The Zinacantán Saturday Children´s Program has been operating for 20 months as of August, 2011. It is very popular and has been effective in persuading children to remain in school.

The Crucero Saturday Children´s Program just started its second year. The women in that community provided materials and built a structure just to house the Saturday school. They are so enthusiastic about it and are hoping that funding will continue.

The Altamirano Literacy Project has been in existence for 20 months. There are 27 people attending, 13 of them women. The instructor is very pleased with the participation and dedication of the participants. He makes himself available for extra-help sessions when requested.

For more information on all three programs, please see more details under “Projects 2010.”

As of August, 2011, we are funding scholarships for 17 young women.

Reyna is in the second year of preparatory and is from the community of Las Margaritas. She is a hardworking young woman of 26 who will be paying all her own transportation costs involved with traveling to school.

Micaela and Cecilia are both from communities in the municipality of San Andrés Laraínzar. Micaela will be starting secondary (equivalent to 6th grade in US) and Cecilia is entering preparatory (9th grade US).

Rocío of Las Margaritas, who is starting secondary, is the sister of Ana Belén. Ana Belén is in her 5th year of scholarship with us and is entering university in Comitán to study law.

Eva comes from the community of Las Ollas and is starting secondary school.

Zinacantán Children ́s Project

A full year project started in January, 2010 for primary school students in Zinacantán. The project was organized and is run by Juana and Yoli, who both attend university, and Petrona and Adriana, sisters attending preparatory and secondary classes, respectively. The project is aimed at students who are lagging behind in their studies and working below grade level. Starting with about 30 students who were identified by their teachers, the Saturday classes vary in attendance between 25 and 35 pupils. For three hours every Saturday morning, students work to strengthen their academic skills, develop creativity, learn literacy in their Maya language, participate in workshops given by accredited facilitators and learn sound environmental practices. The children are given a meal during the three hour session.

The project has been so successful that parents praise it saying that their children are doing better in school and they are not receiving calls from the teachers. The students love it and beg their teachers to let them come on Sunday, too. Now, at the end of 2010, we have received a proposal for an additional year ́s funding so the program may continue.

Chanal Literacy Project

The municipality of Chanal, and specifically the community of Naranjal, is about four hours from the principal city of San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico. A group of women from Naranjal belong to the cooperative with which we partner and proposed a full year certified program of literacy for fifteen women who did not have the opportunity to complete their primary education. The ability to read and write will permit their participation in the community’s councils and assemblies. They are becoming valued members of their community, their self-esteem is increasing and it is giving them the self-confidence to dedicate themselves to other areas of learning and to take on new responsibilities. At the end of 2010, 13 women have successfully completed the program and are ready to continue.

Crucero Children’s Project

Patterned after the Zinacantán Project, Teresa and Martha, two scholarship recipients now attending preparatory school, proposed to run a similar program in Crucero, a small community in the Chamula region. It is a bit smaller as it has a smaller draw, but on an average Saturday approximately 22 children are in attendance. They, too, work on strengthening academic skills, literacy in Tsotsil, creative and environmental endeavors and workshops on children ́s rights, gender equity, etc. This project began in August, 2010.

There was a workshop a month for seven months, each one lasting a day and a half. Professional facilitators were brought in for each workshop. The themes were gender equity, self-esteem domestic violence, individual rights, women’s rights, judicial advice and human rights violations. The goal was to create a space where these topics could be discussed and problems could be confronted. A manual was created so that the workshops could be given again easily. Participants were charged to take information back to their own communities. These workshops were very successful and well attended.

Vicki (Virginia) and her daughter Gabriela both have been awarded scholarships. Gabriela will start secondary school (6th grade) while mom Vicki will attend an “open secondary” which will give her the opportunity to complete her secondary education. Vicki is a very active member of the cooperative and works tirelessly for the women. She proposed the year long literacy program that we are supporting in her community.

Adriana is from Zinacantán. She is joining her sister Petrona as a scholarship recipient. Both girls are involved in the running of the Zinacantán Saturday Children´s Project as part of their community service.

Yolanda is from the community of Crucero. She joins her older sister Marta as a recipient of a Mujeres´ scholarship. Both girls will be helping with the Crucero Saturday Children´s Project.

Petrona is from Zinacantán. She is fourteen years old and entering the second year of secondary school. She has four siblings, one of whom is Felipa, a scholarship recipient from last year.

Maria Josefina, Antonia, Rosalinda, Martina and Claudia are all from the community of San Andres Larrainzar. They will be attending secondary school. All of them are proud of the weavings and handicrafts they create and appreciate the opportunity to continue their education.

The women in the community of Las Margaritas proposed a new program to sponsor adult women who want to complete primary education. From the time they were small children they had to work in the fields and couldn’t attend school. Their letter states “Now we are making our own decision because we are now aware of our rights and we want to continue preparing ourselves to be more independent and to be examples for other women who want to better themselves.” Immediately three women applied for the scholarship. Juana is a dedicated community leader who runs workshops and works tirelessly for human rights. Maria is treasurer of the coffee-grinding cooperative and Maria Guadalupe is an active cooperative member. We are honored to extend our support.

UPDATES:

Teri and Martha from Crucero will enter the third year of secondary school. Both have good grade point averages and are enthusiastic about continuing their classes.

Yoli, who was awarded our first scholarship, just passed a significant test which allows her to continue her university studies. She has two more years of school and is considering being an English teacher.

Juana, Yoli’s sister, also has about two more years to get her degree in information technology. She continues to contribute half of her own school expenses. She works at a non-profit agency as well as teaches computer skills to the children of Zinacantán. We don’when she sleeps!

Felipa from Zinacantán completed her secondary education and is moving into the preparatory (grades 10-12). With no father in the house and four siblings, Felipa tells us how appreciative she is our scholarship. Without it, she could not continue her education.

Ana Belen, from Las Margaritas, is in the second year of preparatory. She found her classes challenging this year but worked hard and achieved a high grade point average. She is a dedicated volunteer.