support.
All the Best to Everyone,
Mark Pitts
The
Aid and Education Project, Inc. 183
email:
mpitts@aidanded.org
www.aidanded.org